It was with a slight huff that Corey lifted and placed the last of his mother's suitcases into the family SUV. Lifting normally didn't phase him like this, but the humidity in the air was making the sweltering heat even worse to experience as it stifled his breathing. Why his mom needed so much crap for just a three day vacation was beyond him. Still, though, lugging around a few suitcases was a more than fair trade for three days of essentially no supervision by himself.

Well, not quite by himself, he thought as he slammed the rear door shut. Claire, his little sister, would still be at home, but that wasn't really a big deal. She had always been an angel, and he suspected that most of her time at home for the weekend would go toward attempts at convincing him to watch a movie or play a video game with her. Requests for practice were also likely, as the continuously budding striker enjoyed testing her improving shooting skills against his defense in the back yard. And as much as he looked forward to the free time, Corey knew he'd happily acquiesce. He enjoyed spending time with his sister, being there for her, helping her improve. That he would participate in those likely shared activities may as well be a foregone conclusion. Frankly, though, after his sister had opened the front door several nights past to allow his drunken form to stumble in, her hurt reaction toward seeing him in that state had left him feeling more than a bit self-conscious, feeling as if he needed to make things up with her, to prove that none of that had changed just because he'd had a few drinks - he was still the same person, still her big brother, still there for her and willing to portion out time for her. And while they seemed to be back on good terms now, that feeling was still there.

"That the last of it, then?" Howard Lindon called as he approached from the front of the vehicle. Dressed in khaki shorts and a tropical tee, Corey's father seemed well prepared for the impending trip over to the coast.

"Yup," Corey replied as he met his dad, giving him a quick hug. "Assuming Mom doesn't manage to find more somewhere."

"Do not even joke," his father responded with a glare. Corey expected a chuckle to soon follow, and while the glare did drop, the rather serious expression remained. "Well, I have a uh...a few more things to take care of out here before your mother comes along. So I suppose I'll be seeing you Tuesday."

"You alright, Dad?" Corey asked, stricken by just how...severe his father looked and sounded for a man going on vacation.

"Mm, yeah," he father mumbled. "Just didn't get much sleep last night, is all."

"Al...right." Corey answered. He guessed that made sense, but still. He'd have thought his dad would be in a better mood.

"I'm not sure we have enough food in the fridge, by the way," Corey remarked. "Seems really light to get two of us through the weekend."

"Ah," his father stated, looking back toward the front of the vehicle. "Shouldn't be a problem. If it is, we stuck some money in the usual place. So don't worry about it, and you...just enjoy your weekend, 'k?"

"Sure," Corey replied, "you too." His dad really did seem a bit out of it. Hopefully his mom would be driving so he could get some sleep. "See you Tuesday, then." Corey turned to continue back up the driveway into their spacious suburban home. Just a bit longer, and he'd be free for the weekend.

"Corey," his father suddenly called from behind, and the teenage turned and halted mid-stride. His father was standing at the door of the vehicle, eyes fixed seriously upon him. "Be good to your sister this weekend, okay?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Corey responded with some confusion as his dad opened the door up and turned to look inside. He was always good to Claire, his dad knew that. Turning to continue his walk back into his house, he again hoped his mother would be handling the driving.

Padding his way to the door, Corey's mind wandered a bit, back to the food in the fridge. There really wasn't enough in there for the two of them, and it seemed almost out of character for his parents to allow the fridge to be that light. He'd have to check to see how much money they'd left, he realized, and he allowed himself a small smile. Hopefully they had been generous. They usually were. If they had left anywhere near the usual amount, he'd definitely be making a trip to the store to pick up some steaks. They hadn't grilled out in a while, and Claire had suffered for that. She adored steak, it was easily her favorite food. So maybe he'd grill a few up, maybe include some burgers with it. They would probably need some charcoal as well, but they were good on lighter fluid, he knew that. Running the numbers in his head, he realized that might leave him with a little something extra. So maybe, just maybe, he'd surprise Claire with a stop for some ice cream when he picked her up from practice tomorrow. Melody, one of his sister's best friends, would likely be with them, but that was fine. He'd dip into his own allowance if he needed to. No reason to exclude, after all. He was sure the unexpected treat would make both of their days after a practice in this heat.

Stepping back into his home, his eyes immediately tracked into the living room, where his mother and little sister sat upon the couch. They were talking about something, but their voices were low and he couldn't quite pick up on it.

"Got your suitcases loaded up," Corey remarked as he approached the two, standing just a few feet away from them. They both turned to face him, Claire's lips curling into a thin smile while his mother looked rather serious.

"Thank you, sweetie," she responded before turning to Claire once again. "So do you understand what I expect from you this weekend? What I'm holding you responsible for?" Claire turned to face him again momentarily, her lips confusingly pursed as she continued with that same smile, before nodding in affirmation of whatever their mother was talking about.

"Perfect," their mother replied, clapping her hands together lightly as she turned to face Corey once again. "Now, Corey, as I just told your sister, there's been a little...change of plans, of sorts, for the weekend."

"A change?" he asked, curious, and just a little hopeful. His first thought was that maybe she had suddenly decided to stay at the beach for a little while longer. But wouldn't Dad have said something if that was the case?

"I'm afraid so," his mother responded with sweet disappointment, pursing her own unpainted lips to match her daughter's. "Your father and I have decided that we don't feel comfortable leaving you unsupervised, you see."

"Oh, come on, Mom," Corey responded with a forced smile at the prospect of his free weekend going down the drain. "We've always been fine on our own before, we don't need a-"

"Oh, no," the matron interrupted sweetly, tilting her head slightly and allowing her dark hair to fall to the side, "you misunderstand, sweetie. This isn't the collective "you", this is just you. We don't feel comfortable leaving you unsupervised."

"What?" Corey responded with peak confusion. "I don't...why?"

"Because," Abigail Lindon responded, all sweetness suddenly absent from her voice, "if you think me being out of town for a lecture and your father covering a late shift at the clinic for one night gives you a license to go guzzle down alcohol - something you shouldn't even be able to get - then it's extremely clear to me that I can't trust you to act responsibly while we're out for several days."

Corey's eyes immediately shifted over to his sister, whose little grin had suddenly disappeared as her eyes refused to meet his own. Had she actually told on him? He never would have thought Claire of all people would do that. "Why?" he mouthed almost silently.

"Because she was concerned about you, Corey," his mother responded as her tone once more shifted to that reassuring kindness. "She was worried that you might get yourself in trouble. Which, well, you did. But decidedly less trouble than if you had been caught by a police officer, or....worse." A frown accompanied that last word. "But still, trouble nonetheless. So, for the weekend, you can consider yourself grounded. No privileges, no TV, nothing. For the most part. If who we've picked to be your supervisor for the weekend feels like letting you do something, well, that's on them."

"Come on, Mom," Corey pleaded, giving the woman a smile. "It's not like anything did happen...and you know it wouldn't have been worse. I didn't even take my keys, I walked. Look, I won't do it again, I promise." And he meant that. He wouldn't...at least not this weekend. "I don't need a babysitter, I'm 17."

"Hmmm." His mother pondered this for a moment, but not for a particularly long one. "No. No, I don't think so," she stated in a serious tone that suggested he hadn't even come close to convincing her. "Nothing happening doesn't mean that something won't happen, young man," and Corey winced at those last two words as his parent shifted into the stern tones she kept in reserve. "It certainly doesn't justify the misstep. Truthfully, it just sounds like an excuse to me. An excuse for doing something you know for a fact you shouldn't have done. And you know how I feel about...excuses, dear."

Corey nodded solemnly. He did indeed. He knew how his mother had grown up...the kind of life she had pulled herself up from. How hard she and Dad worked to insure things were better for he and his sister. And while this resulted in his mother being very empathetic toward others, it also increased the standards to which she held her children to in their schoolwork and overall behavior. And the better life they had meant that she suffered few excuses for failing those standards.

"So who's coming over?" he asked, biting his bottom lip. "Uncle Graham and Aunt Kayla? The Reynolds'?"

Another tilt of his mother's head followed.

"No, no," she explained, her voice perking up slightly. "No one's coming over. Not for this, anyway."

"Then who?" he inquired, officially having no idea what his mother was planning at this point.

"Well," she continued, giving him a soft smile, "I figured "Why bring someone else over when there's already someone here I trust to handle the responsibility?", you see," and Corey blinked dumbly. "I think Claire is more that capable of handling you for the weekend."

"She's...she's 13," Corey stated dumbly. Was his little sister really being put in charge of him for the weekend?

Actually, he thought, that might night be so bad. Claire wouldn't really be able to stop him from doing anything. Hell, he doubted she'd even want to.

"She is," Abigail responded simply, her blue eyes seemingly twinkling as she reached a hand into the purse that rested next to her thigh. "In fact, I bet you thought that meant you'd be in the clear this weekend because of it. And that's why we're making a little...adjustment, before we leave."

Corey's stomach imploded at the sight of the black hunk of metal she deliberately lifted from the purse's confines.

The PMRD.

"Mom," he breathed, "you don't have to-"

"Oh, but I do, young man," his mother responded. "You are going to be grounded this weekend, and your sister is going to be your supervisor. And I'm going to make sure she's fully capable of carrying out her responsibilities." Corey couldn't help but step back slowly, putting forth a token effort at distancing himself from his mother and the device. He didn't like that thing. It was embarrassing enough when his mother would shrink him down and loom over him as she supervised whatever his punishment was, but....but being given to Claire? She'd never....never done that before. He'd seen Claire while reduced a few times, sure, but their mother had never really brought her into his discipline.

"Speaking of which," she continued with a squint,"responsibility, Corey, is your sister's lesson for this weekend, and partly why we're doing this. We feel she could use it in the wake of your...decisions Or do you not feel she needs that?"

"What do you mean?" Corey asked, though if he were to be honest, he had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going, and if it was...

He couldn't say he disagreed.

"Well, she did see you stumble into the house in all your drunken incoherence," his mother explained archly. "You know how she looks up to you, Corey. You know you're an example to her. So what kind of example are you setting for her when you act like that so flagrantly in front of her? Would you have been so dismissive about those actions if she were the one chugging down booze and wandering home, by herself and stumbling around like you were?"

"No," Corey answered scratchily, and his fists clenched for just a moment as his own blue eyes locking with his mother's. God, no. The thought of Claire wandering around out there, in a state similar to the one that he had been in...

His head began to dip, a sense of shame washing over him. As his eyes broke away from his mother's, though, they did catch something else: A warm, pleased smile showing up her lips. A quiet sign of her acknowledgment over his admittance to his failing, and a signal of her pride in his new regret.

"So, little Claire-bear," Abigail started, her sweetness back in full force as she turned to face the 13 year old again, not missing a beat in between. "Here's your first big decision for the weekend: How big do you want your big brother to be?"

Corey couldn't help it. His eyes lifted once more, shifting over to his little sister, and he had to suppress a shudder as she made no effort to avoid his gaze this time. No, this time her brown eyes locked onto his own immediately. And then she started to smile, her lips parting to show off her sparkling white teeth.

He didn't think he'd ever seen her so happy. Or at least, not until what happened next.

The teenager lifted an arm up in response, eyes still locked onto him, and he watched as her thumb and and forefinger separated from their companions. Watched as she held them close to each other, an open, easily readable signal as only a little bit of space remained between the pads of her fingers. Watched as that grin somehow managed to get wider as his little sister seemingly cast her own judgment after the sentence their mother had already delivered upon him for his failing.

An inch.

She was having him reduced to the absolute. Fucking. Minimum.

And his mother gave her the gentlest smile in the world as she acknowledged her youngest child's decision, turning to Corey with an almost pitying look in her blue eyes.

"Mom," he quavered, "please don't...don't do this. I'll be good, I promise. I won't ever do it again, just please don't-"

"Don't beg, sweetie," she stated seriously. "It's beneath you."

"But I just...I don't want to be that small, Mom, please."

"I'm sorry, Mister," Abigail answered with what seemed like genuine pity, "but your sister's in charge now, and this is her decision to make. I'm not going to undercut her on that. That would defeat the point a little bit, I feel."

Corey took another slow step back, eyes still meeting Claire's gleeful gaze. Until movement out the corner caught his attention, and his gaze shifted back to his mother just in time to note the PMRD now pointing directly at him.

"Brace yourself, dear." The words were soft, gentle, and cautionary. He fell over sometimes, from the disorientation, and his mother had never liked that.

But it didn't stop what came next, as the green light of the PMRD washed over him, and that familiar chill pervaded his skin. He had to close his eyes, it was better than watching the world rush around him and he plummeted in height. He knew it didn't take long for the device to work its terrible magic, but still he held his eyes shut tightly even well beyond that point. An audible cooing from somewhere above told him he was right to do so - a few seconds in, and his sister was already emasculating him with her reactions. The sole saving grace right now was that at least he didn't have to see her.

"Open your eyes, Corey," Abigail commanded softly from above. Her voice was still gentle, but...

Well, he didn't really have it in him to disobey. He never did, when he was like this. Shivering from the coldness of his reduced stature, he wrapped his arms around himself before opening his eyes. Two pairs of feet rested in the distance, both tanned, and both with toenails painted in a playful pink. The larger pair, his mother's, was clad in a pair of sandals, the smaller bare. The owner of the latter seemed to sense catch on to his gaze, and the formerly small toes began to wiggle eagerly.

"Do you see him shaking, Claire?" his mother voice boomed from above. Corey's eyes were on the move again, this time tracing up his mother's bare calves as they rose into the air before disappearing beyond the hem of her sky-blue sundress. Further upward, he could see the face of his mother, her eyes staring down at him tenderly. Claire had apparently given her some form of affirmation, and as such she continued. "That means he's cold, and that's how he's going to be at this size, even with his clothes. So you have to take responsibility for that, and make sure he's kept nice and warm throughout the weekend, okay?"

"Okay," his sister responded to the side, her voice beyond perky. Corey mistakenly chose to shift his gaze toward her, only to meet his sister's eyes once more. Opened wide with a sense of wonder at his stature, they focused intently upon him. She still wore that same excited, happy smile as she gazed down at him. "Don't worry, Corey, I'll make sure everything's perfect!"

Corey shivered. He had to. He didn't like this. He didn't like how happy his little sister was about this, about what she had...gotten him into, by telling on him. About just how small she apparently wanted him to be, how comparatively insignificant. How she sat there, every bit at home in joining their mother in her status as some looming goddess.

"Mom, please," he called up between shivers. "Please don't..."

"Corey..."

"P-please don't leave me here like this, I d-don't want...."

"Corey."

"I d-don't want to b-be here with her...n-not while I'm like..."

"Enough."

Corey's pleading, even his shivering, came to a halt at the power behind that one word. He gulped as he switched his gaze once more to take in his mother's stern visage as she leaned in closer over the edge of the couch. There was still plenty of distance between them, but the effect wasn't lost. Not in the least.

"No more of that. Just because you're small doesn't mean you have to act as such," she exclaimed with narrow eyes. "Claire is your sister, Corey. She's not going to hurt you, she's not going to mistreat you. She's not even going to punish you."

"Well," Abigail added, giving him a slight smile, "not unless you give her a reason to, anyway." Corey had to fight down another shudder as he continued to stand frozen underneath her gaze. "But you're such a wonderful boy...most of the time, anyway. So I don't see that happening."

"But it's embarrassing, Mom!" Corey pleaded, and and his assertion earned him another frown.

"It's also the lightest punishment I can imagine giving you for what you did," Abigail explained to him, her voice taking on a certain chill. "You should count yourself thankful that I'm simply letting Claire watch over you for the weekend. That I don't believe in more...corporeal forms of punishment at home. Like some parents do. Because we both know you wouldn't care for that. "

Corey gulped. He was thankful for that much. He knew what some other parents did to their own children. His own mother usually just had him do some manner of chores or studying, other parents, though...

And looking at Claire, as she continued to stare down at him with the adoration of a child toward a new toy, he knew a little of what...of what one of her soccer friends did to her brother when she had him like this. He didn't want that. More than anything, he didn't want that.

Oblivious to his panic, his little sister kept right on smiling.

The honk of a car's horn pierced the awkward silence, and a heavy sigh escaped Abigail's lips.

"That man needs to learn some patience," she muttered, a small laugh emanating from Claire in response. The mother leaned forward just a bit more before suddenly rising into the air, displaying her full dizzying height. It was why Corey hated this size - everything was just so fucking big. Looking up the length of his mother's body - those strong calves leading into her dress, her toned bare arms hanging to her sides even as one lifted up her purse. He couldn't even see her face at the moment, her chest was currently making that venture impossible. She might be nearing 40, but his mother worked to keep up appearances of looking at least a decade younger, and he was reminded of that fact every time he was forced to take in her body at such a small state.

One of her legs stepped forward then, taking one long stride forward that easily covered what was, to him, over a hundred feet. He watched in morbid fascination as she halted, as her calves angled forward as she leaned onto her knees, continued to lean until her pretty, billboard-sized face hovered just in front of him.

"We'll have a followup discussion about this when I return, dear," she stated lowly, but sweetly. "In the meantime, I want you to be good for your sister this weekend, and follow any instructions she has for you to the letter. Is that understood?" Corey nodded, quickly and immediately. A soft smile appeared on Abigail's lips as her face moved further in.

Shit.

Her lips impacted him, nearly bowling him over where he stood. Still, his mother was practically an expert at these interactions, and he doubted he was in any real danger of being knocked over. She likely just wanted to make the point as she gave him an affectionate goodbye smooch .

"I love you, sweetie," she remarked tenderly as she backed away, her eyes lingering on him softly and lovingly. "And please, trust your sister. You know she loves you, too. Even if you find it a little embarrassing...you're in good hands. I wouldn't put you in them if I didn't believe they were. You know that, right?"

Another nod, and Abigail gave her son a toothy grin before standing once more. Corey sheepishly gazed at his feet as she turned around, stepping toward Claire and giving her a smooch of her own on the cheek.

"And you be good to your brother," he heard the matriarch softly state to his sibling, catching a bubbly "Mmhmm!" in response. "And remember, Mrs. King will handle taking you to and from practice tomorrow. She and Greg will also be checking in periodically to make sure everything's okay, assuming you stay at home. If you do, call Aunt Kayla. She'll come spend the night with you two, okay?" Another sounded affirmation followed. "Love you, honey."

A sudden nearby impact and a breeze of displaced air marked the arrival of one of his mothers bus-sized feet nearby, but Corey kept his eyes directed at his feet as he felt each heavy step send a small tremor through the floor as his mother carried herself out of the room. Eventually, he heard the creak of the front door, followed by the sound of it shutting back into place.

No sooner had it done so, than a cheery giggle erupted from above. Taking a deep breath, Corey bit his lower lip as he raised his head. Claire's feet met his gaze first once more, her toes playfully tapping against the carpet. Following her legs up into her pair of denim capris and beyond, he soon met her gaze again. Still happy. Still smiling.

And then she practically surged forward, just like the bundle of energy she had always been. He had never seen something move that fast while at this size. His mother had always kept her actions with him slow and deliberate, but apparently his over-eager little sibling held herself to no such restraints. It was precisely what worried him about all this. Being at the tender mercies of his younger sibling who had, despite the way she tended to idolize him, made a decision to maximize his embarrassment...

If he wasn't already shuddering at her titanic form launching toward him, he was pretty sure he'd be doing so at that.

She landed before him, her hands catching her fall and holding the massive girl up above him in a push-up position, her navy t-shirt forming a canopy that stretched out beyond her smiling face.

"You're so small," she stated simply, punctuated with another giggle. How astute of her, Corey thought.

"Are you still cold?" Claire asked with some concern, quickly and effortlessly changing gears. Before he could really think, Corey found himself nodding in affirmation once more. "Okay."

It didn't even register at first, how quickly two tree-trunk sized objects collided with his back, how quickly another fleshy mass collided with his stomach. Claire's fingers. She had moved to grab him. The digits pressed into him lightly, gently, and soon he found himself being lifted out of the carpet and into the air as his now immense sister leaned back and began to stand. The grip on him suddenly loosened, eliciting a slight panic as he began to fall, but almost immediately he fell into a soft, fleshy sea.

Claire's palm.

Catching his breath, Corey looked up at his sister's face again. She was chuckling at his momentary panic.

"Is that warmer?" she asked suddenly, and now taking the time to actually process that...well, he had to nod again. He somewhat hated to admit it, but her palm really was quite warm, and a welcome change from purely open air. "That's good!"

"I'm so glad we get to the spend the weekend together," she remarked giddily, pursing her lips. "At first I was worried you'd go somewhere else all weekend...but then when I told Mom what you did, I thought you'd be going with her all weekend." Corey swallowed at that, even as Claire went momentarily somber. He didn't really...want to be with his parents while they were out on vacation. To the point where this might actually be a better a better alternative. "But then," Claire continued, her smile returning, "Mom had the idea to do this instead. I like that a lot better, don't you?"

Corey pondered for a moment, how he should answer. Truthfully...he really wasn't fond of either option, even with that prior admittance. He briefly considered telling his doting sibling as such, until he took in those big brown eyes, both of them expecting and desiring affirmation and agreement.

So, again, he nodded, and Claire once more showed her teeth.

"Yay!" she stated, happily and loudly. "We're going to have such a good time, big brother. I have a lot of movies picked out for us to watch! And you can pick some too, if you're good, I mean. Please be good."

She started to move then, eagerly chattering away as her adoring face continued to look down upon his miniscule form in her palm. Corey figured she was going to her room for movies, but any chance to see his destination began to close as five immense digits began to curl toward him from the side. In just seconds they were upon him, trapping and confining him within a veritable cave of warm flesh as the fingers pressed him firmly into the palm at his back.

"If you're bad I think I'll have you clean something," Claire continued from outside his prison, continuing onward to her destination. "I have soccer practice tomorrow...maybe my cleats, after we finish!" Corey groaned to himself. The prospect of cleaning his little sister's footwear at this height....blech.

"Oh, actually, I think I'll take you to practice tomorrow!" the giant girl declared, earning another groan. "I bet everyone would love to see you there, I know Melody would."

"And speaking of Melody," Claire said, her voice continuously increasing in eagerness, "she's gonna come over after practice and spend the night! And Jenna too! If we don't go over to one of their houses instead, I mean."

If Corey had been capable of taking a deep breath, he was sure he would have taken dozens in just one moment. Instead, he opted for another groan that once again went unnoticed by his weekend warden.

"Oh, this weekend's just gonna be so much fun!"