THREE 
Julia Harmon drove by the missing girls house once more, trying to put more information together. Missing people always made good news stories, and God knows she needed a good one. After doing televised reports about bake sales and high school plays, this town needed a scandal, and so did she if she was ever going to get out. She wondered if the girl, Kim Gibbons, slept with a senator, or had a hidden boyfriend. Maybe he killed her for drugs, or she was kidnapped....any of these would do, really, just something big for her to crack open, something that would sound good coming out of her pretty mouth on the Eleven O'Clock news. Julia slowed the car down and examined the house, watching it, but seeing nothing. The police had long since stopped going, they seemed to have all the information they could gather from the distraught family. She kept driving on to her older sisters house a few blocks away, just past the community center. Julia didn't particularly like her sister Mara, nor her ugly duckling child Melanie and lazy husband Dick. Julia, in fact, despised going over to thier home, which was pleasent enough, but it was so much work for Julia to pretend she liked Mara, and to feign interest in Melanie's schooling and those poems she always wrote about some boy who'd probably never touch the greasy little fool. But if there was one talent Julia had, and she would say she had numerous ones, it's was pretending to care. What else would a TV reporter do? 
She drove her red cavalier into the driveway of the two story suburban home and stepped out, smoothing her tan buisness skirt and white blouse. She checked out her stockings and shoes, everything in place. She cracked her neck and tossed a hand through her shoulder length blonde hair and walked gracefully to the front door. Melanie answered the door, her glasses looking freakishly large on the girls pale pimply face. Julia smiled warmly. "Hi, Melanie." 
"Hi Aunt Julia." Melanie said, crossing over the threshold to embrace her. Julia held the smile as the girl touched her, but retched inside. 
"How are you, dear?" Julia asked. 
"I'm fine...Mom's in the kitchen." Mel said, dissapearing into the house. Julia stopped smiling and walked towards the kitchen. 
"Julia!" Mara said enthusiastically, stepping forward and hugging her sister. Mara was a pretty woman, standing a head shorter than Julia with darker hair and broader hips. She was a little on the heavy side, something Julia secretly prized over her sister. 
"Mara, dear, it's good to see you." 
Tea went quickly, as it always did, Julia keeping conversation light and frivilous while appearing one hundred and ten percent interested in Mara's tales of suburban angst and soap operas. It had been a little while before Mara brought up a topic of legitmate interest. "I'm glad Melanie is feeling better." Mara said. 
"Has she been ill?" Julia asked. 
"No, but apparently she was among one of the last to see that Kimmy girl. She was terribly worried." Julia raised an eyebrow. 
"Do the police know?" 
"No...no, no one told them. I decided that since she knew nothing about it..." Mara said. 
"Can I talk to her about it?" Julia asked, leaning forward. Mara looked at her a little suspiciously. 
"I...well, I suppose so." Mara said, and called the child down. Melanie bounded excitedly into the kitchen. 
"What's up?" she asked. Julia smiled at her, her demeanor already changing to that of investigative reporter. 
"I hear you saw Kim Gibbons on the last night she dissapeared." Julia said gently. Melanie nodded a little. 
"I babysat for her best friend's little sister." Melanie said, "Kim was nice to me. I hope she's ok." 
"You babysit for the Jordans?" Julia asked. 
"Yep." 
"When do you babysit for them again?" Julia asked. 
"Uh....friday night, I think." Mel said, thinking, "Yeah, friday night." 
"Well...Melanie, would you do me a favor? Help me with a story?" Julia asked. Melanie's eyes widened. 
"You mean...like, help help?" Mel asked. Julia nodded slyly. 
"I want you to look around the house, after everyone is gone or asleep...I want you to look for signs of Kim." 
"You think Sarah has something to do with it?" Mel asked. 
"Maybe." Julia said, "I don't know what I think. But just imagine, kid, you and me getting the scoops and..." Julia leaned closer to drive the knife home, "maybe, just maybe, saving Kim Gibbons life." Mel's eyes widened again and she nodded. 
"Yeah, maybe we can help her..." 
"So you'll do it?" Julia asked. Mel thought a moment, and then nodded. 
"Yeah. Yeah, I'll do it." 
....................................................................... 
Sarah shook her head as she watched Kim. "I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET YOU DO THIS." she said. Kim stopped painting for a moment and looked up at her. 
"Hey, when you get tiny, see how often you get to do artistic expression." Kim said, and returned to painting Sarah's toenails. She was painting Sarah's name on all her toes with exquisite detail. "Everyone will wonder how you pulled this off." Kim said with a laugh. 
"YEAH, NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW MY LITTLE PET GIRL DID IT." Sarah said. Kim stopped and looked up at Sarah. 
"Your pet?" Sarah shook her head. 
"I...UH...MEAN...." Kim knelt and kissed Sarah's foot gently. 
"Pet's fine, Mistress Sarah." Sarah frowned and bit her lip. 
"I....WELL, I DON'T LIKE THAT...." she lied. In fact, Kim calling her that sent a ripple of pleasure, but she wanted Kim to keep her dignity. Kim was not her property, she needed to remember that. But it was hard, coming home and seeing Kim happy to see her, like a Dog is pleased to see it's Master. She had only left Kim a couple times, often taking the tiny girl places with her to avoid snooping. She had only left her once, and Kim had seemed fine alone. It was fun having Kim around all the time, and often it seemed like things were as they always were, except Kim was small. But sometimes, when Kim would rub her feet, or Sarah would hold the tiny girl and pet her...Sarah felt like she owned Kim, and it's disturbed her. Kim was at her most elated at these moments, of course, purring like a happy little kitten at Sarah's touch. Kim frowned when Sarah said that, which caused Sarah to frown back. "OH CHRIST...NO, NO I'M LYING." Kim smiled. "KIM...I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH LONGER THIS CAN GO ON. AT TIMES...I STOP SEEING YOU...AND SEE SOME PET OR TOY, AND THAT DISTURBS ME." 
"Oh please, just accept it! I AM your toy, and your pet, and anything else you want me to be." Kim said, rubbing her cheek on Sarah's toe. Sarah moved her foot and stepped off of the bed. 
"KIM...I LOVE YOU...BUT THIS IS A LOT FOR ME TO HANDLE...MY BEST FRIEND TURNS INTO BARBIE, AND THEN SHE WANTS TO BE MY BARBIE...AND THE FACT THAT I SOMETIMES WANT TO....MAKE YOU DO THINGS AND SAY THINGS TO YOU THAT I...." Kim frowned. Sarah shook her head. "I NEED TO BE OUT...I'LL BE BACK SOON, I NEED TO THINK. SOMETIMES, KIM....WELL, SOMETIMES I WISH FOR SOMEONE TO FIND YOU HERE." and with that, Sarah left, leaving Kim alone on the bed. Kim sat down and began to cry. This wasn't going well. She wanted to stay with Sarah, to belong to Sarah, but her best friend was afraid of being her mistress, and it was hurting her, leaving Kim is an awkward situation. She had figured eventually Sarah would just accept it, that Kim would stop seeming like her friend and more her posession, but apparently Sarah was resisting that. Sarah truly was the best friend a girl could have, and Kim knew this. It said so much about Sarah that she didn't want to dehumanize her best friend, but Kim wanted it. She suddenly felt a tingle and noticed a glow on the bed side table. Kim made her way over the bed, a process which took quite some time, and found the wish giver on the table, glowing it's red glow. She stood beside it, confused, and seemed to hear it in her head. 
"I wish you knew what it was like to feel this big." Dan had said, and the statue had glowed. 
"It grants wishes...but not just mine..." Kim said. But that meant... 
The door to Sarah's room opened, and Melanie Foley stepped in. 
...................................................................