My eyes locked with Piper’s for a heated minute. 

“You can’t be serious,” I muttered.
She rolled her eyes, resting her chin in her hand and arm on the bathroom counter, “Well, I am. So, hurry up. This is weird for me too, ya know.” 

I crossed my arms with a subtle squelch that made me cringe. I was suddenly more motivated by that. 

“Okay, fine,” I yielded, “But you need to close your eyes!”
“Sam-”
“I offered in the car! You owe me that!” 

Piper sighed, but decided to humor me. She turned her back to me and leaned lightly against the counter, inadvertently putting me directly in front of her ass. Which did not help the situation. I bit my cheek as my face warmed with a blush. I started to undress. 

“I’m gonna have to look sooner or later anyway,” Piper noted, looking over her shoulder despite her eyes being closed.
“Yeah, I know,” I said, my voice meek and embarrassed. 

She let out a curious hum after I said that, but didn’t say anything which rattled my nerves. After pulling off my spit soaked clothes, I covered myself with my arms which wasn’t difficult. My features were always… well, modest. 

“O-Okay,” I called out, “I’m ready.”
Piper quickly turned around and dropped to a kneel to match my height, “Good, now tell me if you get uncomfortable.” 

With less hesitation than previous, Piper scooped me up in an open palm and held me under the spout of a nearby hand soap. She pumped out a small glob of soap onto the heel of her palm before bringing her hand under the faucet. With her free hand, she twisted the warm on and tested the temperature a couple times. 

“Tell me if it’s too hot, okay?” 

I nodded to her as she moved her fingers under the tap. Her cupped hand quickly filled up with warm water that came up to about my ankles. I scooped a handful of the hand soap onto myself and stepped under the stream of water as if I was taking a shower. Piper chuckled softly. 

“Ya know what’s weird?” she asked, resting her chin against the countertop, “This isn’t.”
“I disagree.”
“Well, yeah, no doy, ya brat. I’m saying this isn’t weird for me. It’s like… I dunno… Like you’re a pet or something I’m taking care of.” 

I stopped for a second and locked eyes with her. 

She quickly diverted her gaze, saying, “Sorry if that was weird of me to say.”
I gently shook my head, “No. I- um. I get it.”
“Hey, Sam?” she started, resetting the momentum of the conversation, “Are you okay?”
I nodded, “Yeah, it’s fine. The water could be a little warmer.” 

Piper rolled her eyes before adjusting the temperature. 

“No, dumbass,” she said with a small smile that quickly fell, “I mean more… big picture. How are you doing?” 

Another lengthy silence filled the room. 

“Can this wait until I’m dressed?” I asked, a forced smile on my face.
She scoffed, “Yeah. Probably a good idea.” 

After a couple minutes of scrubbing, I finally washed the smell of Piper’s breath out of my hair but realized I couldn’t put on my old clothes since they were still damp. Piper noticed my frown and snapped her fingers before diving down to dig through the cupboards. 

“Crap,” she huffed before standing and walking to the door.
“Where are you going!?” I called out to her, loud as I could to make sure she heard me.
“My mom’s bathroom. She has a hairdryer I think.” 

With that, she stepped out of the bathroom and hurried down the hall and out of sight. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and was happy to see it stayed mostly dry thanks to my case. Taking the small victory at face value, I turned on my phone and cursed myself for not asking for Piper’s new number. 

Then I noticed a text. 

“Where r u? Need my slave xoxo,” sent by the one and only, Veronica. 

That wasn’t the part that made this worth mentioning though. It was sent two days ago. I looked at the day. Sunday. I lost three whole days!? So, Piper wasn’t early, I had missed school for the past two days in a row, and no one was answering the home phone. 

Hesitantly, I opened my browser with fingers crossed, but there it was. At the top of my local news feed. “Local family missing.” I quickly tapped on it, learning that police were working on getting a warrant for my house after performing a wellness check just earlier today. Piper must’ve just missed them. 

But maybe this was for the best. I could convince myself of that. There was enough of me left in the garage to declare me legally dead. They wouldn’t look for me. I just hoped Piper had been discreet enough about leaving my house. Speaking of… 

The door to the bathroom slowly swung open as Piper snuck back in. 

“Okay,” she started, “I got the hair dryer, but my mom’s gonna want it back.”
“Why would I care about that, Piper?” I snarked, “I’m not planning on making this an everyday occurrence.”
Piper scoffed, “There it is again!” she shouted, “What’s up with you!?” 

I was suddenly poked in the chest and knocked onto my ass as Piper leaned in. 

“You’ve been all over the place lately!” she exclaimed, “Like, I can’t keep you in the same mood for more than two minutes!” 

I stayed silent as Piper’s eyes drilled into me, but she eventually yielded with a sigh and backed off. 

“Look,” she started, “I get that this can’t be an easy transition to deal with, but you have got to cut the fronts here. I’m trying to help you. Stop trying to cover your ass with these stupid quips and this-this- Fucking, I don’t know what it is! But it’s annoying as hell! So stop being an entitled piece of shit and accept that I’m helping you clean up your fuck up!”
“I-,” I started, but was cut off.
“No!” Piper shouted, “You say nothing right now! Just shut up and think before you talk yourself out of experiencing an actual healthy fucking emotion. You need to process this instead of bottling it and taking it out on me for just trying to be helpful.” 

With an annoyed sigh, Piper gently pinched my clothes off the counter and sat in the corner of the room next to an outlet to dry them off. 

So, that was a shock. I pulled my knees to my chest with eyes still wide and mouth glued shut. I guess I didn’t really think about it too heavily because of everything else going on… but what the fuck was I going to do? I was two inches tall for Christ's sake! And the only way I could change that was with a pile of steaming, decomposing slop that used to be… me… Wait a minute… 

“Piper!” I shouted, suddenly getting to my feet. 

Her glare nearly sat me back down, but as she rolled her eyes, her gaze softened. 

“Yeah?” she muttered, obviously still upset with me.
I bit my lip, contemplating a few things before clenching my fists, “I… I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” I said, backing away from the original topic, “You’re right. I’ve been a real bitch about everything.”
Piper let out a long sigh, “Damnit, Sam,” she whispered, standing and walking back to the counter, “You aren’t a bitch. You’re traumatized. And you aren’t dealing with it. I’m not mad at you, and I shouldn’t’ve yelled at you in the first place, but it’s like you can’t even tell you’re numb.” 

Piper kneeled, handing me the dried clothes. 

“Look, I’m talking out my ass here,” she continued, “But it doesn’t take a therapist to see you aren’t okay.” 

I quickly pulled my shirt back on, covering me for the most part. The collar was still a little damp and I still smelled like mint, but… I don’t think I cared. Slowly, I stood and took a deep breath. 

“I’m scared I can’t fix this…” I sighed. 

It was a lie. The fact was, I had a theory. The rest of my matter was still steaming when Piper found me two or three days after the transformation took place. Meaning it was still putting out body heat. Somehow, that tissue was still alive meaning I could still use it to reconstruct myself. I’d probably get a nasty infection from it, but nothing I couldn’t fix with a little alchemy. 

The point was… I didn’t want to go back. This whole… mess, it-it was a blessing in disguise. The police would declare me legally dead. It was the perfect out. 

“Don’t think like that,” Piper urged, gently raising my chin with her pointer finger to look into my eyes, “You’re the smartest girl in the world. There’s no mess on the planet you can’t clean up.” 

I hoped she was right. Though the more pressing issue at the moment. 

“I’m gonna need somewhere to sleep…”
Piper paused, “Well… I have one idea…” 

Later that night, I found myself lying awake, staring at the neon lines of the digital clock across the bed from me. 3am. I rolled onto my back, trying to get comfortable in my makeshift hammock. I was suspended between a floor lamp and Piper’s bedframe by a sock that was tied to each item, Piper’s idea. Only a couple inches off the ground so I could get off if I needed to. And to make sure I didn’t roll over and fall to my death in my sleep, my idea. 

There was a lot to process about today, and Piper made sure I understood I needed to confront that challenge. Not that I knew how. I mean, yeah, she made it pretty clear my head was fucked, but… what do I do about that? I mean, this wasn’t some machine with a bad battery, this was me. The way I thought. How was I supposed to know what’s a normal thought pattern and what isn’t if I’ve only ever used this one? Unless I haven’t? 

God! Why does mental health have to be so fucking confusing!? I needed a drink. With a sigh, I pulled myself out of the hammock and looked up at the side of the bed. 

“Piper!” I called out, “Please wake up!” 

Nothing. She must’ve not been able to hear me. Or she was ignoring me. I guess I have been pretty needy during this whole thing. 

“Hmm,” I hummed, discontent and uncomfortable before mumbling, “Fuck it.” 

I got back into the makeshift bed and forced my eyes shut. I’d be asleep any second now… Maybe minute. 

Or hour. 

I let out a disgruntled moan before cursing myself for having such a shitty sleep schedule before getting back up. Piper had a water bottle in her backpack and she kept it in her room. I’d just have to make my way to it. I started my trek. 

It was pretty uneventful. Piper’s room was sort of… barren. Not that I took her for the vain type, but still. Not a single poster, no collectables, no rugs or pictures. It looked like she hadn’t lived here long, but she’s been in my class for as long as I could remember. 

I shrugged to myself, figuring I shouldn’t read into it, but it ate at me. I don’t know why. Maybe I felt bad for her? It seemed different than that though. I dunno. After a couple minutes of walking, I had crossed the room and stared up at the large, leather book bag. This was probably a dumb idea. 

Piper woke up with a small headache and a very dry mouth, but as she glanced to the clock, she realized she didn’t have time. 

“Son of a bitch!” she huffed, quickly flinging herself out of bed and getting dressed as fast as possible. 

She paused as she glanced back at the sock hammock in the corner of the room that was haphazardly covered with the duvet she had thrown off herself in a panic. She swore under her breath, but quickly picked up her bag and looked back to the blanket. 

“I’m sorry, Sam,” she insisted, “But I’m late and I really can’t spend the time to find you! Just… I have snacks in the bottom drawer, it doesn’t shut all the way. You’ll have to fend for yourself until I get home.” 

She quickly shut the door to her room and sighed, slinging her bag over her shoulder and rushing out the door. It was a hot day and Piper found herself envious of anyone who had a body of water to jump into, but she paid it no mind as she started up her truck and sped off to school. 

In the end, she only barely made it through the door before the bell rang, which bought her an unsavory look from her teacher, but she technically wasn’t late, so nothing could be done. She quickly found her seat near all the other popular seniors with a sigh. 

“Jesus, Piper,” Veronica huffed, “You need to get that ac in your truck fixed. You smell like sweat.”
Piper rolled her eyes, “Please,” she huffed, “If I couldn’t take a little heat, I wouldn’t be in that fucking gym every other weekend.”
“What a badass,” Veronica mocked, sticking her tongue out.
“Fuck off,” Piper scoffed, pulling her waterbottle out of her bag. 

She quickly unscrewed the cap and pressed the metal bottle to her lips before taking a long swig. She separated from the bottle with the water still in her mouth. She casually swished it around a little to get the sticky mucus of dehydration out of her mouth. 

The teacher had finally managed to quell the class and begin the lesson. Just as marker touched whiteboard, Piper sprayed water from her mouth like a sprinkler before quickly covering her mouth with wide eyes. This drew a lot of attention. 

“Oh, god,” Veronica huffed, taking Piper by the shoulders and standing her up, “I think she’s getting sick, can we go to the bathroom?” 

The teacher quickly allowed the two to leave the room. Veronica leading Piper the whole way. 

What Veronica didn’t see, was the fact that I had been in Piper’s water bottle when she had taken that drink, and was now in her mouth, with water up to my waist and the hard roof of her mouth pressed against the back of my head, forcing me into a slouched position. It didn’t help that Piper didn’t have time to brush her teeth this morning, and her little swig’s main purpose was to get all the slime off the walls of her mouth. Which it fucking did. Which it fucking did very well. 

So, instead of sitting in a pool of lukewarm water and spit, I was sitting in a sludge-y mixture of very little water since most of it was spit out and a LOT of slimy, goop that was all that remained of the evaporated spit. I was not happy. 

Piper quickly leaned over the sink and glanced up at Veronica who seemed to get the memo and looked away. Gently, Piper stuck out her tongue and let me spill out from her lips with a large glob of mucus. Too stunned to speak, and too embarrassed to come up with words, I stood and scooped the goop off myself. 

“No fucking way,” Veronica whispered, pushing Piper slightly to the side to get a better look at me. 

Piper rolled her eyes and stood back up, shaking her head and giving a secondary spit into the next sink over. 

Veronica’s eyes suddenly widened as she looked up at Piper, muttering, “D-Did you eat her?”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Ronnie! I’m not a cannibal!” Piper defended, “Trust me, this shit happens. She’s two inches tall, it doesn’t take a lot for her to end up in shitty situations.”
“Aw~,” Veronica purred, “Sure you weren’t trying to give the little thing a kiss~?” 

Piper scowled, before pushing the bully backwards. 

“F-Fuck off!” she growled.
Veronica looked taken back for a second before pulling out her phone, “Fine by me,” she muttered, typing out a text. 

Piper shook her head with an angry heat in her face that formed a light blush. 

“C’mon, Sam,” she said, gently plucking me out of the sink, “We’re leaving.”
“No,” Veronica said simply, still buried in her phone as she leaned next to the door.
Piper looked furious, but swallowed it, asking, “What do you mean, ‘no?’” in a cold, dead tone that even made me shiver.
“I mean,” she said, pulling out her stun gun, “No. I disagree. You can’t. And you won’t. Not yet, anyway.” 

Veronica took a step forward and Piper instinctively backed off a little. 

“Ya see,” the bully started, “It’s not every day I get to flash my… meaner side, but- And correct me if I’m wrong! But I think that our little Sammy here… won’t be missed~” she sang, quickly leaning down to my level.
Piper quickly moved the hand she held me in behind her back, huffing, “The fuck are you saying?” 

The door behind Veronica quickly opened as her posse filled in. In total, it was four girls that made up her following. All athletic types. The types that could kick my ass with one hand. More so now. 

“Veronica…” Piper muttered in a growl, “Don’t make this happen.”
“Hmm~ Too late!” 

With those words, Piper was rushed, two of the girls grabbing her arms and the third diving to the ground and hugging her legs together. 

“Son of bitch!” Piper huffed, pulling back against the girls, but their coordination and speed didn’t give her any wiggle room. 

As Piper’s hand was pried away from her back, Veronica bent down at the waist to get a closer look at me. 

“Aw,” she cooed, “Someone got a haircut!” 

With a quick, uncaring action, the bully pulled me out of Piper’s hand, pinching me by the legs and hoisting me up to let me dangle a comparative thousand feet above the ground. My mind raced with adrenaline and fear, but a nagging voice in the back of my head kept me calm. Silent and still, I stared up at Veronica as she casually poked and prodded at my body. 

“Veronica!” Piper yelled, violently thrashing with the little room she could move, “I swear to god, I’ll fucking kill you if you hurt her!” 

Veronica smirked. That little smile I knew all too well. The tell to her devious side boiling over. What could very well be my death sentence. I knew right then and there… things were about to get very violent. Suddenly, Veronica grabbed hold of my wrist and pulled my arm taught, focing a high pitched yelp from my thoat as I felt my shoulder strain. 

“Don’t threaten me,” Veronica huffed. 

With a simple tug, I felt a searing hot pain rip through my shoulder like a bullet as warm blood poured downward, coating my neck and the side of my face. Truth be told, I didn’t know what happened at first. I mean, I had assumptions, but I didn’t really get it. I was hanging by my feet, staring down at Veronica’s bloody hand… and my arm… She… She ripped my arm off. My eyes slowly traced the flow of blood up to my empty shoulder and my shaky hand gently covered the wound. As if I needed to check if it was real. In total, I think it took me thirty seconds before I started to scream. 

I-I’m not proud of that. I mean, I wish I could say I took it like an action hero, ya know? Say that I somehow managed to use my blood as lubricant to slip out of Veronica’s grasp, but I didn’t. 

I just hung there. And I screamed. 

Piper’s mouth hung open in shock and disgust. Her eyes deep and wide with disbelief until… suddenly… they weren’t. 

“Yuck,” Veronica huffed, casually tossing my disembodied limb into the nearby sink and shaking my blood off her hand. 

Slowly, Veronica stepped up to Piper and pressed a bloody hand to her cheek, wiping the redness off her hand and onto Piper’s face. 

“So,” Veronica started, holding my bleeding body in front of her newest victim’s face, “When are you gonna kill me then~?” she mocked, sticking her tongue out. 

Piper, however, was blank. I remember hanging there, my head getting light, gasping for more air to sob with, and staring into her eyes. Those deep eyes. They were glassy now. Hollow and dead. Like her mind wasn’t there anymore. I remember reaching out to her, my bloody fingers coming nowhere near her face. 

And I whispered, “Please… help me…” 

Her unmoving visage suddenly broke as her eye subtly twitched. Slowly and steadily, Piper tugged against her captors which Veronica seemed to find amusing. The spoiled girl nodded to her lackeys who quickly let Piper go. She gently took me from Veronica’s hands, cradling me. 

The warmth of her hand seemed to bring my mind back. I could feel everything going fuzzy and realized I had to do something before I passed out. Quickly, I grabbed the torn end of my sleeve and bit the collar of my shirt before stuffing the cloth into the wound. I screamed into the fabric and I kept the fabric firmly pushed into the gaping hole in my side. 

“Aw~,” Veronica cooed, “She doesn’t wanna die, that’s so cute!”
“S-Sam?” Piper muttered, her eyes glassy and dull.
I hissed through my teeth and forced a smile, “It’s okay,” I insisted, lying like I was so used to, “I’m gonna be okay! I-I just… I need to… to- um.” 

I trailed off, staring at my missing arm again. Even Veronica’s goons seemed a bit taken back by what had happened. I figured they were on the same page, but really… I imagine they were more scared of Veronica than I was. Come to think of it, I think Piper was more scared of Veronica than I was. Maybe it was the blood loss. Maybe I was braver since boxing with a spider. Maybe I was just… tired. 

I stumbled to my feet in Piper’s hand and took a deep breath before turning to Veronica. 

“You fucking bitch.” 

Piper seemed to gather herself a little after that, her posture unstiffening and movements getting less rigid. Veronica, on the other hand, was in absolute disbelief that I had dared to defy her. And I wasn’t done either. 

“You ride your wealth through life like it absolves you from being a shitty person,” I huffed, baring fangs I never knew I had, “But even still, I ha-” 

Piper pulled me back a little which interrupted my train of thought. Taking initiative, and I quite literally mean, “Taking,” Piper slid her foot back and punched Veronica in the jaw with a strong jab, knocking her on her ass. 

“Wh-,” I started, “Piper! I was monologuing!” 

With a shrug, Piper placed me on the counter of the lined sinks before gently pressing a finger against the top of my head. 

“Stay put,” she ordered, “Mommy has some anger issues to work out.”
“Don’t call yoursel-”
“Yeah, no, I didn’t really think about it before I said it.” 

Piper turned back to the group of bullies and cracked her knuckles. 

“Okay,” she huffed, “Which one of you cunt warts wants to get popped first?” 

I-I don’t- um… I don’t condone Piper’s colorful vocabulary. Also don’t condone the next few actions Piper made, but I’ll give an idea of the aftermath. By the time Piper had wrapped up, she had all three henchmen on the ground, one with a mouth full of broken teeth, and Veronica… I didn’t get much of a chance to watch that since I was fading in and out of consciousness, but by the end, Veronica was paralized from the waist down and her arm had been amputated at the elbow which Piper did with a shard from a mirror that broke in the tussle, and the cover to a water tank off one of the toilets to snap the bone. 

It made me… think. Alot. About everything. Mostly, it made me realize that Piper cared a hell of alot more than I gave her credit for. And… I think… I think I knew why she brought drinks. I laughed to myself. She thought it was a date.