Jason stayed still, his body twitching uncontrollably as it administered repairs to various body parts in need.   As he breathed, it became easier to expand his flattened ribcage,  and as he writhed, the feeling came back to his limbs.  

     After 5 minutes, he found the strength to peel his face from the floor, and roll on to his back.  His chest heaved rhythmically as he stared up at the vast ceiling.   He took moment to just appreciate the fact that he was alive, recalling the pain of being caught in the limbo of destruction and repair. 

     The thought sickened him, and he rolled on his side to vomit.    

   Wiping his mouth, Jason put his hands down, and shakily got to his feet.  He stood, his body swaying gently from side to side, a stiff breeze enough to blow him over.  From there. .  He began to walk.    

   Jason started to walk.  His destination: the space under the bed.  Jason figured that if he could hide out, maybe he could wait Kylie out and she would make a mistake.   The only thing he knew for sure was he needed time to heal, as he limped across the floor, that much was apparent.  

      5 minutes later, he passed the base of the chair where he had been forced to paint Gracie's nails.  He craned his neck, in awe of the distance between the floor and the seat.   The fact that he had jumped from it with no regard seemed foolish now, as he had still been made to pay the price.  

     That was all the tribute he was willing to pay as he passed by, knowing he had to keep moving.  Usually the girls would take their time eating and watching tv, but now that they had a tiny little toy upstairs, he imagined they would hurry back.   

    He checked his watch.  5:13.  Emily would be home from practice at any moment.  It didn't pertain to this particular situation but it was something of note anyway.    A second later, he sighed a breath of relief as he passed beneath the canopy of his sister's full size bed. 

      Moving at a steady pace,  he made his way to the wall.  He inspected his surrounds.  To his right, a wall vent that likely led between Emily bedroom and connected to the rest of the heat ducting of the house.  Good to know, although the grate appeared too tight for him to slip through.   Jason climbed up on the small ledge created by the baseboard and sat down.  For the first time in a while.  He was able to rest. 

      Downstairs, the girls finished their snacks and chatted idly with Rachel about their days at school.  They all sat and watched tv in the den, waiting for Emily to get there  so Rachel and Gracie could go home.       Finally she did arrive, slamming her car door and walking up to the front door.  She opened it, stepping inside, brushing her damp hair out of her face and setting down her duffle bag and book bag.

    She was still in her volleyball uniform of a tank top, Jersey shorts and long socks.  She was wearing her favorite pair of Adidas sandals.       She kicked off her sandals and walked into the den.

       "Emily!" Kylie squealed, racing over to give her sister a hug.       "Hey Kylie!" She said cheerfully, returning the hug.  

     " Hey Rachel.  Hi Gracie!" She greeted the sisters.  

   "How was practice, Emily?" Rachel asked, just making small talk as she packed up her homework. 

         She really wasn't into sports, nor was she popular like Emily, but she felt being friendly was important.  

  "It was great! The squad looks really good this year.  I think we're ready for state!"  Emily answered optimistically.  

    "That's great Emily.  The school could always use one more . . Trophy in the case!"  Rachel said half-heartedly as she walked towards the front door with Gracie following close behind.  

      "And what did you guys do today?" Emily asked, turning to her sister and friend.  

    "Well we-"       Before she could answer, Gracie interjected.  

    "Oh! It was so cool!  Kylie showed me Jason, and he was all tiny, and she kept him in this sock right?  And then he was on the bed and we told him we were gonna beat him up, then Kylie made him paint our toes.  Then, the little loser got paint on my skin, so I totally sto-"      

 "Ooookay.   Kids and their imaginations huh?" Rachel interrupted as she opened the door and pushed Gracie through it. 

  "We will see you guys later. Bye"  Rachel said as she walked out, closing the door behind her. 

   The door had barely clicked shit for a nano second before. . . . 

    "Okay, where is he?  Emily said, crossing her arms and glaring at Kylie.    

   "Wh-where is who?" Kylie stammered, trying her best to play it off.

    "Don't play dumb with me Kylie! Hand him over!" Emily said with an accusatory tone as she stepped closer to loom over her sister. 

      "I don't- I dont know what you're talking about." She said nervously as she backed away from Emily.    

  "Alright, that's fine!"  Emily replied, putting her hands on her hips.  "I'll just go into your room and find him!" She finished, turning and walking up the stairs.  

   "NO! MOM AND DAD SAID YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED IN MY ROOM WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!" She wailed as she followed Emily up the stairs, pulling on her tank top but not slowing her down.    

    Emily reached the top of the stairs and looked at her little sister.    

   "This is your last chance to hand him over and tell me what's going on, otherwise I'm tearing your room apart until I find him, and you're gonna get whatever he gets!" She threatened, imposing her size on her sister.    

   "I. . . I. " was all she could respond.    

   "Fine! Here we go!" Emily said, before turning the knob and kicking the door open.   

   Jason had been dozing as the door burst open.  Startled awake, he fell from the ledge he was resting on.  He looked up just in time to see two giant sock feet stomp into the room.  Immediately he recognized them as Emily's and the shock of seeing her caused him to piss himself, urine running down the left leg of his torn jeans. 

    Emily burst through the door and immediately began tearing it apart, not even 100% sure what she was looking for.  She started in Kylie's dresser drawer, throwing clothes out on to the floor as she searched.  

    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"  Kylie screamed,  picking up clothes as fast as Emily was throwing them on the floor.    

   "Look, I know he's in here.  It all makes sense now.  Why he hasn't come home yet, why you've been acting all weird!    I thought it was just you being a little twerp, but now I think you actually did see him yesterday by the stairs. " Emily concluded, putting all the pieces correctly together.  

  "That. . .that's not true!" Kylie said weakly, still trying to keep up the charade.  She had edged over by the bed now as Emily began ripping her closet apart.    

  "If it's not true, than why is all your nail polish still out, stupid?" 

    "Don't call me stupid Emily!" Kylie whined, picking up her nail supplies and putting them back in the chest.  She moved out of the way as her big sister walked over to her art desk.  

     "Jason, I know you're in here somewhere. . . If you come out. . .I promise not to hurt you. ." Emily bargained, while sifting through Kylie's art supplies in each drawer.  

     "Hey! Stop messing that up!" Kylie cried running to her desk and straightening things out.  

     Emily hip bumped her, sending the smaller girl stumbling across the room.     

       "You had your chance to give him up.  Now when I find him, he's gonna get it for messing up dad's lab, and you're gonna get it for helping him."    

   Jason listened to the conversation, still trembling from Emily's mere presence.  Kylie was scary in her own right, still more than strong enough to dominate him with no trouble. . . .but Emily was something else entirely. . . .   

      With a full foot, and  75 pounds on Kylie, she was a sight to behold and a force to be reckoned with.  

   "I didn't. . .I wasn't helping him!" Kylie protested. 

     "Oh yeah?  Then why didn't you come and get me when you found him huh? " Emily asked, not even looking at her sister while she continued to search.  

  "Well he. . .he told me not to!"    

  "And you listened to him?  Like how tall is he?" Emily asked, not truly believing what she was hearing.

      "He's.  . . . He's. . . I wanted to get your help but he said I shouldn't. . . Then we got into a fight and-"  

 "Really, you fought him?" Emily said, bursting out laughing. 

    "Well yeah, but. . . He's not- "    

"He's not what? A little one inch pipsqueak?" Emily interrupted. 

    "He's four inches."  Kylie responded,  Blunt as ever.   

  "1 inch, 4 inches, it doesn't matter! You should have been able CRUSH him Kylie!" Emily said, pounding her fist into her palm for emphasis.  

    "I know! But he's not. . . Normal. . . For a little person. . . Anymore. ." Kylie said, unsure of how best to describe him. 

     "Hahaha, what do you mean "not normal?" 

   "Like he is. . .super strong for his size. .  . And really tough! And. . . Pretty fast."  

   "Yeah right! You expect me to believe that?  Emily said rolling her eyes.    

   "It's the truth." Kylie said quietly.  

    "Well whatever, we'll see how tough he is, when I find him. "   

  "When she finds me" Jason thought to himself.  

 He couldn't see much from his vantage point, only legs.  Kylie's legs in her capris and bare feet, now devoid of polish since he hadn't gotten the chance to actually paint them, and Emily's significantly bigger calves and knee high socked feet. 

     She had been working her way over to the bed, checking every nook cranny.  Jason knew it was only a matter of time before she would search under the bed, and he would be face to face with the biggest giant he had faced in his life.  Both physically and figuratively.  

    "He'll. . .outsmart you!" Kylie argued, not sure of whose side she was on anymore.    

   "I'd like to see him try! I'd make him a pancake before he even knew what hit him!" Emily said, brimming with confidence. 

     "It's not that easy!" Kylie whined. 

   "You sure seem to be a pretty big fan of him" Emily said, looking around the room for anymore possible hiding spots.  "I'm pretty sure you're helping him. 

   "I said I wasn't Emily" she cried, afraid of what her sister would do to her if she found out.      

  "Oh yeah? Then what's this?" Emily asked, picking up a shoe box next to Kylie's backpack.  

    Inside the shoe box, was a scale replica of Jason's bedroom.  It had his bed and a closet door made from construction paper.  She had used a small hacky sack as his bean bag chair and had made a little nightstand and desk out of popsicle sticks.  

    "PUT THAT DOWN!" KYLIE SCREAMED, running over and trying to grab it, but Emily held it out of reach.    

    "It sure looks like you're helping him. ." Emily teased as she held the box over her head.    

    "I am not! It was just a project I did in school!" Kylie persisted, making jumping attempts to grab the box.

  "Please just put it down!"  

 "Ok. . . I'll put it down. . ." Emily said with a smile as she lowered the box to the floor.    

  Kylie bent down to grab the box, sighing with relief, but before she could pick it up. . . . Emily's huge foot crashed down on it.   

  She easily crumpled the box with one step, the sound of popsicle sticks snapping and sand being squeezed from the hacky sack were all that could be heard.  She twisted her foot on it for good measure before stepping off of it, the shoe box springing back limply.    

  "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" KYLIE  screeched as she ran out of her room and down the stairs.  

    "Whatever kylie!" Emily yelled down the stairs.    

    "Uggh!  Both of those little twerps are going to get it, I swear!" She said to herself as she left the room, headed for her own room.    

  Jason couldn't believe his luck, as he saw Emily leave the room.  Yes she knew about him, and this wouldn't be the last time he would see her, but it was a small victory.