Monday’s were never my day of the week.

It's the beginning of a week that is sure to kick ass. The bones groan and muscles strain to lift your body from the blissful slumber—

Okay, lemme back it up here. Start off with the basics. 

My name’s Arthur Brenner. I doubt we’ve ever met, but I’ll bet you know someone like me. Every class has an Arthur (I prefer being called Art). You know, the smartest, wittiest, most charming, coolest, and best-looking.

I’m kidding. Mostly.

 

Lemme take you to where it all began:

 

MONDAY 

I folded down my cardboard home down and shoved it into a little crevice I called home. Just beneath it, brand-new shoes I’d found a few days before. They were a perfect fit, but I couldn’t bring myself to wear them. I always ended up thinking that they were too new and far too cool to be on a homeless. Besides, people who saw me with them would think I'd stolen them, and the last thing I ever wanted was attention.

 

I treaded the narrow ledge along the sloped concrete and slipped out from under the bridge. I was always cautious here; walk too quickly, and you could end up like the poor guy a couple of weeks ago, who ended up losing a few limbs and several quarts of blood after sliding down and taking a glancing hit from a truck. It’s a callous world, so the only person you should ever look out for is yourself. Write that down, kids.

 

I glanced down at my cheap prepaid phone. The tiny clock on the top flip indicated that I was gonna be late if I didn’t haul ass. I began to run at a quickened pace, not because I'm particularly worried about tardies, but because a phone call to my nonexistent parents would get me kicked out. And to forfeit two meals a day and 8 hours of A/C, for free? I may be stupid, but I’m not an idiot.

 

 I had always been on my own, for as long as I could remember. I don’t know what happened to my folks, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. But what I lacked in family, I made up with street smarts. Looking over my shoulder had become second nature to me. Not much scared me, because there wasn’t much to be afraid of. Darkness? Pah. Baby stuff. Getting raped? Well, I ain’t a chick (sorry, ladies. But we all know a man isn’t gonna get raped as easily as you.) Robbed? There wasn’t jack you could steal from me. Killed? Death would be welcome to try me.

 

 A man with a sharp stick and nothing left to lose can take the day, they say.

After a long jog and a stealthy slip past school security, I dashed into first block at 7:09, out of breath and trying to decide whether or not my heart was going to jump out of my chest. After a few seconds, I figured that I was gonna be OK.

I felt an elbow jab my ribs. “We didn’t think you were gonna make it, man,” said David. The guy was the closest thing I had to a best friend. 

 

I’d met David a while back, outside an art show I was genuinely interested in, while he went just to hang out or make fun of the artwork. But when his friends forgot to mention they weren’t going anymore, he stuck it out with me as I explained the art to him. He didn’t really appreciate it the way I thought he should, but he liked me enough to keep me around, I guess. 

 

“I’m guessing you bet on it,” I sighed with mock contempt. In response, he showed me his cashless wallet and gestured to his left at Rocco, our local kid genius. He was quiet, I was awkward, but David made it up by being the most rambunctious guy everywhere he went. We balanced each other out.

 

“We had a bet going. I was gonna win if you didn’t make it on time. But Rocco here is a thief and a card reader or something,” he said jokingly, and lightly punched Rocco’s arm. “Idiot.”

In response, Rocco smiled toothily and held up about 20 dollars’ worth of money.

Halfway through the class, I felt David poke my ribs again. “Hey man, I almost forgot,” he whispered as he poked my arm and nodded his head across the room to his girlfriend, Kayla. “I just dumped her and told her I was leaving her for some hot chick from the place I’m moving to next week.”

“Dubai?”

“Yeah. I’m not actually dumping her for another girl, I just figured I’d crush her heart on the way out,” he smirked.

I shook my head and turned to see the girl, who was busy giving us not-so discreet nasty looks. I gave her a sympathetic shrug. David may have been my best friend, but I'd be a liar to say he was anything more than a spoiled douchebag. But every guy knows that rule number one of Bro Code is Bro’s before hoes. It applied no matter what; even if my boy David was a little cruel.

As for Kayla, she just raised an eyebrow and faced the front for the teacher to tell us all about the War of 18-flipping-12. 

As the bell rang, I passed Kayla on my way out. She looked at me and grabbed my arm. “Please be sure to give this to David, Art,” she said slowly, as if she were about to lose it if she didn’t watch herself. I felt a slab of metal or something slip into my hand—a memento of some sort, I guessed.

“Sure,” I said uneasily. I pulled my arm away and skedaddled outta there.

I felt bad for Kayla. She had never wronged me, or David, as far as I knew. She had a sweet face and a proud aura, but something about her… just didn’t click. Add to that fact that her best friend, Corday, was one of the creepy freaks of the school, and she made my “do not disturb” list. Corday was on another level, though. She was always alone and very quiet, but I swear, every time we made eye contact, it was as if she was peering straight into my soul.

I ended up losing David in the crowd and decided I would give it to him the next time I saw him. This thing probably wasn’t even worth it, anyway.

I maneuvered through the crowd skillfully and easily, gliding through gaps and spaces. Have you seen The Matrix? Where Keneau Reeves plays Neo, the guy who weaves bullets? That’s me in a busy hallway. My agility and reaction time paired together made me pretty kick-ass, and them’s the fucking facts.

But I guess it was fate (or maybe Karma) that caused me to become so caught up in my bullet-weaving fantasy that I didn’t notice the girl who popped out of the English hallway. I slammed into her, dropping her binder.

“Agh, sorry,” I mumbled out quickly, unaware of who it was. But when I did, I wished I could die.

She looked at me, sighed in frustration, and started to bend down to pick it up. But before she could, I swiped it off the ground.

“Here. I’m sorry, uh... Wiley, right?” I said nervously as I handed it over to her.
She turned it over in her hands, not looking at me. “Erm... duh, Art?” she said after a few excruciating seconds.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and teeter-tottered on my feet. “Isn’t biochem next period?”

She gave me a look—one that involved a narrowing of her pale green eyes—that made me feel so stupid that I just wanted to keel over and die. 

 

“Are… you okay?”

“Right. Sorry.” I cringed. I never needed parents to embarrass me, I did just fine on my own.

“Well, we’d better hurry on up, then. I’d hate to be late,” she said indifferently.

goddamn it. It’s so frustrating to have such a hard time making conversation. It’s not like Wiley and I had never spoken before. We’ve actually spoken quite a bit. But actually being able to say something of substance to your crush is extremely difficult. You guys know how it is. Every time is like the first time. 

Wiley was always that kinda girl who… gosh, how to describe. She was fine, oh so fine.  She had long dirty blonde hair, pale but beautiful green eyes. Really smart. Gentle in everything she did, a leader, a capable person. She had been taking a martial art class, which gave her slim yet toned curves; and that much more perfect. Oh, and straight A’s. Can’t forget that lovely brain of hers.

I had had multiple encounters with her, and each time I would mess up worse than the last time.

The worst one was the time I attempted to flirt. The rest had been sad attempts at conversation.

I mean, her name was Wiley.
Isn't that a beautiful name? A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Which is what I told her as I sidled up casually to her locker.
"Wiley," I said.
"Arthur," she said.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," I said.
"What is? Arthur?"
"No, Wiley."
"What?"
"Wiley. I was just saying I thought it would be a beautiful name for a beautiful girl."
"Oh, really!" she said, giving me serious fish-eye. "It would be, huh? For a beautiful girl. But not for me, huh? Is that what you're saying? You just came all the way over here, acting all cool, to tell me I should give my name to some beautiful girl because I'm too much of a pig to have the name?"
At this point I could have explained. But I had this bad feeling that the moment was past. You know? Like nothing I could possibly say was going to make this work.
"How about if we just say this conversation never happened?" I suggested. "How about if I just turn and walk away?"
"That would be a good idea.”

Days later, she apologized for not giving the impression that she was joking. Hell, I was happy that she had been okay with me, not me with her. I genuinely thought that I had offended her. And although later on, it would become a sort of inside joke between us, it was still an embarrassing episode I wanted to forget.

We barely made to class and took our seats just before the bell. Ms. Net, our Biochemistry teacher, was a young woman. She was always cranky and had a skewed sense of humor, but I guess she was a decent enough woman. On our trip to the Museum of National Science, she had been cool enough to let Wiley and I pair up. Honestly, you could say Wiley had chosen me, because there was no way I would’ve had the guts to-

“ARTHUR!”

“Hughwugoah.” Considering the fact that Ms. Net had scared the shit out of me, I guess that was a reasonable sound. 

“I’VE BEEN TELLING YOU TO GO TO YOUR TABLE-GROUP FOR THE PAST MINUTE!” she yelled, clearly alerting the class to my predicament. To my embarrassment, I could see Wiley already at our table, snickering her face off.

“Yes’m.” I could feel my ears and cheeks burning as I passed her desk. she slapped my chest with a couple of papers and groaned.

“This is your group assignment. Try NOT to zone out again, huh, Arthur? it’s too early for your bullshit.” Behind me, the class could not control their stupid little laugh session. 

I sat down quickly and gave my group their papers. “I wanna die,” I moaned, looking at the ceiling and ignoring the snickers from my group mates: Taylor, Wiley, and Julia. 

 

Lemme give you guys the 4-1-1.

 

Julia was the blonde ditz. Picture a blonde, mall-shopping, spray-tanning bimbo in your head and chances are your imagination conjured up a girl that looks and acts a lot like Julia.

As for Taylor, it’s a little more complicated than that. We go way back. We’d been friends since we were in Velcros. We were what many would label “frenemies”; we would slam each other with insults and go the extra mile to prank or mess with one another, but were generally pretty decent people to one another. Both of us were only children (or in my case, only one in a family), so we became the siblings we never had for one another. Oh, and she was tall as fuck.

“Art. Hey. Buddy. Wake the hell up,” Taylor said, snapping her fingers right in front of my face. I’d zoned out. Daydreaming of a sparkling conversation with the girl on my left.

“What do you want, Taylor?”

“Just wondering when you and Wiley were gonna hook up,” she said casually. She framed us with her fingers and nodded in approval. “Yeah, that’d be a cute couple, right Julia?”
Julia smiled her big cheerleader smile. “Real cute!” She squealed.
“Oh, come on guys. Knock it off,” I uttered nonchalantly, and glanced at Wylie, who was beet-red. Almost like… she was…
“Is that a bwuuuussshhhhhhh??” Cooed Taylor in this sickening baby speak. Poor Wiley could barely get up and out of the classroom without tripping. I contorted my face to hide my own blush and to show my anger, which wasn’t all that hard considering I really did feel like giving them a piece of my mind.
“What the heck, guys? She probably feels terrible for me, she can’t hook up with me, she probably has a boyfriend!” I exclaimed, panting. I didn’t quite know why I was feeling so jittery though. I chalked it down to a bad breakfast that I never had because there was absolutely no way…
“She likes you, Art. And she doesn’t and has never had a boyfriend. Her aunt and uncle won’t let her,” she spit out indifferently.
Nope. No way. Too good to be true. Yep. Had to be. Yep.
“You… you’re lying,” I sputtered out. Julia shook her head and unlocked her phone. “Guys. So clueless!”
I decided to ignore her comment and focus on Taylor.
“Taylor… be straight with me, no jokes,” I pleaded nervously. “Do you really think that-“

“Arthur, I hope to god that you’ve finished your goddamned paper!” Ms. Net roared. I glanced down at my paper as the class began to snicker at me yet again. I hadn’t even put my name on it yet. Julia, however, raised her hand.
“Yes ma’am, here’s my paper. We did it on a single sheet,” she said with a sweet and innocent smile. I glanced at the paper. All she’d written down was 2+2=5 and, knowing her, she probably thought it was true.

Ms. Net gave me some serious stink-eye, but decided to let it go. “Well, alright then, but no more talking. I’m about to start the presentation,” she said, just as Wiley walked in with an unreadable expression. I couldn’t bring my eyes to meet her, though. Gravity does things to your eyes, am I right?
She sat down quietly and after a few awkward minutes, she was back to her normal self. Funny, sweet, happy Wiley. After being assigned homework, I was so excited that I could barely pay any attention to it.
“Art,” Wiley whispered tentatively, maybe even nervously. “You look like you’re having trouble with the homework.”
I took a deep breath and attempted to relax my vocal cords. “Yeah, I am. Too bad I won’t have you around to help me, Einstein,” I whispered softly, gesturing at her paper. The girl was some sort of genius at Biochem; she’d already finished the 2 page homework.
“Well,” she smiled with what seemed to be reddening cheeks, “You could always call me, you know, after school,” she smiled. She stuck her hand in her pockets and produced a little piece of paper with her name and number. It took all I had not to jump up and down and lose my mind. What a fine day it was turning out to be!

After Biochemistry, the day practically zipped on by. I became so lost in my own world that I didn’t hear the bells to the next classes. It was only until the end of the day, in the last block with Taylor, that my world came crashing down. 

 

We were just finishing up our project when she started talking of the days' events out of the blue.

“I told you, she totally digs you, Art,” she teased. But then, Taylor's mood totally changed. She leaned back into her chair and sighed.
“You do know that she’s moving, right?” she asked softly.
I turned to look at her, unable to believe it. And from the way she was expressing herself, I knew she couldn’t have been kidding. You get to know people a decade and change.
“No,” I squeaked out after a few moments of silence.
“She’s leaving some time at the beginning of the next school year.  I just thought you’d want to know that time is limited if you want to make a move, if at all,” she said carefully.
I shook my head and looked down. “Thank you for letting me know,” I whispered.
She grabbed my shoulder from behind and gave me a quick pat. “Make your move, son, ‘fore it’s too late,” she said in a fake southern accent. I shook my head softly and left silently just as the bell released us.

I took the long way to the bridge, mulling over my conflicting emotions. I was glad that Taylor told me, and desperately disappointed that Wiley wasleaving. However, something new, something warm found its way into and around my heart. My crush actually liked me back. Now that’s right out of a fairy tale, but like always, I never could, never would, have myself a happily ever after. After a lifetime of disappointment, I knew I couldn’t afford to let my hopes fly, just for another scar in my heart.

 

I spent the evening watching reruns of various TV shows, on a tiny television I had found behind Radio Shack a few weeks before. Even though the only way to get electricity to it was to hand crank a small power generator continuously, I appreciated the distraction it provided. The burning sensations my muscles generated kept my mind off what was actually troubling me.

It helped too much, I guess, because I didn’t even notice the car that pulled over on the edge of the highway my bridge passed over, nor did I notice the person that clambered out. What did catch my attention, though, were the words I heard.
“Arthur? Arthur Brenner?” Called the school dean.
The school dean! Legally, I wasn’t even allowed to go to school without a home address. I couldn’t control the panic I felt as she walked around, stilettos making echos that sent chills down my spine.

She’s here to collect me, put me in the foster home system, move me away to a school way away. Oh, Universe, I thought sadly. Will you ever leave me alone?

She turned on a flashlight and took a look around, peering at and inside the alcoves of the bridge. Just when I thought she was leaving, I looked up.

I expected to feel relief, but what I did feel was my blood turn to ice when I saw her looking right at me, with steely black eyes.
“Come with me, young man,” she yelled, her hand beckoning me to what I was certain was my doom. I had no option but to comply, and as I entered the car and closed the door, I couldn’t help but wonder if Wiley would miss me.

I sincerely doubted it

 

“Breathe, child, breathe,” she said in an accent I couldn’t quite place, but definitely European. Scandinavian, maybe? I took a deep breath, and noticed my burning lungs and clenched fists. I took my first breath after at least two minutes.

“How did you find me?” I said weakly.

She drove down the road calmly but just a tad fidgety. “You aren’t the hardest person to find. Besides, using 1234 Main St. as an address? Even you must see the obvious flaws of such an idea.”

I nodded and mentally groaned. I’d forgotten to change my address ever since I forged a parent’s signature on my registration form.

She cleared her throat, but I refused to talk anymore. I was afraid to know what was going to happen.

“You must be wondering why this is happening,” she said, mirroring my thoughts exactly. I barely squeezed out a nod.

“All will be answered soon. Relax, Arthur.”

I shifted uncomfortably in the seat and rubbed my left arm, right where I had sliced it open on one of the odd jobs I took up to make some money a few years earlier. A tic, you could call it, for when I was nervous.

She pulled up at a pretty little house with a small garden outside. It looked a bit like an English cottage.
“Let’s talk inside,” she suggested coolly. I followed silently but couldn’t help but notice a tiny maze, maybe about 5 inches tall. It was a strange but cute thing, covering the entirety of the garden floor. I shook my head. The pointlessness astounded me.

I walked in, and as the door closed I heard a faint but definite click. I tugged at the handle subtly, hoping against hope that it wasn’t locked. No such luck. There wasn’t even a lock visible on the inside, and I began to feel my nerves short out. DEFCON 3.

The dean took a seat at her dining table and gestured for me to do the same. She took out a test tube with a light blue liquid in it and poured it into a coffee mug, looking at me all the while.

“its an energy combination I created a few months ago. Would you like some coffee?” she asked. 

I didn’t dare refuse, and she lifted the mug with the liquid in it and walked into the kitchen.  I barely noticed, being far more preoccupied by the automatic locking door and curiosities around the house: a tiny ledge that seemed to stick out an inch or so out of the wall at about 5 feet off the ground, a large aquarium filled with little furniture and tiny sets of clothing, and inside a glass cabinet, a set of miniature medical instruments at the application end and normal sized at the other. I couldn’t help but feel that she was a freak for Ken dolls.

She walked back with the mugs and handed me a mug. She then leaned over, and I started to notice that she was actually kind of young, not passing 40 years old. She was well shaped and quite pretty for a woman her age, but something about her carried this cold scientific look. I sipped at the coffee nervously, not really caring about the slight metallic taste.

“Arthur, let’s promise not to lie at all to each other, yes? It will make things easier, for me and you,” she said in a professional tone.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said, realizing I didn’t even know her name.

“My name is Dr. June. For our purposes, you may call me that, and that only.” She coughed lightly and sipped at her coffee. I instinctively mimicked her.

“you have been… selected for a special test. You have no family, correct? No parents, siblings, extended family?” I barely managed a yes.

“Do you believe you will be missed in the world, if, say, you were to disappear?” she asked coolly, flipping through some papers on a clipboard.

“I, uh, don’t think so?”

“Are you aware of the metal object in your pocket and its purpose?”

I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out the tiny slab Kayla had given me earlier. Did she have X-Rays somewhere in the house? In her eyes? DEFCON 2.

“Answer the question, Arthur,” she said in a clipped tone. 

“I don’t understand why you’re asking this,” I said quietly, her glare and look of controlled anger stripping me of any fight. I picked the mug up and drank more, the metallic aftertaste growing with each sip.

“I’m waiting.”

“No,” I said shyly. She flipped back to the first page in her notes and cocked her head at me.

“Finish your drink,” she smirked. I did as I was told, shivering under her cold eyes and sinister smile.

“Now, we really should wait a few minutes, but I’m really not in a patient sort of mood," she said. Before I could even recognize what was going on, she plunged a needle into my thigh and pumped a red liquid into me.

At that, I kicked back and made for the door. Whatever was going on here, I wanted to be a thousand miles away from. But in my wild rush to escape, I forgot about the lock.

“Come now, I wouldn’t just let you run off that easily! There’s no fun in that,” she cackled, getting up slowly and tracing my steps.

After literally running away and being locked in a house, seeing her calmly following me set my mind at DEFCON 1. I reached a window and clambered out, but something... something was NOT right. My clothes were growing around me!

I ignored it and leaped out of the window, crashing into the maze.

“Urgh!” I groaned, hitting a spigot with my ankle and collapsing to the ground. “That’ll leave a mark, Arthur,” she called after me, leaving the window sill and opening the door.

I jumped up and was about to dash again when…

“What in the hell…?” The maze, it was now up to my knees! I leaped over the walls of the maze, making a dash towards the fence that encircled her home. Halfway there, I tripped over the hedges that made it up and landed on top of the maze. As I got up, I see it was UP TO MY WAIST?

I spun around and saw Dr. June walking outside and watching me from the path that cut right through the maze.

“No… no, this is just wrong! No!!!” I whipped around… but this time, I saw nothing but shrubbery.

I ran around in it, completely panicking. This was not normal! The endless rows of perfectly trimmed hedges confused me. My heart pounded in my ears, my breath shortening to near hyperventilation. I turned corner after corner, bumping into the walls, feeling my mind begin to shut down to its most primal instincts. Fight or flight? If only I could fly...

I sensed that the growth around me stopped. The maze towered over me, at least twice my height!

KREEEEEEE KRKRKRKRKR!

The chirping of a cricket! Far too loud, downright deafening!

“Oh My God!” I shrieked, staring into Dr. June’s attractive but positively humongous face, smiling down at me. I quivered in fear and backed away slowly. She laughed, her body just slightly slower, her breasts heaving with each breath. Unlike all the movies I’ve seen with giants, her voice was only a little deeper, but made her next words petrifying.

“Well, well, well… are you ready to be experimented on, Mr. Brenner?”

 

You don’t know fear until you’re looking up at a face a couple of times larger than your whole body. Till you hear a voice coming from (relatively) so far but sounds so close it vibrates your bones. Till you realize… you’re barely as tall as the length of a pair of lips.


I mean, I’d been a street kid for a long time, at least a decade. I knew fear. I knew what the fear of not having food for a few days straight was, the fear that came with sliding down the steep concrete and onto the highway. But this… this was beyond fear. I believe this is what is known as terror.

Every cell in my body, every instinct told me to find my way outta there. So I did, as quick as my tiny legs would carry me.


“And now, the prey runs,” she laughed. I turned and twisted around the maze, trying to get away from her gaze. But it was just not possible. June was so tall, she overlooked all the “walls” and kept an amused eye on me.


“When you are ready to surrender,” she boomed down at me, “Come to me. We have much work to do, Arthur.” She crouched down and set her hand palm up, the massive thing barely fitting into the walls of the maze. “But here’s a warning,” she said, almost dreamily, “The longer you take to choose my hand, the less patient I will be. I do not think you want that?” she asked mockingly.

I had never wanted to flee so badly, but I also knew that I’d be caught anyway. And the idea of that huge hand swooping down onto me, like a hawk on a rat, it shook me to my core. I turned to her and took a deep breath.


“I… I’m surren-ren-dering,” I stuttered, approaching her hand cautiously. She smiled cruelly and snatched me up. The force of my sudden ascent slammed me into her soft flesh and dry heave. It was something that you’d never think you’d have to go through outside of an amusement park.

“Good choice, little one. Now, you must be cold, you are shivering!” she exclaimed, nearly knocking me down with the sheer power of her voice. Her eyes glanced down at my legs, and I became painfully aware of my nudity. I quickly covered myself with my hands, unwilling to lose my dignity.


She cocked her head to the side and smirked. “Yes, cover yourself, it has caused me to completely forget what that cute little penis looks like.”

“Hey, lady. I’m a grower, not a shower!” I snarled. But I said it in my head, so no one heard it but me.

“I believe I can warm you right up; however, tell me: how long can you hold your breath?”

Before I could answer, she dangled me above her mouth and swung me back and forth… teasing me.


“Dr. June, what are you doing?!” I shrieked, horrified at the huge, gaping chasm just below.

“Why, nothing yet! I swear you will be warm! Just let me see if my tastebuds will appreciate you.” I Her enormous tongue lapped over the front of my body, dousing me in a warm, oddly pleasant liquid. Saliva.


“Yes,” she laughed, “you will be just fine.” And with that, she placed me on her outstretched tongue, and before I could even think about jumping off and into the maze, she pulled me in to the recesses of her mouth.

My world went black before I could even issue a scream. And even when I did scream, my mouth is filled with her saliva. Her tongue swished me about, informing itself of my whole body, slathering my hair in the heavy liquid, and playing with my legs… and, more terribly, my penis, who does not object to showing his comfort in this huge cave.

“Ahhhh….” I moaned involuntarily as her tongue stroked my dick, the tip of her tongue curled, literally pulling me off.

I gained my senses and punched the tongue away. It shrugged off the impact, but receded to the bottom of her mouth anyway. I clambered over to her teeth and banged on them with all my strength.


“Let me out, let me out!” I cried in despair. “I’ll do anything, I swear, just let me out!”


Not a second later, she spit out onto her palm, as I gasped at fresh air, rejecting any liquids in my mouth. I inhaled several deep breaths and thought of disgusting things to get my dick to calm down; and I am ashamed to tell you that I can’t begin to explain to you what the hell was wrong with me for even slightly enjoying what had just happened.


“Enjoy that, did you, tiny one?” she boomed above me. I shook my head and felt a surge of defiance explode in my chest.


“Why would you do that?! Stick me in your mouth, lick me, abuse me and my body, WHY DID YOU SHRINK ME?!?!” I screamed at her, my anger vibrating in my bones. But it’s the sudden laugh that shook me the most.


“Oh, Arthur, you are so feisty!” she giggled, exactly like a schoolgirl with a new toy. Which, in a way, is what I was.


“Listen closely, little one, as I’m only going to say this once. You are not going to be missed. You are an outcast. Your family is gone, the few friends you have will forget you. So, I am using you!” she paused, as if to let it sink in.

“Therefore, I needed you to test my work out. You must know, Arthur, that I am a science major in Biology and Chemistry separately. I have been developing an ingestible drug that relayers the sub-atomic composition of…” My slack-jawed expression must’ve convinced her she was wasting her time, because she stopped and cleared her throat. “Well, let’s just say I made it to be possible to shrink.”

We walked to the table and she sat, cupping my entire body in the jungle of her fingers. She picked up the slab of metal I dropped in my attempt to flee, and at that size, I noticed a tiny inscription. She grabbed a magnifying glass and inspected the surface, but when she found the inscription, a small gasp escaped her. It was a strange expression, but I was certain the woman looked afraid. Panicked.


She cleared her throat and blinked, ridding her face of any emotion I could’ve possibly noticed. She turned to me and shot me a psychotic grimace.


I lowered my gaze, unable to take it. I had already been through a lot, and like I said before, I was a street kid and by law of nature, I had to be resourceful to survive years of hunger and homelessness. But this was not my world. There had been a time when I had been tall enough to ward off a potential attacker. But… here? I wasn’t scaring anything but the fleas.

I glanced around, looking for any possible escape. But June took notice.

“Tut, tut, tut,” she says. “No escape for you, child. Not until I have finished with you, that is. Beyond that… who knows if you will live?” My legs were shaking so badly, I was positive it couldn’t have been me shaking, it must’ve been her! This… psycho-doctor-woman wanted to experiment on me of all people, simply because I didn’t have a family? A home? It was beyond wrong, but you can’t expect a moral compass from someone who is capable of stuffing you in their nasty mouths.

I swallowed hard and looked up in what was supposed to be defiance—but I was sure that it looked like I was crapping my pants. “What now?” She gently turned me over in her huge hand and set me down next to a ruler, stretching my body (not so gently this time). “5.5 centimeters,” she muttered. “20 grams,” she added, wind whistling through her teeth. Her tongue moved weird when she spoke. As for my fascination for her mouth, I can only attribute that to the terror I felt for it. I didn’t ever want to go back in it again, though I sincerely doubted I would get to choose if it came down to it.


“You’re shaking. Would you like to…” she stuck her tongue out and licked her lips, “warm up?”


“NO! NO, PLEASE GOD NO!” I screamed, but I knew the futililty when I saw her hand swoop down and lift me so quick I was flattened against her palm.


“Here we-” r32;BA DUM DA DUM, BA DUM, BA DUM DA DUM DA DUM DA DUH DA DUM, DUH.


The pink panther theme song screamed from her shirt pocket, and instantly i was thrown onto a counter. She quickly left the room and enclosed herself in a separate one. Despite the heavy oak door muffling her voice, I could make out a conversation.


“Yes, hello? … Yes, it was successful, in a way… I mean that, the target did not end up being the target… Yes, but I followed the tracker, it led me to him. How was I supposed to know...”

It was surreal! She was in a totally different room, door closed and all… and yet I could hear her! My ears were incredible, amped up to unbelievable levels.


“I understand. Tomorrow, then.” She walked in, with a face that definitely betrayed her fear. Of what, I didn’t understand.

“tomorrow, Arthur, I will be giving you to one of your classmates. You were the… ahem, final test subject, and I can see that my drug has exceeded expectations. I no longer have any need of you. Whether you survive with the person I give you to is your own affair.” She continued to talk, but my mind was going at a million miles an hour. What? Test subject? Who? Who’s expectations?


I began to ponder more, but…
WHAAAPPPPPPPPPP! I was airborne!!!


“AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!” I landed on the tile with a brutal jolt and bounced again and again, finally skidding to a painful stop.


“YOU DO NOT IGNORE ME!!!! WHEN I ASK A QUESTION, IT WILL BE ANSWERED!” with unbelievable speed, she bounded towards me and slapped her sandaled foot onto me.


“I can’t hear you begging for your life, worm.” Her excitement at my helplessness frightened me.


“Please… don’t… don’t kill me…” I whimpered. Pathetic! But necessary. This woman was unstable.


“Good. Now, sleep. Tomorrow will be very traumatic for you!” She picked me up and carried me over to the tank I’d seen earlier. It had already seemed big when I first saw it. Now… it was beyond words.


“Good night.” She dumped me unceremoniously and quickly left the room.




Hours passed. A clock off in the distance dabbled in and out of my attention. I had fashioned some clothes out of a tissue, kind of like a toga. And I could not begin to sleep. My mind was bristling with energy, near the point of spilling over into madness. My senses were in overdrive, attempting to compensate, but for what, I wasn’t sure. The darkness I could handle; quiet nights on the highway could potentially be this dark. But the silence… the loss of my most sensitive ears was nearly maddening. But…

“Can I hear my own heart? They can always do that in movies,” I wondered aloud. I concentrated hard and listened for it…
thuthump, thuthump, ThuTHUMP, ThuTHUMP


“Woah.” The increasing sound of my heart was infinitely reassuring, even if it was going too quickly.

“Okay, so… she slapped me, I flew, and here I am without a single scratch. So…” I finished, glancing at the clear wall. Without a second thought, I barreled at it at my full speed. Just before I changed my mind, I slammed into the glass, nose-first.
CrikkkkBONK!

The last thing I heard before blacking out was the sound of my nose cracking and blood spewing out of me like a… a…

-------------------------------------

I woke up what must've been hours later, my face caked in dried blood. I reached for my nose, expecting it to be tender to the touch, but no.

“Woah. Unreal,” I whispered, absolutely astounded that my nose was completely fine. I pushed, pulled, and even tapped it against the blood-spattered wall. Nothing. No pain. Just pressure. I slipped my hand inside my makeshift clothes and pinched my nipple hard.

“Yowza!” I cried, but not out of pain. There was no way! No pain? It was as if my body didn't even recognize pain. It was unbelievably cool and scary at the same time. I mean, pain has evolved with all living creatures for a reason, right? So, we must need pain, or at least our bodies find it useful for something. But this lack of pain was incredible and really made me wonder.

I wanted to explore more of my body’s abilities, but my brain, seemingly sated by this knowledge, craved rest. I settled down slowly, hoping to sleep some before I was given away the next day.


A nightmare I immediately forgot startled me out of my slumber. The tiny analog clock next to the “bed” read 3:39 in glowing red numbers.


SCRITCH SCRITCH

I sat up quickly. A weird, eerie scratching sound against the small cardboard area that I hadn’t explored before, on the way far side of the tank. Sweat began to leak out of my pores. I walked around the aquarium slowly, armed with only a huge toothpick I had found earlier.

“helppppppp!” I jumped back a few feet. That was DEFINITELY a scream. I slunk towards the cardboard and tugged on the “door”.

No dice. It didn’t even budge. But looking over at a bottle cap in the distance, I got an idea.

“Hey! Hold on in there, I’ll be quick!” I called. The only answer I got was a blood-curdling scream, straight out of a nightmare. I sped off to the cap and dragged it over, surprisingly easily. It should’ve weighed at least a couple dozen pounds considering the density of water and the size of the cap. But I dragged it off like it was some sort of bean bag. My strength astounded me, but I didn’t have time to reflect on it.

I pulled it over to the cardboard and tried splashing it with my hands, but that was as useless as throwing sand at the beach. I took a glance at the cap and, remembering the strength I possessed, I put one hand one each side and almost effortlessly had it off the ground, on my shoulders. Without a second thought, I dumped it on the cardboard and began clawing at it with my bare hands.

“AGGGGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” The persons screams reverberated through my body and shook my soul. But as afraid as I was, I continued to dig at the soggy mess. When my hand broke through, I called out.

“Hello? Is anyone… no, that’s dumb. Dumbass. Of course there’s someone in there… Uh, can you help me dig through this?” I screamed into the darkness.

“Wh-wh-wh-o-oo-oo-oo is-s-s there-ere?”

I swear to god, I had never heard such pain in a voice before. It sounded like they hadn’t drank water after years of living in a bone dry desert.

“I’m Art, I’m gonna help you, alright? But help me dig through the cardboard!”

I got no verbal answer, but immediately felt them claw and scratch at the walls.

After almost half an hour, when we had both been clawing the cardboard nonstop, I saw something that to this day, frightens me. A young man, black hair and facial hair grown out and clothed in underwear of some sort. His body completely emaciated, ribs far more prominent than belly. Cheekbones protruding and sunken, yellow eyes.

“I… I… who...?” I whispered, speechless.

“I’m… I am…” he coughed hard. The hacking sounds, nails on chalkboard.

“Name is Marco,” he wheezed. “I been in box for as long as can remember. And you suffer like me if you not escape.”




“What year is it?” He asked. I told him. We had moved to my sponge bed and were sitting on the edge. I was intent on knowing his story. He was eager to have a conversation with someone besides himself. It worked out.

“My God,” he said silently. His grammar had improved tremendously in the few minutes I had conversing with him. “I’ve been this woman’s… no, not a woman. She’s a monster! A creature from hell. She has had me for 10 years. I haven’t eaten… FOOD!!!!!!!” He yelled so suddenly, so powerfully I jumped a solid five feet in the air. My body definitely had some strength enhancements.
“Do you have any?” He said nervously, as if June were listening in on us.

“Um… no. She didn’t give me any,” I snapped, mildly annoyed. I was scared, angry, and definitely curious. And so far, I had zero answers. “Marco, what is her deal?”

“She… I honestly don’t know much,” he admitted. “All I think I know is that she hasn’t shrunk anyone in a while. I think I was the first, and hopefully the last. Besides you, d’oh.”

I sat down and tried to absorb it. There I was, with the luck of a dead leprechaun and the first shrunken person in a decade. All I wanted was for someone to wake me up when I got back to reality.

But something about him tugged at my stomach, like I was missing a crucial part of his story. Impatiently, I asked, “What were you like, Marco? I mean, before she shrunk you?”

He shrugged. “An orphan. A real nobody, honestly. She caught me out in the rain one day, told me she could help me out; you know, give me a home or whatever. So I followed her here, and she shrank me down…” he bit his lip and looked down at the floor. I could tell he was building up for something, so I let him take his time.

“I had a girlfriend,” he said after a few moments. “Her name was Lauren, and I miss her.” He looked up at me, and in the pale light from the clock I saw his eyes glistening. “I wonder sometimes, you know, when the hunger doesn’t take over my mind, how she is. I wonder if…”

“If she’s moved on?”, I finished gently. He shook his head. “No, I mean, that would be selfish, you know? To expect her to wait for the guy that disappeared a decade ago.” He cleared his throat and shifted. The conversation was definitely over.

“What about me? What do you think she’ll do to me?” I questioned after many minutes had elapsed.

“What has she told you?”, he said evenly. I tried to recall her words to me.

“She said she was going to pass me off to a classmate, or something. Tomorrow,” I said. He scratched his neck and closed his eyes. “She has very little reason to lie to you. I’m guessing that she really will let you go,” he said bitterly. It was obvious why; I had only spent a day with this woman, and he had spent 10 years.

“Is there anything I can do for you? I can’t live knowing you’ll be stuck here.” He laughed hoarsely and grabbed my arm. “My friend, you’ve freed me from the cardboard over there,” he gestured to the corner. “I honestly believe she forgot about me, so I’ll be a surprise to her tomorrow!” He let my arm go and sighed. I glanced at the clock. 5 AM.

“Hey, listen. We should probably head our separate ways now. I’m guessing it’s almost time for her to wake up, and I don’t think you want to make her mad in the morning,” I said calmly, feeling he would know. He would know the real reason I wanted to part was that he could ruin my chance of getting away from her. I looked at him solemnly, and saw him click. His eyes darkened, but he didn’t look angry. I hope he understood that I was looking for freedom, same as him.

“Hey, Arthur?” He said as we started walking separate ways.

“Yeah, Marco?” I answered.

“Never forget what freedom is. Someday, when you return to normal, when the world finds a cure for you,” he said confidently, “You have to come looking for me. Save me. Remember me.”

I looked him up and down and promised.

No. I would never forget.

I heard her footsteps long before I saw her. Each like a miniature tree falling, getting louder as she approached the tank.

thoom, thoom, Thoom, THOOM

I threw myself onto the bed, but just before she walked in, I glanced at the cardboard. Marco had done a good job to cover up any sign of escape, using the dried up cardboard to conceal the opening we had made, but still opened easily. I silently wished him the best and closed my eyes, trying to even out my breaths. 

“Arthur. Wake up,” she murmured. When I didn’t get up quickly enough, she lashed out.

 

“I said, UP!” She screamed. I jumped and thought about making a joke about her not being a morning person, but decided against it. Better not to antagonize her.

“Good morning, ma’am,” I said meekly. This was all according to plan, though. When you act like a moron, adults generally leave you alone. It’s when they think you’re smart that they’ll keep a closer eye on you. 

“So, are you excited? To meet your new caretaker, I mean,” she said, picking me up. I shook my head.m“A new” caretaker? Yeah, right. As if she had done such a spectacular job in taking care of me. We headed towards the kitchen.

“Sure, Dr. June,” I shrugged, resisting the impulse to snap at her. She grinned and set me down on the counter as she peeled an orange. The knife, glistening in the early morning light, sent a shiver up my spine. If she made one wrong movement, I would be sliced in half.

She leaned against the counter, and reached over my head for a napkin. I looked up and saw her massive breasts hanging over me, dozens of feet away. I did some quick math and figured they weighed a few tons, each, and were both at least as big as a decent-sized room. 

She surprised me by sliding down, her chest coming at me like a freight train.

“Oh shi—“ I screamed, moving out from under and feeling them slam (or at least, they slammed for me. For her, it must’ve been a light touch.) inches behind me. I felt the wind whip my hair, flapping my makeshift clothes almost all the way off.

“Whoops,” she giggled, “you mustn’t get in the way of heavy objects, Arthur!” She laughed, poking me with her massive index finger. She slid her hands under them and lifted slightly. “Yes, even to me they are quite heavy! Would you like an up close look, young man?”

I blinked in disbelief. I had  before me the woman who had potentially ended my life, who found delight in my struggles, and instead of being able to muster a confident NO, I… I struggled with my hormones, which desperately craved a YES! 

She sensed my hesitation. “It’s too bad. You and I could’ve had a lot of fun, especially when it comes to other more…” she leaned in, her lips brushing past my head and upper body as she spoke. “sensitive topics and areas,” she finished, her seductive tone working my testosterone levels too high for comfort. I felt my dick rise up, against the lazy material of my clothing. 

“Well, maybe one game,” she smirked. She snatched me up and dangled me over her mouth. 

“No! Never again!” I cried, beating against her finger as hard as I could. 

“Stop that, it hurts,” she growled. “I’m not going to try to taste you, idiot. This game is for you,” she said, then moved me forward, over her deep cleavage. I stared, transfixed. 

You know how it feels when you stand at the edge of a drop, looking over the rim, thanking God for the handrails? Because you know what will happen as you fall, but not what will happen next? If you’ll be trapped, left to die. 

Same feeling. 

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!” I shrieked as she let me go, my stomach going up to my mouth. I slipped between her breasts and slammed my head, saw stars, and felt everything go black.

I woke up what felt like days later. Still trapped between my endless captors. I pushed against the sides, the flesh giving way some but not allowing me to move much. It was dark; the only light that filtered through was from the faint glimpses I got when her flesh moved to certain positions.

The pressure was immense, but I wasn’t uncomfortable. I was just aware of it. 

Voices started to become faint whispers, teasing me with tiny bits of information. I tried to climb to listen, but it wasn’t going to work, clearly. Her massive breasts pulled me down, working my body like you’d suck a mint. Defeated, I felt them draw me in, pressing me back toward her chest. I heard her heavy heart above and behind me, far outpacing my own, for some strange reason. 

After a few minutes, the booming heartbeat dulled away, and tiny wisps of conversation piqued my curiosity. Aware of my new… “abilities”, I strained my hearing like I had the night before. Amazingly, I felt my brain sort the stuff I was hearing, filtering out the heart behind me. The conversation was heated, and I began to catch on to it. 

“Yes, I believe so. he will have to be disposed of, no doubt. do you have a plan?” 

It was a strange voice, but I reasoned it was due to the muffling caused by being so close to, um, June’s breasts. 

“Yes,” came her accented voice. “I plan on dropping him off with one of his classmates, perhaps one of his friends. I’m not sure which one.”

“you had better make sure he doesn’t become a risk, June. where is he? can he hear us?” The voice came, and it became more clear. I shrugged off a drop of sweat that had begun to touch the top of my head. Dr. June certainly had her pores active.

“No. I have him.. tucked away. He most certainly cannot hear this, conscious or not. I’m certain he’s out of commission, though.” I shook my head and snickered, then remembered that I might give myself away if I kept moving. I went limp and continued to listen. 

“I wish to see him,” the voice said. Huge fingers plunged through the shirt line I hadn’t seen before and clawed at my head, and I had to resist the urge to scream. I flew up faster than my stomach could handle yet again, emerging in a freezing cold room. I pulled my legs to my chest and huddled, shivering. June’s sweat only added to the frigid climate.

“Wow. He’s so tiny,” said the computer where the voice came from. I opened my left eye and saw a figure outlined against the darkness. I couldn’t be certain, but the voice sounded feminine. “I have to go. Make sure I never have to hear of this again, June.” The line clicked, and the screen closed to the homepage. 

Dr. June sat back, sighing as I regained my composure. 

“The pressures of running a school, Arthur,” she sighed, massaging my back. Her fingers worked my shoulder blades, and I tried to resist, but her fingers were so warm, pressing into all the right spots… I couldn’t help but moan. But something wasn’t clicking at all with that woman. Her mood shifted from one moment to another, invariably. She outright tortured me with her mouth, and not 12 hours later, she massaged me? It bewildered me, and I guess it showed.

“Don’t worry. You’ll disappear, but not the way you fear. I’m not a killer. I’ll send you off with one of your classmates, but I want one assurance from you, Mr. Brenner.” 

My heart hammered, completely aware of the opportunity an assurance implied. An assurance could only mean she had something to hide, and that gave me an opportunity to exploit.

“What?”, I asked cautiously.

“You must never tell anyone what happened to you. No one will know of my involvement, no one will know of the one behind the screen, and no one,” she paused, letting it sink in, “no one will EVER come look for me. Is that understood?”

All of a sudden, my pent-up emotions began to spill over the edge. My anger was incredible. In 12 hours he had ended my life. My heart called for vengeance. I couldn’t allow this psycho, or anyone, for that matter, to dominate me. I felt my heart pound violently. I was gonna make that bitch pay in fucking blood.

“Go fuck yourself, June. I’m going to make you pay for everything. What if I tell the whole school? Huh? You can't stop me from using a phone. I’ll call everyone, June. I’ll call the cops. And how’re you gonna get rid of the witnesses here? Shrink the class to eliminate them all? Suuuuure. Live out this dream of being a gigantic, psychotic, manipulative bitch, and go to hell!” I kicked her finger and spit on her hand. 

Her glare penetrated my soul, but her mouth twisted into a cruel smile. “Why, Arthur. What a good idea!” 

She scoffed. 

“That’s exactly what I’ll do.”

The dread set in when I realized she wasn’t bluffing. 

She closed the distance between us, her hot, moist breath raising the hairs on the back of my neck.  “And then, I’ll have so many little toys. And then I won’t need you anymore, you tiny, insignificant slave.” 

Oh, god. 

 

 

 

 

---

We arrived at school a while after that. A perfect circle of students formed around her as she stalked the hallways. I cowered in her vast cleavage, terrified of her enormousness. You might think I should’ve been used to it by then. But have you ever been in my literal position? No? Exactly. Shut up.

Noise began to fill my ears, the sort of noise you can only get in public education.

“Dude, I dropped that test so hard.”

“Heeeeeyyyyyyyyyyy Marcus!!!”

“I’m telling you bro. That ass was to die for.”

“Dayummm!”

The cacophony of a bursting high school might ward off anyone not in school anymore, but to me, it was a fresh take on how drastic my life had changed. I yearned to be a part of that environment. It meant normalcy and being so close to yet so far caused me great despair. 

Dr. June’s breasts heaved and jostled with every step, and though at first I felt uncomfortable, I disgusted myself when I began to enjoy it. The warm and soft flesh that pressed in all around me created a full body hammock, and I found I could actually move forwards and backwards, but not up or down. 

I’d already experimented backwards and had taken a nap on the car ride, comforted by the lulling rhythm of her heart (which I had come to realize was much bigger than my whole body. Freaky!) But what lied in front of me was still a mystery...

I decided to try it. I scooted forwards, and struggled less and less as the space between her massive breasts increased, but not by much. Just by doing a little thinking and math, I could tell she wore at the very least a D, if not bigger.

The jostling transitioned into a more jiggling sensation, and I soon reached the end of the breasts. I balanced myself on the wire connecting the cups, and leaned forward into her shirt. I looked to my left and right, and saw her breasts cupped in a gentle pink material. The jiggling had stopped, but her voice wafted through the bra. 

“Explore me, and you will know pleasure…”

All these encouragement I needed in 7 words, I chose her left breast for no particular reason. I pushed and pushed at the bra, trying to wedge myself in between it and her breast, but I couldn’t. I felt my senses heighten as my conscious faded. But it didn't matter… right? June was everything to me. She had made me. I needed her. I needed her! 

I scaled the bra quickly and mounted her breast. In a sudden glee, I slapped the flesh and felt it ripple like a water balloon around me. 

“Hurry. The time approaches, my tiny slave,” she whispered near inaudibly.

I slipped down toward the precipice of her boob, and slipped my legs inside her bra easily. I decided against sliding in right on top of her nipple. Just to make the journey last. 

Sweat began to leak from her pores, and I welcomed it. In fact, I began to lick it, the salty taste so erotic. 

My heart thundered in my chest, betraying me to these impulses, but a scream pushed it’s way from deep down, fighting to surface. wait. Wait! I told myself. What was wrong with me!?!

Exploring her? Being excited by her? Licking her sweat like a dog?!?

I gaped in horror at what I had done. I willingly submitted myself to her, allowed my hormones to take over my actions! I shuddered and whimpered softly. Determined to right my wrong and to maintain my dignity, I pulled at one leg, but it was stuck in the vacuum her slick sweat and sheer bra created.

All of a sudden, I began to feel the sucking feeling I had felt when I’d tried to climb the walls of her chest. I actually felt her bra pull me down!

“No!” I screamed, unwilling to give in! I would fight! I dug my short nails into her skin, but it was no use. Her sweat slickened any possible handholds. And then, in one quick movement, her finger pushed my head, and I disappeared in her bra.

Dark. I patted the area around me. Nothing but smooth skin. 

But a powerful scent kicked at my brain, rendering all thought useless. I shimmied, transfixed, towards the smell. I widened my arms, pulling myself towards it. The skin became bumpier and noticeably tighter along the surface. I started to feel my sense leave, like before. Like a lead weight on my ankle, drowning me in her pheromones. Fight! Fight! 

No amount of discipline could keep my tongue from licking her slick skin like a thirsty dog.

I pulled at the increasingly bumpy skin, and soon my entire body was on the bumps. I felt a rustling, and light began to filter in, but I wanted the smell! Then, I felt the skin rise quickly, incredibly bumpy… and that was when the lights flashed on. 

My mind was animalistic, focused on the sole purpose of finding the epicenter of that tantalizing scent. Even as I felt the hand snatch me, I was still searching for the source, even as  it faded away. 

Then, my world flipped upside down. Literally.

“Well, well, well… I must say,  you had me so hot. I wanted you to find my nipple so badly, I wanted to push you to it. But I wanted you to slowly find your pleasure, and now, I pay the price. We no longer have time for games, as there are more important things for you to attend to.” Her voice cut through the veil that had clouded my vision. And I finally woke up from the trance. 

“Why…  why was I so attracted to you? I’ve never felt anything like it before!” I cried.

“That’s an explanation for a later time. Now,” she said, snapping her bra back into place. I looked down and saw the jiggling continue. I saw myself, crawling around like an insect. I couldn’t believe that  I’d been so close to… committing a crime against who I was.

She enclosed me in  her fist, and we walked to the  hall.

The noises began to fade away and eventually, they disappeared altogether. The dean opened her hand and I tumbled out onto a solid brown table. We were in a dark room, illuminated only by a large screen. I saw a classroom, one I recognized quickly. 1st block. I saw David, Rocco, and in the far corner, Kayla.  

“I think I’ll follow your day to day friends, Arthur. See which one could take care of you,” she said quietly. I risked a look and saw her smile cruelly. She leaned in and placed her massive lips not an inch behind me. “But I think I’ll just hand you off to the most convenient one. One girl happens to pass by this room in a few hours, between classes. I’ll give you to her then. But…” she said, dropping her voice. “I want one last game.” I turned around and saw her enormous tongue just before it slammed into me, wetting me from head to toe in sticky saliva. 

“Now that you’re wet, you’ll make excellent food for me…” she whispered, her lips quivering. But instead of putting me in her mouth, her hand snaked downwards, past the edge of the desk, where I couldn’t see. I heard a band snap and a slight rustling.

It clicked.

“No, God, NO! You can’t do this to me!” I turned and ran for the far side of the desk, in a state of blind panic. 

I didn’t even hear her move. All I felt was her hand slam into me as the world shattered into a million pieces.

A continuous, repetitive motion. An inconsistent change between dark and light. Cold. Hot. Cold. Boiling. Wet. Dry. Drowning. Deep down, I had been dehumanized. 

I had been raped. 

“Wake up, Mister Brenner.”

I jolted. Frantically, I swung my head back and forth, trying to look for the sound of her voice. Unbelievable pain coursed through my head, pounding like a caged animal in my skull. I couldn’t even rub my head because my arms were… stuck to my body.

“Up here, silly,” she called. I looked up and saw her massive face, her lips open in a predatory smile. 

“You did very good in our last game, little man. You made me very happy. Perhaps a little too much, but happy all the same,” she murmured, clearly flushed. Her face was still red, and sweat gushed down her face. My arms were practically gluing down to my body, and my hair was plastered down. 

Her predatory eyes scanned my now naked body, taking in the sight of my cowering. Reeling in my helplessness.

I thought that I could hate her right then, but I could only feel my fear. But deep beneath that fear, a strange feeling of affection. As if some diseased part of me had enjoyed being helpless or humiliated. And then I remembered the extreme attraction I had felt inside her bra, happily trapped between her massive globes.

The only person I truly hated then was myself.

“It will soon be time. I will now have to hide you, but remember this,” she said, picking me up easily. “You are mine, little boy. And if you ever betray me, I’ll make certain you feel at home inside me. Because that’s where you’ll spend the rest of your pitiful life.”

She caressed the side of my head with a huge fingernail. “But I’m sure it won’t come to that, will it?” When I didn’t answer, her nail pinned my ear to the table. “Will it?” She repeated, far more forcefully. 

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. No. Never again.

 

 

Brrrrrring!

The bell rang, and almost immediately, the halls filled with the sounds of teenaged happiness and excitement. 

Suddenly, the dean slammed me against her lips. They covered my entire torso, my head shoved in between a wrinkle in her lips. I cringed as her tongue flitted out and flicked my member. Then, as quickly as she kissed me, she pulled away. 

“Goodbye, Arthur.” She put me in her fist and walked out of the room. I sobbed pitifully in her hand. I was never going to be anything more than a toy, and my life was over. 

We were still walking as I felt her suddenly raise her hand. A tiny zip, a long tumble, and the transaction was complete. I wondered who I was with, but for some reason, my thoughts just led me back to that horrific moment in the dark camera room…

I jumped up, fully alert. I rubbed my eyes, and cursed myself for not knowing where I was. If I hadn’t been so self absorbed with my trauma, maybe I could’ve seen the backpack I was put in. Maybe I could’ve seen the person’s hair and at least had a battle plan. A way to let the person know what had happened—no, I couldn’t! I couldn’t tell anyone. I wouldn’t. Especially not this mystery person, I swore to myself. 

I scaled up the side of a spiral notebook and poked my head out a crack in the bag. I didn’t see much, but I was sure that I was in a house. A bedroom, more specifically. I pushed at the zipper, but it was caught with some of the fabric. 

“Dammit. I guess…” I thought aloud. “HEY! HELLLO! HELP!” I screamed into the room. I pressed my right ear to the crack and strained my hearing to its limits. 

“Huh?” Her voice sifted through the zipper.  Yes, her. I had decided she was a girl based on what I heard and what June had told me.

“What the…” the girl said. She definitely had been asleep. 

The bag was lifted into the air, a book slamming me into the “floor” as all my air was squeezed out of my lungs in a lame “oof”. At the angle I was in, there was no way I could move by myself, I couldn’t even scream! Panic set in. I was trapped!

“I swear I took my phone out…” came the voice again, but this time, I shuddered at the sound. The voice was too familiar. Only one face could match it...

The spirals started sliding out, followed by the pencil bag. Only the book that laid on top of me was left, and then that came out, too. As I turned my head up, I saw her.

I saw Wiley Morris.