The line winded its way toward the inter-dimensional portal.

Pop.

The leading group winked out of existence and, like decapitated snake, the line shifted forward. Except it didn’t. Not all of it.

The fat man in front of her had his eyes glued to his phone, and his feet to the terminal floor. Remy didn’t call people fat, but in her head, she thought it. His hairy ass crack winked at her, unsolicited, from above the rim of strained shorts. It had happened more than once already. Each time the man bent down to retrieve his bag, she looked away, but never fast enough. Gag!

Part of it was the smell. The odorous glutton, his greasy hair speckled with dandruff, likely hadn’t showered in a week. The result: a fragrant bouquet of old sweat and oil which she hoped nearby travelers wouldn’t pin on her. Then again, why wouldn’t they? Her hoodie had likely absorbed some of the pervasive scent, making her partly to blame.

As if reading her mind, the older woman behind her cleared her throat. Remy bristled, then glanced back with an expression of her own, one of open-mouthed inquisitiveness. The phlegmy woman eyed the growing gap in the line ahead of the fat man. Remy flashed a placating smile, then turned away and donned her headphones. She cranked Beethoven high enough to where the annoying woman would hear it, and realize the futility of her passive-aggressive bullshit.

It hadn’t always been like this. Her city had once boasted a hundred portals, spread out, each conveniently located near a major suburb. In the last year, however, the number had been reduced to seventy-three. Several major terminals had closed down, citing the disappearance of their respective portals.

It happened. Portals disappeared, almost as mysteriously as they appeared. The government assured everyone the total number of portals in the world hadn’t decreased, but it didn’t stop her mom from worrying. If enough disappeared in her her city, it would make traveling ‘home’ to visit her family increasingly difficult — a doomsday scenario for her mom.

Though perhaps not so much for Remy. She loved her mom, sure. She even loved her sisters in the familial way, the way you had to love them, even when they annoyed the ever-living shit out of you. But she didn’t love their world.

It had once been her world too, years ago, before she experienced her first portal shock. Now it was just a place she visited during the summers and holidays, more out of obligation than anything else. Soon it would just be the holidays and she looked forward to visiting less often — secretly — though perhaps Lily suspected as much.

Though only fifteen (a couple years younger than herself), the intuitive girl could read her like a book, so much so it scared Remy sometimes. Lily knew, perhaps more than anyone else, how much Remy hated “Earth Prime”. Lily didn’t blame her for it, at least not directly, nor did she seem upset at her older sister’s attitude. And by all rights, she shouldn't be upset. After all, who could blame a beta for not wanting to live in a world scaled for primes?

Especially when the scale was a factor of twenty.

***

Haley tapped her forefinger on top of the beta transport unit. “Are you even listening?”

“Don’t do that!” Remy’s voice emitted from the unit’s cheap speakers, a tinny sound but still recognizable as her eldest sister. “And yes, I’m listening.”

“Ok, then what did I just say?” She narrowed her eyes at the darkened unit, essentially a half-foot cube resting on a mount between the front seats of their car.

“You got an A on your geography presentation and...something about the spelling bee.”

“Mom!” Haley reached over the front seat to tap her mother’s shoulder. “She’s hardly listening to a word I’m saying. Can I take her out yet?”

“No,” Mom said. “Not yet. It’s not safe for her and it’s not legal.”

“But Mom!”

“I said no! You can wait a few more minutes. We’re almost home.”

“Then I can take her out?”

“If she gives you permission. You know the rules, Haley. Don’t make me repeat them.”

“But what if she says no?”

“Then you’ll have to wait until she says yes. She may want time to adjust, so give her some space. She’ll be here a while, so you can be patient.”

Patience. Haley hated the word. She’d already been patient, waiting months to see her oldest (and tiniest) sister again. They’d spent a lot of time together over the summer, but so much had happened since then and Remy needed to know about all of it as soon as possible. It really couldn’t wait another day.

“You’ll let me pick you up, right?” Haley bent forward, her eye nearly plastered to the beta unit’s tinted exterior. Unfortunately it only offered a murky outline of Remy’s chair.

“Eventually,” Remy said. “If you stop bugging me. I’m trying to read my email.”

Electronic communication didn’t exist between Earth Prime and Earth Beta, so when Remy visited, she usually spent the entire first day reading and responding to her friends on Facebook and email. It irritated Haley because family should come first. If she had her way, she’d limit Remy’s computer time to an hour a day, just like Mom limited it for herself and Lily.

“Can you at least make it so the glass isn’t so dark?” Haley asked. “I can’t even see you.”

“That’s the point,” Lily said from the passenger seat, not even bothering to look up from her phone.

“No one asked you.” Haley stuck out her tongue.

“Girls!” Mom said.

Things would’ve been better if Lily had been the one who shrunk. She could’ve moved to Earth Beta and stayed there for all Haley cared. Unfortunately, Remy had to be the one to shrink, making the last three years of Haley’s life a never ending cycle of waiting for her oldest sister to return home. Ugh!

“There,” Remy said. The beta unit’s glass lightened considerably. “Happy?”

“Ummmm...can you turn around?” Haley strained against her seatbelt to get a better view as Remy swiveled her recumbent chair. Though her body remained partially concealed behind the chair’s connected laptop shelf, her head became visible and…

“Did you change your hair?” Haley asked, squinting.

“No,” Remy said.

“It looks different.”

“It’s longer. I haven’t had a haircut.”

“Want me to cut it for you when we get home?”

Remy looked up from the computer screen for the first time. “There’s no way I’m letting you do that again.”

“Why not? It looked pretty the last time I cut it.”

“To you, maybe. But your scissors aren’t designed for beta hair. I was fighting split ends for weeks.”

“What are split ends?”

“Doesn’t matter.” She returned to typing away on her laptop. “Not letting you cut my hair.”

“Smart move,” Lily chimed.

Haley glowered, but held her tongue. Talking back to Lily would only get them both in trouble. Mom had already warned them to be on their best behavior around Remy, at least for the first few days. Any arguing would need to wait until Mom wasn’t around. Still, it irritated her that Lily could get away with being so rude.

“Anyway.” Haley tapped lightly on the beta box to get Remy’s attention. “I got second place in the spelling bee. Wanna know which word I got wrong?”

Remy sighed and looked up. “If it’ll get you to stop knocking on the glass.”

“Ok, I’ll stop.” She knew her sister found the tapping annoying (something about the trapped sound waves), but a light tap couldn’t hurt, and it did get her sister’s attention. “It was the word: separate,” Haley continued. “Miss Miller said it’s one of the trickiest words, so it’s ok I got it wrong. Do you know how to spell it?”

Lily spoke up. “Ess eee pee — ”

“Shut up!” Haley punched the side of Lily’s seat.

“That’s it!” Mom looked over her shoulder. “After we get home, go to your room. Time-out for an hour.”

“But she — “

“An hour and ten minutes.” Mom turned her attention back to the traffic light. “Every word you say, I’ll add another ten minutes. We don’t curse in this family, and we’re not going to start today.”

Haley wanted to explain how ‘shut up’ wasn’t a curse word, but it would require using more words and each would add another ten minutes to her time-out. So instead, she crossed her arms and stared out the window to her left, mostly to keep Remy from seeing her mad face.

Time-outs weren’t a big deal. There were plenty of things she could do in her room for an hour. But the timing couldn’t have been worse. Right now she felt so angry and embarrassed she wanted to cry, and she would’ve — if Remy weren’t watching. In spite of the current setback, she was determined to show her eldest sister how grown up she’d become over the last few months. She knew so much more, more than enough to impress Remy. She only needed the time to sit and talk.

Lily exhaled quickly, but it wasn’t innocent. It was a snicker, a subtle dig at Haley’s plight, only serving to drive her that much closer to tears.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook, Liliana Phillips,” Mom said.

“You’re giving me a time out?” Lily asked. “For what?”

“You’d enjoy that, wouldn’t you? No, I’m giving you dinner duty.”

“Fine,” Lily said.

“And dishwashing duty.”

“Fine.” Lily seemed not the least bit bothered.

Mom laughed. “I wasn’t asking for your confirmation, sweet daughter. No words until we get home. Speak, and I’ll think of another chore to give you.”

Silence. Haley grinned because she knew Lily must be hiding at least some amount of annoyance. Lily had mastered the art of hiding her feelings, especially around Mom, but Haley knew a few ways to press her buttons.

“Remy can talk if she wants to, and we can listen.” Mom stated. “She’s the only one of my children behaving like a grown-up today, so she’ll be treated as such.”

“Glad to see the family drama alive and well,” Remy said.

“Careful, Remy,” Mom said. “You’re never too old to get grounded. Tell us something positive. How are you doing in your studies? How’s the car holding up? Anything.”

“A’s and B’s but you already know that,” Remy said. “I did get a C in pre-calc, but honestly, when do you ever use calculus in real life?” She paused, then said, “Don’t answer that. I know you’d give me the standard mom answer that I should still study and try my hardest.”

“Actually,” Mom said while taking a right turn onto their street. “I was going to agree with you.”

“Wow. Ok. I guess it means I am the favorite daughter now, the one who can do no wrong.”

Haley rolled her eyes at the old joke. In the past, both she and Lily had accused Mom of loving Remy the most. They knew it to be untrue — Mom loved them equally — but it still got a rise out of her.

This time, Mom just laughed. “What about your car?”

“It’s great, if you ignore the fact it can barely exceed the highway speed limit.”

“You shouldn’t be exceeding the speed limit,” Mom said.

Haley rolled her eyes at this too. She knew for a fact her Mom regularly exceeded the speed limit. When she’d let Lily drive, she’d monitor the speedometer like a hawk, but when Mom drove, not so much. When Haley called her out on it, at best she’d get a dismissive laugh. At worst she’d get a time-out, depending on Mom’s mood at the time. Mom loved the phrase: Do as I say, not as I do. But Haley was pretty sure it was bad parenting to not practice what you preach.

“I’d like to be able to accelerate, especially during the on-ramps,” Riley said. “I’ve been looking online at a few cars in case you’re interested. They’re not expensive if we buy them from a prime manufacturer.”

“Your car wasn’t cheap,” Mom said. “It was over a hundred dollars.”

“Give me a break. This car cost what? Twenty thousand?”

“Not the point,” Mom said. “Money doesn’t grow on trees. It’s hard enough supporting you kids. Lord knows your father doesn’t help.”

Haley felt a twinge in her chest at the mention of her father, someone she’d seen only a few times as a toddler. She couldn’t remember his face or anything about him other than the herbal smell of his aftershave. Basically, he didn’t exist as a person, but it still didn’t stop her from wanting to meet him one day, if only to ask a few questions. She never shared such thoughts with Mom, however, as it would only make her angry.

“Ok, but the car I’m looking at only costs two hundred and fifteen dollars,” Remy said. “The exact same car sells for FIVE hundred betabits. If you do the conversion, it comes out to five thousand dollars!”

“And the transportation fee would be what? A thousand? More?” Mom asked.

“Free. They say I’ve got a bigger than average aura, so I could transport it myself.”

“The answer is no. I’ve seen what happens when transports fail. The car gets chopped in half, or you end up hurt, or worse. Why do you think transport fees are so high?”

Remy sighed audibly. “I’ve got a friend who transports bikes at least once a week, and my aura’s bigger than his. He makes good money from it. I bet — ”

“The answer is no, and it’s final,” Mom said in a tone that wasn’t to be tested. “What’s his name?”

Remy laughed. “He’s just a friend.”

“What’s his —”

“I’m still gay, Mom,” Remy said.

An awkward silence filled the car. Everyone knew Remy was gay, but they also knew Mom didn’t exactly approve. She pretended to be accepting and she obviously still loved Remy, but Haley sensed her disapproval. When she’d asked (it had been nearly a year since then), Mom had responded with how she loved them all and didn’t want to see them get hurt. Then, she’d abruptly ended the conversation as tended to be her custom.

“I know…” Mom said. “I’m only asking for his name.”

“Ferris. He’s also gay. By the way.”

“I...don’t see why you feel the need to tell me his sexual orientation. I have a friend who’s gay. Two in fact. Esma and Barb.”

“And you’re telling me this because…” Remy let the last word drag on questioningly.

“I figured you’d like to know.”

“You’re saying you’re finally ok with me being gay?” Remy asked.

“I was never NOT ok with it,” Mom said.

“Sure.”

“Ok. Initially I thought you might be...confused. I’d hoped you’d change your mind because I didn’t want to see you suffer for being different. Is that a crime? Is it wrong for a mother to be concerned about the wellbeing of her children?”

“Can we talk about something else?” Remy asked.

“No,” Mom said. “This is important. I’ve understood for a while now — you’re gay and it’s not going to change. I love you just as much as I love Lily and Haley.”

“Ok, I get it! Jeez, does this have to become an episode of the Partridge family?”

“Don’t say the Lord’s name in vain.” Mom glared through the rearview mirror.

“Ok,” Remy said. “I’m glad you accept my sexual orientation. Now can we get back to talking about my future car?”

“Yes. And the answer is no. You won’t be breaking the speed limit anytime soon.”

“Great.”

***

Remy stepped out of the beta transport unit and inhaled the flavors of home. Glade plugins hit her first, some sort of a Hawaiian scent her mom preferred. Though she couldn’t see them, she assumed one would be plugged into an outlet in the living room, it’s fragrance spreading into the kitchen like an invisible fog.

The kitchen table, the massive field of polished wood underneath her feet, looked the same as ever. It spread before her in all directions, it’s center decorated with the same beta dining table, the same beta chair, the same plate and utensils. The pieces would get moved to her spot prior to eating, but Mom always moved them back to the center afterwards. Like an annoying ritual, everything had to have its place.

“I knew you’d want some peace and quiet before Haley bombarded you.” Mom’s face hovered into Remy’s field of vision.

“It’s fine,” Remy said. “She’s just excited.”

“Well then, I’m sure you won’t mind spending some time with her after dinner,” Mom said.

Remy shrugged. She’d spent the last week preparing herself mentally for dealing with this Thanksgiving ‘vacation’. To her, it would be a job. She’d get through it, just as she always did. Then, she’d return to her normal world and resume her normal life.

Getting coddled by her youngest sister had been something she’d put up with since the day she’d begun shrinking, almost three years ago. The first shrink cycle had reduced her to less than four feet in a week’s time. Haley, only seven at the time, had immediately become the ‘big sister’ in her own mind (she become comparatively taller after all). After inserting herself into Remy’s life as an inescapable playmate, Haley eventually became an unrelenting caretaker too, especially after Remy lost the ability to open doors.

“She’s been looking forward to your return since the day you left,” Mom said. “We all have. Isn’t that right, Lily?”

“Yup.” Lily set the final bag of groceries at the far end of the table, her face as unreadable as ever. She had a tendency to say things in a way that could be interpreted as either sarcastic or real, and she seemed to prefer the ambiguity. Remy had assumed it was just part of her ‘dark’ phase, which had begun over a year ago, but it only appeared to be getting worse. If the girl did have a heart (and Remy suspected she did), she went to great lengths to hide it from others.

“Glad to have ya home, sis.” Lily sat at the table and swiped on her phone.

“Nope.” Mom plucked the phone from Lily’s hands with practiced precision. “You’re helping cook prepare dinner, remember?”

“Oh.” Lily’s impassive eyes flitted to meet Remy’s briefly before staring at something on the far wall. “Yeh.”

“Can I help?” Remy looked directly at her mom. They’d had this discussion before — the one about Remy helping out in the kitchen (or anywhere really) — and she was curious if her mom would remember any of it. She usually dismissed anything that contrasted with her core beliefs (one of which included protecting her children), but she did seem oddly receptive of Remy’s sexual orientation earlier, so…

Mom hesitated, but only for a moment. “Sure. Lily, please carry your sister to the cutting board and let’s get started.”

Remy tried to hide her surprise, but likely failed. Even Lily failed, her eyebrows raising a fraction of an inch, a movement easily perceptible to the beta. It was short lived however. Lily positioned her hand palm-up on the table. “All aboard.”

Her hand was dry and white, but warm enough as Lily took her customary seat at the edge where the fingers connected to the palm. As she sat, her eyes wandered toward Lily’s wrist where she thought she noticed something. Unfortunately, Lily must’ve noticed too because she pulled her sleeve down further.

“Ready?” Lily asked, curling her fingers slightly.

Remy nodded, leaning back against the massive fingers and appreciative her sister had asked. She wouldn’t always be as accommodating, especially not as the days passed, but motion sickness was a thing for betas just as it was for primes. The first few ‘rides’ were usually the worst a beta adjusted to the change in scale and transportation modes.

“Nice color.” Remy ran her hand over the deep purple polish coating Lily’s thumbnail. She could identify the imperfections on the surface, the thickness, the rubbery texture, but she was determined to say something nice. And for Lily, a self professed teenage outcast who usually cloaked herself in black everything, it seemed to represent a minor change for the better. Purple was dark, but not as dark as black.

“Thanks,” Lily said. “I like your hair.”

“Why does everyone keep mentioning my hair?” Remy asked. “I haven’t done anything with it. It’s just as boring and brown as it’s always been.”

The self deprecating complaint had likely been a mistake. She knew it as soon as the words left her mouth. She hated girls who complained about their own looks. Even though she honestly didn’t think her hair to be anything special, she should’ve accepted the compliment, if only to encourage Lily.

Fortunately, Lily didn’t seem deterred. “It looks like it has highlights.”

“Really?” Remy stepped off Lil’s hand and onto the cutting board. Her hair had grown past shoulder length, and it was mostly straight, so she undid her ponytail and pulled a lock of it in front of her face. “I don’t see any highlights.”

Lily shrugged, then backed away as Mom placed a bowl of cherry tomatoes on the board.

“Chop these,” Mom said, placing a couple of tomatoes onto the board along with Remy’s cutting knife. Remy nodded and tied her hair back into place.

It more of a machete than a knife, merely a fraction of the size of the smallest prime-scaled utensil in the kitchen. Still, when Remy hefted it, she remembered its weight and how straining it could be to use it for long periods of time. She refused to show any of this strain, or her mom would simply do the task for her in a fraction of the time.

The task itself was mere busywork. No one would eat the tiny slices except herself (and Haley, of course, since Haley found small food to be ‘cute and adorable and delicious’). It was better than no work, a placebo perhaps, but infinitely better than nothing. She’d lost count how many times she’d reminded her family how much she hated being waited upon. She’d learned to accept a certain amount of it from Haley (the girl was only ten after all), but not from anyone else.

When one sliced into a cherry tomato with a machete, it didn’t work like the commercials depicting muscular betas interacting with prime foods. Perhaps the machete had dulled over the years, but it didn’t slice clean through as one might expect. With a good swing, it sunk halfway into the red flesh, but that was about it.

This time, even with her double-handed swing, it proved no different. As if on cue, the sword slowed to a halt at the midway mark. Remy dropped to her knees and sawed the rest of the way down, watching the outer remnant of the sliced tomato wobble onto its rounded edge.

Thankfully, the tomato itself was oval shaped and not perfectly round, making the initial cut into the taught skin significantly easier. With squishier or rounder tomatoes, she’d occasionally been unable to pierce the skin. During those times, Haley would notice and get the blade started, then let Remy finish by ‘sawing’. Haley used to cheer her on, but had since learned not to say a word. Remy had taught the girl well about the meaning of pity and why it was so hurtful. She could live with the the doting from her younger sister, but not pity. Never pity.

Unfortunately, Haley wasn’t there to witness Remy’s success with this particular tomato. While she didn’t want to be cheered, it wouldn’t hurt for the girl to see her older sister slicing these tomatoes like a pro, if only because she’d failed in her last couple of attempts over the summer.

After finishing with the first tomato (the slices arranged neatly and — if she might add — impressively), Remy asked, “Where’s Haley?”

“She” — Mom turned toward the stove clock — “still has thirty more minutes of time-out. Why?”

“Oh. I dunno.” Remy rolled the next tomato into place. “She’s probably on her phone or playing a game. Wouldn’t it be better to make her help out?” Remy looked up, caught an odd glance from Lily, then immediately looked back down. “As punishment?” Heat rose to Remy’s face.

A pause hung in the air, then Mom laughed. Had she noticed Lily’s knowing gaze? Had Remy even noticed it? What the hell did Lily even think she knew? That Remy wanted to show off her tomato cutting skills to the only person who would appreciate them? It wasn’t true but she didn’t want Lily (or Mom for that matter) thinking it to be true! Ugh!

“Haley, get off your game and get down here!” Mom said. “I’m putting you to work!”

For a long moment, Remy heard nothing save the flow of water into the sink and the peeling of potatoes. Then, as if responding to a bomb threat, the flurry of kid feet padding down the carpeted stairs, quickly followed the whoosh of air smelling distinctly of grape gum and Haley hair.

“Can I talk now? Where is she?” Without waiting for an answer, Haley’s chin slammed onto the counter, her face occluding the entirety of Remy’s view. “Omigosh, what happened to your hair? So pretty!”

Remy wanted to laugh and cry in frustration at the absurdity of the attention of her hair had been getting, but instead she coughed, her lungs filling with the potent scent of sugary grapes exploding from Haley’s too-close mouth and nose.

“Spit it out.” Mom held out her hand.

Haley rolled her eyes as Haley always did, then swallowed and ptooeyed the wad of gum into Mom’s hand. Remy winced at the crude display, all of which occurred directly in front of her.

She recalled Mom doing the same to her when she’d been a kid, but seeing it at twenty-times scale hadn’t been on the bucket list. Try as she might, she’d never been able to fully describe the perspective of a three-inch beta (she exceeded three inches, but not by much), especially in relation to the mouth of a prime. Due to a regretfully unforgettable experience she’d had with an ex’s mouth years ago, she’d maintained an unhealthy fear of them — a fear she’d tried, but clearly failed, to explain.

Attempting to divert her train of thought, she leaned on her machete and crossed her legs in conquering pose. “Notice anything else?”

“Um, oh wow!” Haley’s appreciative eyes veered toward the slices of tomato. “Can I have one.”

“One.” Remy stepped aside, allowing sister’s gigantic, rainbow-painted fingernail to pass. “Wouldn’t want you to ruin your appetite.”

Haley giggled, plucked the top slice, and popped it into her gaping mouth. While easily quadruple the diameter of a full-sized beta tomato, the slice didn’t even span the width of her immature tongue. Still, she made a show of chewing carefully and swallowing as if it were the most delicious thing.

“Really good!” Haley beamed, her characteristically large incisors on full display.

It had to be for show. Her taste buds couldn’t possibly have recovered from the sugar-filled gum she’d just spat out. Nevertheless, Remy took a certain amount of satisfaction from the compliment. It wasn't strictly genuine, but nor was it pity. It was a polite nod toward food she’d prepared all by herself (a rarity, especially on Earth Prime), and it was enough to scratch her itch of doing something useful, no matter how small.