Nick heard the bell ring signaling the end of class; a student nearby shouted, “Lunch time!”   Most of the students cheered as the teacher told them to settle down and line up alphabetically to head to the cafeteria.  Nick looked to Sam but couldn’t she her face as she kept it tucked up against her knees.  He didn’t know what to say or if he should say anything.  He decided it would be better to not say anything.  Sam had been through a lot in the past 24 hours and just need some time to herself.  The gentle sway told Nick that they must be moving now and heading to the cafeteria for the kids to eat lunch.  In a few quick moments there was the sound of doors opening and he was assaulted by the sound of hundreds of kids shouting. 

He saw Sam jump in surprise but nothing else.  There was the smell of food in the air as his nose was assaulted by the smell of the children’s meals that they were having.  He then heard the sound of metal folding chairs being dragged out from under the tables.  With nothing to do he just listen to the conversations going on around him as he waited for the day to end.

Annabel sat right next to Jasmine as they both pulled out their lunches.  “What do you have for lunch,” she asked as Jasmine looked inside her lunch box. 

“I have a ham sandwich, a banana, a fruit cup, a pudding cup, and apple juice.  What do you have?”

Annabel started to pull her lunch out and name it off, “A slice of pizza from last night, some fruit punch, and some apple sauce, oh and a brownie.  Want to trade something?” 

Jasmine shrugged, “Sure.”  Annabel started to trade some of her food with Jasmine.

“I told you that you would get a better grade on that math test.”  Annabel said as she passed over her brownie for the pudding cup.  “How do you remember it all?”

Jasmine just shrugged again, “I don’t know, I just do.  Maybe you can come over and we can study together.”

Annabel blew a raspberry, “Like I would study.  Nah I rather play then study for some stupid math.  Beside I don’t care what I get as long as it’s not an F.  Hmmm you want to trade juices?”

“Sure.”  When they were finished trading they started to eat their new meal.  As they were eating some other students started to tell stories and funny jokes.  It was a typical lunch for everyone…

Nick listened to the conversation all around him and picked up a few interesting facts.  He was listening to one conversation about some boy who was won a baseball game when he heard a couple of kid’s say, “What do you have there?”  and “Whoa!”  Curious Nick closed his eyes and let his powers paint the picture of what was going on outside of the pocket.  It was like he was normal sized and standing right next to what was going on.  He could see the entire cafeteria and noticed that it had kids of all ages up to their late teens.  He was standing behind a boy who had a container that held a couple of “buggies” and the children around him were all looking at the kid.  The child had a grin on his face as if he were the coolest kid around.

“Are you going to eat them Tommy,” a kid asked Tommy, the one who had the little people in the container.

“Of course, it’s my lunch.”

“Tommy, I’ll trade you my sandwich and my cookies for your buggies.”

Tommy shook his head, “Are you crazy?  I’m not trading them for lunch.”

Another kid said, “I’ll give you a dollar for one.”

Tommy thought about it and said, “Ok, but just one.”  Tommy handed one buggy over to the kid as he gave him a dollar.  The kid didn’t spend anytime tossing the screaming buggy into his mouth and started to chew it up.  After pulverizing the buggy he didn’t swallow but opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out and gave all the kids at the table a view of his meal.  Nick got to see the bloody mess that filled the child’s mouth and stained his front teeth red.  After showing everyone his food he laughed and swallowed the mess and said, “Ahhhh,” showing everyone his magic trick of making his food disappearing.

Tommy shook his head, “You chew your buggies?”

The kid nodded and said, “Yeah, I like the flavor of them when they burst in my mouth.  It’s salty yet tasty.  Why?  How do you eat yours?”

The kid still acting cool said, “I eat them just like Mrs. T.”  Showing his audience, he picked up one of the buggies and tossed it into the air.  Nick got to watch as the female buggy started to cry and flail as she descended through the air and into the open maw of the boy.  The boy wasted no time just swallowing the buggy leaving a slight large bulge to travel down his neck.  The boy looked very pleased at what he did, as he let out a sigh and trailed the buggy down his throat with his finger.  Nick could still hear the squealing and screaming coming from the buggy until the lump disappeared from sight. 

A girl asked Tommy, “What does it feel like?  My sister says it feels weird to swallow them alive.”

“Not really.  You ever swallowed a pill without water?  It’s like that only the pill isn’t moving around and tickling you as it slides down your throat,” He said as he trialed a path down his throat to emphasize what he was saying.  He picked up another buggy and tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it whole again.  The outline of the screaming buggy could be seen as it traveled down Tommy’s throat and into his awaiting stomach.

“Hey Tommy,” A girl asked as she stood behind him.  Tommy turned around and started to blush as he notice the girl.

“Angelica?  Y-Yeah?”  Nick could tell by Tommy’s reaching and the look on his face that he must like Angelica. 

Angelica put on a cute smile and twirled one of her burnet locks that were hanging down from her head.  “I was wondering if I could have a buggy too, please?”

“Of course,” Tommy said handing her a couple of buggies.

“Hey why would you give her some and not me?  I was going to give you my lunch.”

“Because,” Tommy said.  “I don’t feel like eating your bologna sandwich.  Bye Angelica,” Tommy said as Angelica walked away after getting what she wanted.  Nick continued to listen to the conversation that Tommy was having.  “So, you say they taste better if you chew them?”  Tommy held another buggy that was a male this time in front of him.  Tommy gave a look of disapproval at the idea.  Finally Tommy shrugged and bite into the buggy from the feet up to its chest causing the buggy to wail in pain as Tommy’s lips were quickly covered in red.  Toying with the flavor in his mouth Tommy finally swallowed and shrugged, “It’s ok, but I prefer to swallow them whole.”  Not wasting a second Tommy flicked the other half that was still wailing into his mouth and swallowed it whole. 

Seeing enough Nick opened his eyes and came back to the pocket he was sitting in.  He didn’t learn anything except that how dangerous it will be if he or Sam are caught by anyone else.  Letting out a sigh he continued to sit there until he heard a growl coming from Sam’s direction.  Rising an eyebrow he noticed Sam looking up with an ashamed look covering her face.

“Sorry,” She said.

“Don’t be,” Nick held out his hand and a burger appeared in it as he handed it to Sam.

“You should save your energy so we can go home,” Sam said as she hesitated before picking it up.

“Starving yourself won’t help.”  Sam still didn’t eat it, but after a few moments she bite into it.  Nick formed another one and started to eat too.

“I thought you didn’t have to eat,” Sam said frowning.

Nick shrugged his shoulders, “Sometimes it’s better to eat with someone rather than alone.  Beside I want to see if I make good burgers.”  He took another bite and nodded, “Yep.”

Grinning Sam shook her head as she took another bite.  They sat there eating while the endless chatter of the outside world filled the air.  They both finished their burgers and sat there listening to the conversation when Jasmine said something that could be heard over the rest of the noise…

“I can’t believe she would do that,” Jasmine said to Annabel.

“Who?”

“Angelica.  She practical took those buggies form Tommy just because she wanted them.”

Annabel shrugged, “Well when you become the most popular girl in second grade you can do whatever you want.  I heard that her mom paid off the teachers to give her straight A’s.”

Jasmine shook her head at the rumors that she too heard about Angelica.  She didn’t believe it because Angelica was actually smart, but it sounded like something her mom would do.  Angelica happened to be the pretties and smartest girl in her class and wasn’t afraid to remind others about it.  Jasmine tried to stay out of Angelica’s way because she was known to give the other girls who didn’t listen to her a bad time.  Still it irked her to see Angelica manipulate people so easily and not care.  She continued to watch Angelica walk back to her seat and hand over one of the buggies to her friends.  Jasmine couldn’t make out the gender of the buggy but it didn’t matter because in a few seconds it would be dead like the rest of the buggies that Angelica got her hands on.  Jasmine had to look away as Angelica slowly twisted the buggy’s limbs till they snapped off, and then tossed them in her mouth piece by piece until the buggy was limbless.  Angelica than placed the buggy on the table and said something.  Jasmine already knew what it was from seeing this scene before.  She was telling the buggy to run away if it can, and she would let it live.  The buggy tried as best it could but could barely move.   Angelica laughed at the attempt and quickly slammed her hand on top of the buggy, enjoying the squishing sound it made as she splattered the buggy into a red goo.  All the other girls around her started to laugh with her.

“I wish I could get my hands on some buggies right now,” Annabel said.

“Well I have two with me right now,” Jasmine said as Annabel looked at her with shocked.

Nick froze as he heard what Jasmine was saying.  Was she going to hand one of them over to her friend?  Could he trust her friend?  He just saw what happens to buggies and it was not a pretty sight. 

There was a sudden laugh coming from Jasmine’s friend, “Oh, that’s a good one.  You, Mrs. Goody Two Shoes, has two buggies with her right now?  Why would you have buggies?”

Before Jasmine could say anything the bell rang signaling the end of lunch and Nick could hear a bunch of the kids shouting, “Recess!”  There was the sound of chairs sliding on the floor and there was the familiar sway of Jasmine moving.  Jasmine dropped the subject as they went and played on the swings.

The rest of the day was like this morning, the droning sound of teachers teaching a class full of kids wanting to be anywhere but there.  Finally the last bell rang and Jasmine got up to leave for home.  She waited around for Annabel so they could walk home together. 

Annabel was one of last to leave the classroom.  “Finally, are you ready to go home,” Jasmine asked.

Annabel shook her head, “I’m going to wait for my sister.  She said that we were going to go get some food after school.  You’re welcome to come with us.”

This time it was Jasmine’s turn to say no.  “I should head back home.  I want to finish my homework so I don’t have any to do over the weekend.”

Annabel tsked at Jasmine.  “When are you going to learn to take it easy and not worry about school so much?  Whatever, you go have fun doing homework while my big sis and I go have real fun.”  With that Annabel headed to the parking lot to meet her sisters who happen to be a senior in the high school part of the school.  Both Jasmine and Annabel looked up to Annabel’s sister, Tracie.  She was captain of the soccer club and was well liked by everyone.  She also had a couple of private clubs that she formed with the school.  Jasmine really wanted to hang out with both of them but decided she rather get to know her buggies better.  It sounded like the male buggy woke up which means she can get to play with both of them!  Excited she ran home unable to contain her excitement.

By the increased movement Nick could tell that Jasmine was running home.  It wasn’t a gentle sway, like when she walked, instead they were practically being tossed around.  It took a while before both Sam and Nick got use to the new motion.  Nick saw that Sam had a fearful expression on her face.  Worried he asked what was wrong.

“What’s wrong?  We’re being tossed around like rag dolls by a little kid who almost killed us twice in a world where everyone thinks that we are just insects to be toyed with!”

Nick tried to calm her down but she still had a panicked look on her face.  “Sam trust me, I told you I would keep you safe and that’s what I’m going to do.” 

Sam didn’t know why but what Nick said was slightly comforting.  Still she was still frightened at what was to become of them.  There was a loud bang for a door being closed and more face paced footsteps and another bang.  They must be in her room.  No sooner than she thought that did a hand dip into the pocket and retrieved the two of them.  Sam was again placed on Jasmines dresser and got to see her giant grinning face.

“My parents aren’t home so we can play without any disturbance!”  There was no missing the excitement in her voice.  Sam started to breathe faster as she felt dizzy.  She couldn’t help but remember the cries of those helpless people being eaten by that lizard.  Most of all she kept imagining herself being swallowed by Mrs. T.  “So what’s your name,” Jasmine asked Nick.

“My name is Nick;” He said bowing to her, “And what would be your name?”

Jasmine giggled at Nick and curtsied to him, “My name is Jasmine.  It’s nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Nick said continuing to being a gentlemen to Jasmine.  “I would like to thank you for saving our lives the other day.”

“It was no biggie.  I’m just glad I got to you before someone or something else did.  There’s no telling what might have happen to you two.  So I was thinking maybe we can play together before my parents get home,” Jasmine said as she started to reach for the both of them.  Sam took a step back frightened of the enormous hand.  Jasmine hesitated as she noticed Sam backing up.

“Jasmine, I think Sam isn’t feeling too well.  She had a long couple of days and just needs some rest.  Maybe we can play together instead?”

“Ok, I hope you feel better,” Jasmine said as she picked up just Nick.  Sam was relieved that Jasmine didn’t grab her but now she feared for Nick’s safety.  What was going to happen to Nick?  Will Jasmine hurt him? 

Sam watched Jasmine carry Nick over to her corner in the room that had her dolls and other toys.  There she sat down and started to talk to Nick as she pulled a few dolls out.  Sam couldn’t really hear what she was saying but it looked like she was telling Nick about her toys.  In a few moments she started to play with the dolls and she saw Nick was playing along.  It was just like when they were kids and she had her tea party.  It looked odd to see Nick almost three times smaller than the dolls around him playing with the giantess who was chatting away.  What was he thinking, Sam thought as she continued to watch Jasmine put Nick and a doll in a toy car and race them around. 

About an hour or so later Jasmine’s parents were home.  They knocked on the door and told her dinner was almost done.  Jasmine told her parents ok and stopped playing.  She placed Nick back on the dresser and told them both that she would try to get some food for them.  Jasmine left the room and headed to the kitchen.  When she was gone Sam went over to Nick to talk with him.

“Are you ok?”

Nick gave her a look of confusion, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because…”  Sam said drawling it out.

“She isn’t like the others.  I talked with her and she is just a little curious about us.  Apparently buggies can’t talk to them and we can.  She said she didn’t mean to almost hurt you today and wants to apologize.  You don’t have anything to worry about with Jasmine.”

“I don’t know Nick, she may not mean to hurt us on purpose but she might accidently do it.”

 Nick didn’t say anything for a little while.  “If you think we should leave we can, but I think we are safer here than anywhere else.  Besides I can’t protect you from everything out there.  Still if you want…”

Sam didn’t say anything as she thought it over and finally said, “Ok, but you have to tell her to be more careful.”

“I’ll tell her when she gets back.  Maybe tomorrow you will join us for a tea party?”

“I’ll think about it,” Sam said as she waited until Jasmine got back.  “Do mind if I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Nick said as he sat down with his feet off the edge of the drawer.

“When I saw you playing with her it reminded me of us back when we were kids.  I was wondering what happened between us back then… you know freshmen year.”

Nick sat there letting his feet dangle of the edge as she looked out in the distance.  Sam didn’t think he would say anything until he said, “I’m sorry but I don’t think I should talk about it.”

Sam felt her heart ache at what he said.  “Did I do something wrong?  Was it something I said?  Please Nick you have to tell me what destroyed our friendship.”

“Sorry I can’t tell you.  Believe me when I say, it’s not you it’s me, that I really mean it.  What happened back then is over and should stay that way.”

Sam felt hurt that Nick wouldn’t say anything.  “Fine then let me ask you another question since you didn’t answer my first one.  What’s with the hoodie?”

“This?” Nick asked looking down at his gray hoodie.  “It’s a gift I got from an old friend.  I just feel comfortable in it.  I feel safe I guess you can say.  When I pull up my hood I feel… safe,” Nick laughed at what he said.  “I guess you can call it my safety blanket in a way.  Why?  Do you not like it?”

“No, just thought it was strange that you’re wearing it during the summer.  So it’s your safety blanket?  I find that kind of weird coming from a man who can do just about anything.”

Nick shrugged, “We all have something that we cherish.  Every time I wear it, it reminds me of the one who gave it to me.”  Sam couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous of whoever gave Nick that hoodie.  Whoever it was Nick cared a lot about that person.  “Speaking of clothes,” Nick said pointing at Sam’s enlarged t-shirt, “You want me to get you another shirt?”

Sam remembered that she was wearing a doll shirt.  “I’m fine,” Sam said trying to not betray how she really felt about wearing a giant bed sheet as a shirt.

Nick gave her a look that told her he knew better.  Before she could protest he had a shirt appear in her lap folded up.  It was a simple dark blue t-shirt that surprisingly was her size.  “Should I ask how you know my size,” Sam questioned.

“It was on your other shit that you wrapped my arm in.”

“Oh,” Sam said feeling silly for bring it up.

Nick grinned at her, “Or maybe I’ve been watching you and have figured out all your measurements.”  Nick brought his hands up and pretended to measure her.  Sam couldn’t help but gasp at what he said.  Nick laughed as Sam punched him in the arm.

Sam got up and walked behind Nick. “Don’t turn around you pervert or I’ll push you over,” Sam said as she started to change into a shirt that would fit her.  When she was done changing she sat down next to Nick and looked out the window to see the sun setting.  “Do you really think we can make it?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

“…”

The door slowly opened and both of them looked to see who it was.  Jasmine entered with a slice of pizza on a plate.  “I snuck this out of the kitchen before my parents noticed.  Tonight was pizza night so I hope you all like pizza.”  Jasmine set the slice down on the desk and both Nick and Sam went over to eat some.  As they ate Jasmine was called out to the family room for movie night with her parents.  She left both of them on the dresser to finish their pizza which was impossible for them to do.  They barely made a dent before they were full.  Feeling full and tired Sam told Nick she was going to turn in now.

She was sleeping on top of a pair of shorts that were folded.  Soon she fell asleep, but Nick stayed up still going over the event that had transpired the past couple of days.  He beat Ralph by using a new technique that he wasn’t sure would work, only to teleport him and Sam into another universe where everyone wants to kill them except for this little girl that almost killed him.  Worse of all he is stuck with Sam, the one girl he always loved but knew that he could never be with…

Jasmine yawned as she walked into her room to find that Nick was still up.  “Hey Nick, I was wondering if you really wanted to have a tea party tomorrow.”

Nick smiled and nodded, “I would be delighted.”

“Really?  Do you think Sam would want to too?”

“I’m not sure, but we can always ask her tomorrow.”

“Ok then, well goodnight,” Jasmine said as she went to bed. 

“Sleep well,” Nick said and waited till he heard her fall asleep.  Getting up Nick went over to Sam and made a blanket for her and covered her up.  Then he went to the edge of the dresser and stood looking down.  He could barely see the bottom of the floor through the pitch dark room.  The drop had to be at least 150 or so feet.  Taking a step off Nick let himself fall through the air.  Right before he would hit the ground he threw his hands out and used his powers to slow his decent down so he landed with ease on the ground.  Nick walked toward the open door way and looked down the hallway.  No lights were on which means that the parents had to be asleep.  Nick decided he better take a look around.  No telling what he might find…

Isaac ran through the tall dark forest with his little sister following behind him.  Isaac was 18 and his sister, Ruth, was 17.  She was crying silently as they sprinted for their lives as they heard the deep laughter of two teenagers behind them.  Isaac didn’t know what happened to the others and assumed the worse.  They were traveling with a small group of people when out of nowhere two teenage boys popped out from behind the trees.  No one moved as each group stared at each other.  Isaac knew what was going to happen next so he turned and grabbed Ruth’s hand and sprinted in the other direction.

Isaac couldn’t see what happened next, but heard it as the rest of the party scattered in different directions screaming followed by the sound of booming footsteps.  Suddenly there was a body that flew overhead in a heap as it landed with a sickening sound.  One of the giants must have kicked one of the others.  There was laughter as there were more cries for help that went unanswered. 

Isaac had been running for what seemed like hours and even then he didn’t feel safe.  Ruth was getting tired but Isaac couldn’t risk taking a break.  For all he knew the giants were right behind him.  Leaving the forest he saw a giant wooden gate in front of him that separated the forest and the houses on the other side.  Isaac then took a break as he leaned up against it to catch his breath.  His little sister started to sob.

“Are they all…?”

“Shhh.  It’s going to be ok.  There’s no way they would follow us here-” Isaac started to say only to hear the laughter come closer.  It wasn’t long before the two kids left the woods and were within sight distance.

One of the teens said, “Check this out.”  He had a tiny in his hands as he pulled a vile out.  “My dad showed me this trick.  You know how he’s a chemist,” he asked as he uncorked the liquid.

“Yeah.” the other said.

“He showed me that when you mix these two together,” he said as he poured another liquid in the vile, “they become unsteady.”  The liquid started to bubble.  The boy quickly tilted the vile up and poured it down a helpless man’s throat.  Most of the liquid covered him but some went down his throat.  The boy opened his palm and the man just stood there scarred as he looked around thinking about running.

“Is that it?  That is so lame-” the other started to say when suddenly the man clutched his stomach and started to shake.  Suddenly he exploded into a bloody mess.  “WHOA, that was awesome!”

“I know!” The other said.

“Ok check this out,” the other said as he held another helpless person in his hand.  He pulled his hand back as if he were going to throw a baseball and swung his hand forward.  Instead of releasing his hand so the object would fly furthest, he held onto the person until his hand was pointed at the ground to let go.  The little person had no time to shout as he smashed into the ground at high speeds.  There was a sold thunk sound and then laughter. 

“Dude that was awesome, come on lets go find those other two, one of them was a girl,” one of them said laughing.

Isaac paled at the mention of his sister.  She let out a yelp at the mere mention of her.  Isaac didn’t want to find out what they had planned as he watched them get closer.  Having no other option available Isaac headed toward the house hoping to find refuge for a little while.  Isaac found a small gap in-between the door frame of a glass sliding door and the house that was just big enough for the two of them to squeeze through.  Once they were inside Isaac looked out back to see the kids come up to the back door too.

Scarred that this might be where they lived Isaac quickly grabbed Ruth’s hand and dragged her deeper into the house.  They found a counter that would block them from view from anyone looking in through the glass door.  Isaac watched with a racing heart and saw the kids looking in through the door.  It felt like eternity passed as Isaac waited for them to open the door.  Both kids kept looking and eventually shrugged and moved on.  Isaac let out a sigh as they were finally safe.  He slowly turned around to see a horrific sight in front of him.

His sister stood perfectly still as she was being stared down by a cat that was looking very hungry at her. 

“Ruth,” Isaac said softly so not to cause the cat to attack.  “When I say now I want you to run for the door we just came from.”

“O-o-ok…” she said frightened.

Isaac swallowed his fear as he knew there was only one thing he could do to save his sister.  “NOW,” He shouted as he dashed forward and started to yell at the cat.  His sister ran for the door but soon stopped as she realized what her brother was doing.  He was trying to get the cat to attack him instead of her.  It worked.  The cat focused on the new target charging at it.  The cat got into pouncing position and jumped forward with its mouth wide open.  In the dim light Isaac could see the cat’s throat pulsate as it opened wider for its prey.  Isaac prayed that his sister got away safely as the cat was upon him.  Isaac closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

“Stop Muffins,” growled a voice that caused the cat to stop.  Isaac opened his eyes to see the cat stop just inches away.  “Good girl,” Said a tiny man in a gray hoodie.  He walked up to the cat and petted the cat on the nose and started to rub its head.  Isaac stared dumbfounded at the newcomer and didn’t know what to say.

Nick barely made it in time before Muffins swallowed a buggy.  After saving the buggy and rewarding the cat for listen he turned toward the buggy.  There was another one hiding behind the counter peeking from around the corner.  “Hello there,” Nick said greeting them.  The male buggy just looked at him while the female one ran up to him and gave him a big hug. 

“Thank you so much,” she practically wept.

 “How… who are you,” the male buggy asked. 

“My names Nick, and you two would be?”

“Isaac,” the male introduced, “and she would be my sister, Ruth.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you two.  You both look hungry and tired.”  They both nodded.  “Well come with me and I’ll see if I can take care of it.”  Nick lead them back to Jasmine’s room to get them some pizza and a safe place to sleep…