The next day I woke up late in the morning, with a massive headache. Cautiously I made my way up the stairs to the main level of the house. Luckily my parents were gone for the day. I was sure Tegan was around somewhere but for the moment I had some time to myself.
I went out to the living room, and climbed up onto the couch. Fiddling with the remote, I turned on the art channel and made myself comfortable on one of the pillows. Flashbacks of my bed at Zoey's place came to mind. I relaxed for an hour or two, or really tired, but more stressed than anything. It wouldn't be long before Janessa would be over to tell me what to do all day. Suddenly I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and glanced over to see Tegan, wearing her usual oversized sweater and booty shorts, bare feet and carrying her hamper full of her musty gym clothes.
I stayed silent but I wrinkled my nose I caught a whiff of her gym clothes. She noticed the TV on, a puzzled look on her face as she made a quick sweep of the room without seeing anyone before double taking when she saw me.
"Oh, hey little bro!" She exclaimed with an obnoxious wave.
I said nothing, only flipping her the bird.
"Well fuck you too!" She retorted with a snicker, returning the gesture, before walking out of the room towards the kitchen. I heard her stomp down the basement stairs and a few moments later, she came walking back into the room with a bowl of cereal, face glued to the screen that controlled her every waking minute. Despite never having looked up (which seemed to be a super power or something) she made her way straight for me.
Ever suspicious, I watched as she closed the distance, turning at the last second and presenting me with her giant ass. Reflexively, I dove to my left, narrowly avoiding getting buried under her boy shorts covered buttcheeks. She looked surprised as she burst out laughing.
"Damn! You're actually pretty quick! I totally thought that would get you." She laughed.
"Fuck you!" I said, annoyed as I punched her in the thigh for payback.
"You better watch it, or I won't miss next time!" She threatened, taking her finger and poking me in the chest hard enough to knock me over and knock the wind out of me.
I decided against picking any more of a fight with her, and crawled over to a different cushion. Aggravatingly, Tegan pulled my previous pillow out from under her and tossed it at me, completely covering me. Against my previous statement, this totally stupid gesture lit my short fuse and this was the last straw after the night I had last night. Now I was pissed.
Without thinking, I shoved the pillow off of me, and charged my sister. She let out a shriek of surprise like when a mouse runs across the room, tossing milk from her cereal bowl all over herself, the floor and couch. I rushed her, and with an agility I had acquired from life with Zoey or Cadence always trying to fuck with me, I climbed Tegan's sweater and unloaded a flurry of punches to her face.
With milk in her eyes, she was unable to stop me, and though I hit her as hard as I could, it only felt like someone had flicked her in the face multiple times. Before she was able to recover, swiping at me as I jumped down from her shoulder, landing on my back on the soft couch before running to the opposite side of the couch.
"Oh my God! What the fuck!" My sister half laughed, half screamed as she mopped milk off of her face with her palm. I could tell from years of being at war with her that she was slightly pissed now too. "You're ridiculous, you know that!" She added as she stood up, spilling the cheerios out of her lap and onto the floor. "Fuck!"
My sister stomped out of the room and I could hear her in the kitchen, wiping her face with a towel. A moment later she came back out into the living room with the towel and a broom. I watched her apprehensively, unsure if she would try to retaliate or not, but she only cleaned up the mess. After she tidied up the floor and the couch, she disappeared downstairs and I heard the door of the washing machine followed by it starting.
She came back upstairs wearing an old band t-shirt that one of our sister's old boyfriends had given her. She looked irritated as she stood leaning in the doorway glaring at me.
"Are you going to come sit down and just watch TV like a normal human being or are you going to continue trying to fuck with me?" I asked, patting the couch beside me smugly.
"I'm just debating whether or not I'm going to come over there and break your little arms" She replied, folding her own arms.
"That wouldn't be a wise decision!" I answered condescendingly.
"Oh what?! You don't actually think you can beat me, do you? She asked with a chuckle as she took a step forward. "You just surprised the shit out of me before. You're just quick like a mouse or a spider or something. That's all!"
"No. I know you and pretty much anyone else can kick my ass." I replied, not even pretending like that was my plan. "It's just that Jane is gonna be here soon, and she will kill you if she catches you hurting me. Or even if I just tell her you hurt me!" I elaborated confidently.
Tegan silently contemplated the sentiment. Even though we were all adults, that never stopped our sister from putting us in our place if the need arose. As long as she had inches and pounds on us, that would likely be the case.
"Honestly it might be worth whatever she'll do to me to be able to get back at you. Feel you squished under my sweaty shorts." She mused, taking another step toward me mischievously.
I looked up at the clock.
2:46 p.m.
Janessa said she would be over at 3. Considering she was usually a little early, she could be here at any moment, which I desperately needed as Tegan took another step toward me, her trademark bitchy grin rearing it's ugly head.
I kept my eyes locked on my sister, hoping that I could somehow time my escape if she charged me. I didn't have to wait long, and I should have been an expert at it by now, but my mind blanked and I froze in place as she made her move. Hands out like she was trying to catch a toddler or something, she rushed me.
My instincts screamed move, but I did nothing as she sprinted across the living room. Survival took a back seat and I only looked away with my hands up like I actually had any hope of stopping my gigantic sister in full momentum. I waited to be either grabbed or straight up pile drove into the couch cushions. . .
In slow motion, Tegan lept from a good 10 feet away from the couch, sailing through the air to completely crumple me into the couch with her ass. Having been warned a million times to not lay a finger on me by literally everyone in the same room as us, this felt like a foregone conclusion I suppose. Surviving everything just to be crushed by my stupid, bratty sis-
Tegan impacted the couch so hard, the front feet of it came off the ground a few inches before they slammed back down. While by some miracle she didn't land on me, she did land on the cushion I was sitting on. The momentous energy transferred through it in a tsunami that shot me into the air like missile. I had no time to let out a shriek, as my trajectory looked to be leading me to fly into the wall across entire room, but a second after I took flight, I was given whiplash as I was held back by shirt.
It took me a second to realize that I wasn't going to die, and that my sister had snagged me before any real harm could come to me. I hung limply from her fingers as her free hand immediately covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"H-holy shit!" She exclaimed, casually tossing me back onto the safety of the couch. "That was insane! Like. . . I thought you might just pop up in the air or something. You took off like a little rocket!" She laughed, rolling over on the couch holding her stomach.
Once again I was blinded by anger. My hands formed fists and I found myself about to try to punch Tegan again. This time she was ready for me though, and as I approached she stuck her hand out and placed it on my chest.
"Please just stop, Preston! I let you get away with punching me the first time, but if you want to keep being a little shit, I can't promise I'll go easy on you." My sister warned, easily keeping me at bay. I could tell she was serious.
Honestly, I should have listened to her, but something about my bitch of a little sister talking down to me about my size pushed all of my buttons. I continued to go at her, trying to shove her fingers out of the way but the strength difference was obvious and it took her minimal effort to impede me from getting to her.
I struggled for a few seconds before Tegan's patience ran out and she decisively shoved me away. Definitely not as hard as she could but more than hard enough to throw me off my feet and I bounced twice before I hit the arm rest on the opposite side of the couch, before sliding down into the gap between it and the cushion. There were no further questions about who was in charge.
I layed there for a few seconds, the wind knocked out of me. Tegan just watched me, saying nothing but silently dari g me to try anything more. After catching my breath, I thrashed my body to try and pulled myself out, succeeding to get about halfway up, when a shadow cast over me. I looked up to see Tegan towering over me. . . . As she. . . . .just walked right by me.
Suddenly she paused, and looked back at me.
"Why do you insist on fighting, anyway?" She asked, out of nowhere.
"What the fuck are you talking about?!" I demanded, carefully climbing off the couch and straightening my clothes.
"I'm just saying. . . . Why try to fight me or anyone else for that matter. . . .Like When you're so tiny. You know? Like that annoying little neighbor girl Raquel down the street could even kick your ass. So then why do you insist on coming at me until I have to hurt you to make you stop? I'm genuinely curious. I'm not trying to be arrogant or anything." My sister elaborated.
It was a pretty profound question. I thought about it but didn't initially speak. Also, the fact that my sister had to say she isn't trying to be arrogant, meant that sometimes she Was trying to be arrogant just for the sake of it
"I don't know. . . There is just so much a person can take, tiny or not. And I guess I'm just permanently close to the limit. And it feels like if I let anyone. . . Fuck with me unchallenged. . . . I'll lose. . . A part of myself or something. . ." I tried to explain to my ignorant sister.
"It just sounds like some macho bullshit to me!" She replied, without even stopping to contemplate what I was saying.
"I think you're just too dumb to get it. . . " I shot back immediately, only half joking.
"See! There you go! Trying to piss me off when I'm huge compared to you and could absolutely demolish you! Like. . . I'm not saying you deserved what Zoey did to you. Definitely not. But at the same time, I can understand how someone with less. . . Love? For you. . . Wouldn't put up with your attitude for ever!" She said, halfway between a question and a statement.
"Wow, you're so patient, Tegan! Sister of the year!" I exclaimed sarcastically, clapping my hands. "And yes, you could very likely destroy me if you wanted to, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of you."
Tegan closer her eyes and clenched her fists, exhaling through her nose.
"God, I forgot how much of a little prick you are all the time!" She said quietly, distinctively giving off the vibe like it was a struggle not to hurt me right now.
"Don't you have to go fish for compliments on Instagram or something?" I asked, pushing her that little bit further.
Now she gritted her teeth and laughed her trademark laugh. I could tell I was seriously getting to her. When I was full sized, we would go at it pretty hard sometimes. I was a scrawny little artist and she was an athletic cheerleader, so our strength was fairly even, and half the time she could beat me. Admittedly, she's body slammed me a few times hard enough for me to give up.
The thing about now was. . . We both knew Janessa would be here literally any minute and so Tegan wouldn't lay a finger on m-
Just then, Tegan's phone rang.
"Hello" she answered, nonchalantly putting it on speaker phone.
"Yeah Te. . . Have you seen Preston today? As usual, he isn't answering his god damned phone!" The voice of Janessa replied, sounding irritated.
"Uh. . Yeah. . . He was in the living room watching tv a little bit ago, but he went back downstairs now." Tegan lied, looking directly at me with a curious look on her face like she just wanted to see where our sister was taking this.
"Umm. . . Ok. I. . . . You just want to go down there and tell him that I'm going to be a few hours late? I have s Skype call I have to take that just came up and a few other things, but I'll be there around 6."
"Yeah, I'll tell him." Tegan replied, flatly.
"How was he? Did he say anything more about last night?" Janessa asked, her tone sheepish.
"Nope, he didn't mention it. ." Tegan answered, getting impatient.
"Fuck. . . . I feel so bad that I yelled at him. . . . The more I thought about it, the more I kind of believe him. . . Like I don't think he would. . Go through all that just to make mom look bad, you know?. . . " Janessa said, to my surprise.
"Right?" Was all Tegan responded.
"Ok. I can tell you don't want to talk to me, so I will let you go! Please tell him so he doesn't go off with his friends before I get there!" Janessa said, finally relenting.
"K Bye!" Tegan said, enthusiastically obnoxiously, before hanging up before Janessa could reply again.
Having heard the entire conversation myself, I turned to go back downstairs, but uncomfortably, Tegan's eyes were focused on me now. She didn't say anything, but it was definitely a red flag and somehow I knew that I should probably run. I quickened up my pace, full on running through the dining room and through the kitchen to the basement door.
Luckily, as per the family rules, my sister had left the door ajar so I could get in and out freely. I ran to it, slipping passed it and using all my strength to pulled it closed, like that could actually even slow down my sister at all. And speaking of which, as soon as the basement door latched, I heard the thunder of footsteps as my sister stomped my way.
I immediately began to sprint down the ramp my father had built over the stairs so I could get up and down them without having to climb them. No sooner had I gotten to the bottom, did the basement door fly open, and I heard Tegan come barreling down the stairs as I reached my bedroom door. It would be close, but if I could get to my front door and open it, I would be save my house.
I continued at a dead sprint as I reached my door, but I heard Tegan closing the distance and I only got about halfway through my room before I felt two giant hands clamp around my waist and whisk me up into the air.
"Oh no you don't!" Tegan exclaimed as she scooped me up in her hands. "You and I are going to have a little discussion about how you've been treating me!" She added as she held me up to her face.
I squirmed as hard as I could, fiercely fighting her grip. I was definitely too high to fall without consequences but it was no use as my sister manhandled me, flipping me upside down and dangling me by my ankles.
"F-fuck!" I exclaimed involuntary as I swung back and forth.
"Listen. . . . I've been nothing but nice to you since you came back, and now the very first time I even pretend to fuck with you, you turn into a little prick!" Tegan complained, giving me a shake.
"What do you want?!" I cried out, the blood rushing to my head.
"How about some gratitude, hmm?" She spat, a disgusted look on her face. "An apology, maybe?"
"Why would I apologize to you when I haven't done anything to you?!" I asked, as I began to run out of energy and my struggling slowed.
"Oh I don't know maybe. . "Hey Tegan, thank you for not stepping on me even when I'm under your feet all the time!" Or "Hey Tegan, thank you for not kicking my ass anytime nobody else is home!" My sister mused as she paced around my room, dangling me like I weighed nothing.
I weighed my options, wanting so badly to mouth off to her but ultimately, I had zero help coming if I incurred her wrath.
"OK! I'm sorry Tegan!" I blurted out, hoping to appease my giant little sister.
"Eh. . . I don't really think you are. . . " she replied, cryptically as she let go of my left ankle, and letting me drop to her side. "Not yet anyway." She finished as she walked to my door and started walking down the hallway toward the laundry room.
"Seriously, please stop Te!" I pleaded, dropping any attitude I may have had.
"What? I thought you weren't scared of me? She asked, her trademark grin flashing as she held me up to her face.
"Fuck!" Was all I could answer.
"I have to admit. . . . Like. . I'm not sadistic or anything and I know I've said that beating you up at this size wouldn't be satisfying, but seeing you finally speechless after all the years of you talking shit to me feels pretty good!" She said as she poked me in the chest, letting me swing.
"Great. . Good!" I shrieked, willing to try anything to get her to stop.
"It is. . . . . But. . . . It's not enough!" She exclaimed and in one swift motion, she stepped on the foot pedal of her gym hamper before grabbing a handle of her clothes and taking them out.
I didn't even have time to react before she stuffed me deep down into the hamper and replaced the pile of smelly clothes back in on top of me. The stench hit me before her hand even left the hamper.
Immediately I went from terrified to fuming, clawing my way upward until my head popped out of leg hole of a pair of her shorts. Tegan was grinning at me, phone in hand and I heard it make the the camera flash sound as she snapped a picture of me. I was livid.
"You fucking little cunt!" I growled, glaring daggers at her giant mug, high above the opening of the hamper.
My sister's expression changed from a grin, to a dropped jaw in a heartbeat. She said nothing, but her face disappeared from the opening. A jolt of panic went through me as the prospect of her leaving me trapped crossed my mind. A moment later, my concerns were satiated, but not in a good way as it wasn't my sister's giant face that reappeared. . .
Instead, a pair of buttcheeks, barely covered in cloth shorts eclipsed the opening of the hamper as Tegan sat on top of it. I didn't even really have time to comprehend what she was doing before I heard a grunt, followed by a bassy fart that rattled my bones and made my eyes water.
Before I could even react in any meaningful way, she got off the hamper, and slammed the lid closed, sealing me inside her disgusting, musty Dutch oven. I caught a whiff and immediately through up all over her clothes.
"You just don't fucking learn, do you?" Came her voice from right beside my head, but outside the walls of the hamper. "Your shitty little attitude is what got you dropped in there in the first place, asshole!" She finished, and my whole world was jolted as if she had punched my fart filled prison.
"You're going to stay in there and think about how you want to speak to me, IF. . . I decide to let you out!" She added with a slap on top of the lid.
Next, everything went quiet as I heard her walk away, and she must have flipped the light switch because all the light that had been able to filter through was gone in a second and I was left in the dark to bake in my sister's disgusting filth. It took everything I had to not puke again as my mind reeled with the thought of all the germs I was surrounded by.
I decided to lay back and try to relax, closing my eyes. There was no way I was getting out on my own. That much was clear. Janessa would be here in a few hours and she would beat the truth out of Tegan if she had to. . . . If Tegan was still home at that point. . . . Fuck!
My sister was a total bitch, through and through, but she wouldn't straight up leave me in here, would she?
This fucked up situation reminded me of one of the many times Zoey trapped me somewhere unfavourable. She had stuffed me in a cardboard Christmas bin that a bunch of cookies came in from her work. Then, she slammed the lid shut and sat on the pin. I kicked and pushed on the lid, but she sat on it until I ran out of energy and gave up.
An eternity later, I pushed up on the lid and it popped open, revealing Zoey, casually sitting on the couch watching tv. I had climbed out and was furious, but she just laughed it off, saying she had gotten up after like a minute and I had kept myself in there all evening because of my defeatist attitude. Come to think of it, that was when I began not speaking to her for weeks at a time.
Now here I was, in the same fucking situation. The resemblance was too much to bear and I only focused my mind on zoning out and being anywhere else but here. . . .
A millenia later, I heard the light flip on, and a second later, the lid was lifted off the hamper, and Tegan's giant face reappeared, straight faced and disinterested looking. She fished me out, and dropped me gently on the floor, towering over me, her hand on her hip. It was like she was waiting for me to speak first.
"Janessa is going to kick your ass. You know that right?" I said, surprising myself with how calm my voice was.
"I really don't think so. As a matter of fact, I don't think you're even going to tell her!" Tegan replied, confidently but not arrogantly.
"Of course I am! You've been warned to not fuck with me a million times, stupid!" I spat back, a little less calmly.
Tegan closed her eyes and exhaled deeply through her nose, her fists clenched.
"You're right! I have been warned. And I respected it up until the point where you punched me in the face and called me a cunt. . . " she said, maintaining her composure.
My heart began to sink a little. She was technically right.
"All I did was tease you a little bit and you flew off the handle." She continued.
"You tried to sit on me!" I said, my voice getting embarrassingly pitchy.
"I was playing around! If I had any intention of hurting you, I would have stomped your little ass after you punched me." She spat back, a little venom in her voice but still relatively relaxed.
"But instead, I put you gently in a smelly hamper for 15 minutes of time out, and now it's done!" She finished, giving the motion of washing her hands.
"I'm still telling Janessa and mom!" I replied, again sounding like a spoiled child.
Tegan let out an involuntary laugh.
"Honestly, I would avoid mom for a few days if I was you. I've never actually seen her that mad before. Janessa?. . Fair enough, but I want you to think about it before you do it. I put you in zero pain so far. You fucked with me, I fucked with you. We're even right now. " she explained, crouching in front of me and moving her face in close to mine.
"Sure, you could tell her and sure she will definitely kick my ass, but truly think about it. We are home alone together every day of the summer until I go to college. If you want to make things uncomfortable for me, I will make things uncomfortable for you. To the point where you wouldn't dare tell Jane about it out of fear of what I will do to you the next day." She finished, looking me dead in the eyes.
I kept my mouth shut, just weighing my options.
"That's what I thought." Tegan interjected, standing up to her full height again, giving me the eye briefly before she began to do her laundry.
I left the laundry room and went back to my own room, locking myself in my house. I immediately picked up the phone and called Cadence. She stopped over and picked me up and we hung out at her place until late, when I came home to see Janessa, furious.
She started in on me from the millisecond the door closed, bitching at me for not answering my phone and leaving without telling anyone where I was going and not waiting for her to come over etc. I just blew her off and kept walking, much to her frustration.
"Yeah, he has been doing that all day!" Tegan said, from her place on the couch next to our dad, watching TV.
I only turned my head and glared at her as I continued walking. Janessa followed me down to my room, never easing up on me as I walked into my house and closed the door behind me.
"God! You're such a little brat!" She shouted at me, stomping her foot before walking towards the door of my room, stopping as she got there.
"I know you've had a rough past few days, but I have to admit that it feels like you are just hell bent on pissing everyone off lately and I don't know exactly how to respond, you know?" She asked.
I didn't reply.
"Tegan told me that you guys got into it earlier. . . " she added.
"Yeah, well did she tell you the entire story or was she selectively vague?" I asked, irritated.
"She told me everything, I think. It all sounded par for the course for you guys."
"And did you beat the shit out of her?" I asked, hopefully, knowing that I no longer had any leverage over Tegan if she straight up came clean already.
"No. . ." Janessa laughed. "It sounds to me like you were just as nasty to her as she was to you. I say you guys just call it even and try to avoid each other for the rest of the summer." Janessa suggested, with a soft smile.
"That isn't how this works, Jane!" I said in a panic. "The fear of you kicking her ass was the only thing keeping her from having her way with me!"
"I think you're overreacting Preston. Not everyone in the world is out to get you like that." She replied, rolling her eyes.
"That's true, but SHE is!" I shouted, nearly hysterically.
"Whatever! If she actually hurts you, I'll deal with it, ok? And in the meantime, try not punching her in the face or calling her a cunt, for starters!"
"Tell her to stop trying to sit on me!" I shot back.
"God! I forgot how annoying you two could be! You're lucky I don't sit on you, after the shit you pulled today! Tegan told me you were standing right there when I called! I specifically told you not to go anywhere cuz we had shit to do today, didn't I?!" Janessa asked, looking like she was talking to herself because I still hadn't come back out of my house.
"I forgot. . ." I lied, pathetically.
"You're so full of shit!" Janessa spat back, before leaving without another word.
The next few weeks were uneventful. Tegan left me alone. Janessa continued to boss me around. My mom's conference came and went successfully. I for my part, had to listen to her rave about how great of a hotel and catering operation Zoey was running.
I never was able to prove to my parents that Zoey was guilty of anything. Even though I got Cadence to tell them and everything, they kind of just brushed it off and didn't want to talk anymore about that night.
I guess she had gotten away with it. . . Not like it really matters all that much, seeing as how I'm on course to be a millionaire in a few more months anyway. Hopefully around the time they finish the cure for my shrinking. We have been waiting for word for a few weeks (On top of the initial 2 years since I had been normal size) Yes, I'm definitely fucked up, and have Zoey to blame, but the money definitely helped me cope with it.
Fast forward a couple more weeks.
I was over at Cadence's place yet again, hanging out with her and Keira, when I got a call from my sister. Of course, I ignored it, but she called another two times followed by a text
[CALL ME, YOU LITTLE SHIT!]
I still waited for another hour or so to call her back, and I regretted it immediately as she demanded I come home. I told her to fuck off, and to both my and Cadence's surprise, 20 minutes later she showed up and angrily dragged me out, with Cadence and Keira laughing their asses off.
When we got back to the house, we walked in to the entire family sitting in the living room, my older brother, his wife and three kids as well. I immediately guessed what the occasion was and I was right.
The cure was finished.
It had a 100% success rate, and all of the people who I had met at the lab who had been shrunk, were all back to normal.
As my family took turns divulging the news, I couldn't help but begin to cry. My body was overwhelmed with emotion and began to release without my permission. The rest of the day was that uncomfortable family celebration that I had wanted to avoid when I had first chosen not to come home right when I had been free of Zoey.
The next few days were a total blur as I waited for my turn at the lab. My plane to Seattle was leaving in the morning now, and tomorrow I would be normal again. . . .
"Normal" I thought to myself as I laid in my bed in the dark of my room, with my headphones on. A room I had know as both normal and huge, in my lifetime. I didn't know if I would stay here for awhile, or branch out and finally buy my own studio in the city.
That had always been my dream after a-
I held that thought as I thought I felt something move in the darkness. I took off my headphones and listened for a long moment, but didn't hear anything. The lights were still off in my room, with only the glow of the dimmed hallway light casting any illumination and I checked my phone.
[3:23 A.M]
Damn. . . . I really needed to get some sleep. Putting the headphones back on, I closed my eyes again, listening to the sound of rain and thunder to help relax me. It always he-
What the fuck?!
Taking the headphones off again, this time I was sure I felt the thump of feet on the floor. I sat up in bed stared off into the darkness of my room. In the glow of the hallway, I saw someone or something move across the doorway.
My heart skipped a beat and I began to panic, debating whether I should hide, or turn on the lights. Outside my house I felt the footsteps approaching. I made a decision, rushing toward my bedroom light. On the wall, one switch was for only the room in my house, and one was for all the lights in my house and the light to my regular sized room.
I flipped on the big light and rushed to my window, expecting to see Tegan trying to fuck with me, or my niece or nephew or anyone. . . But the fact that there was nobody there was honestly more terrifying. My mind nearly broke as I scanned my entire room but saw nothing.
"What the fuck?" I said to myself, under my breath as I cowered in my room, deciding on my next course of action. Calling out to any intruder somehow seemed out of the question. Grabbing my phone off my bed, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt and cautiously made my way down the stairs and to the front door, standing with a hand on the doorknob for a long moment.
Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and swung the door open. Still there was nobody there. Another deep breath and against my better judgement, I stepped outside. Still there was nobody there.
"T-Tegan?. . . If that's you. . . I swear to God I'm gonna have Nessa kick your ass!" I stammered, zero conviction in my voice and knees shaking.
From behind and above me I heard a snicker. I nearly snapped my neck whirling to see who it was, but I never did make a positive identification. Instead, I was met with the sole of a converse sneaker on a collision course with me a moment before it pile drove me into unconsciousness.