After this degrading moment whereby Addison scratched her elbow in a compulsive manner and stammered some disjointed words, she was finally able to put her mind in forward gear again as she started to address the customers again; 

“Ascela! Yes… Wonderful place Im telling ya.” Addison gave a queasy smile. “Thank you for the honor, Lindsy.” She said, giving her an extravagant nod of courtesy. 

“My pleasure.” Lindsy beamed. 

“An honor I definitely have to repay you with in equal worth some day.” Addison said while grinding her teeth like a millstone.
She took a long second to pierce her eyes at Lindsy’s intolerable joyful countenance, before bringing her attention back at the customers. Addison’s mind reeled with thoughts of what she could tell the customers about Ascela. She had never heard of the name. Never deign to delve deeper than the knowledge that Caspivur was a continent they were at war with and that they’ve lost, because they were powerless to deal with their shrinking technology.
Addison was about to open her mouth with the intention to babble, just to buy time, before one of the customers, a stocky woman in her mid-forties, was burning to ask a question, 

“Was it really considered rude to arrive in time for an appointment in Ascela?”

“Yeah, I heard the same thing.” Her apparent other half filled it, for he caressed her arm before speaking, “people there usually arrived about ten minutes later than the agreed time.” 

I thought we were going to discuss architectural drivel. It seems were taking a sudden detour through the county’s queer customs instead. Addison pondered. I can work with that. 

She took a quick gaze at Lindsy, curious to see her response for this nuisance to thwart her. Unfortunately, Lindsy’s beaming face told nothing, it remained unfazed. It was hard for Addison to judge if this averted path would benefit her or not. It was certainly better than talking about complicated technical details. That's for sure.

“That’s correct! I went there to the equivalent of elementary school for almost a year. A couple of odd ducks there in Ascela. I can tell ya that!” Addison produced a fake laughter. 

“Oh wow! So you actually lived there?” The man said, looking at her like she was some extinct specie who was just resurrected from the death. 

“Well… yeah. But that was way before all tension between Caspivur and Stinesaa came boiling up.” Addison lied. She felt proud of herself that she was able to lie with such conviction in front of all these people. Naturally, she was not entirely a novice on that field. She had constructed thousands of lies before in her life, most of them concocted while dealing with her parents, to get away with things. She even forced attendants to join her in a lie to her parents. Its just so easy to persuade a dependent employee with pouty lips and the threat of child molestation. They all gave in to her, even the most decent ones.
It suddenly looked like Lindsy was adapted to the new course this conversation had taken, for she showed an intention to mingle in again.

“Why won’t you favor us with stories about the contributions your brother Kieran made with the local watersport companies there?” Lindsy glittered. “He was quite the surfer, wasn’t he, Addison?” Lindsy winked. She gave the man next to her a little tab with her elbow and whispered loud enough for Addison to hear. “He was also very fond of leopard seals.” 

Addison felt a stab in the heart when her brother’s name was mentioned. She just gawked at Lindsy, slack-jawed, tears flooding her eyes. 

“Sounds like a remarkable man that brother of yours.” The man said. 

“Is something wrong, dear?” The woman asked with concern in her voice.

Addison could not take it anymore. She ran off, crying, and tried to cover her face from the prying eyes. She meandered through throngs of people. Most of them scurried aside when they saw her storming by.
Addison dove into the nearest restroom she was familiar with and walked over to the sink. She snarled a few words to chase away some chattering girls and drenched her face with ice cold water streaming from the tap. A pair of puffy red eyes stared back at her when she took a glance through the mirror. She hated herself for allowing such display of weakness in front of all these people. In front of Lindsy.
God! What a low blow to bring in her brother and force her to talk about him like he was still alive! Addison realized she had strongly underestimated Lindsy's degree of filthy cunningness. Her anger made room for sadness when she thought back of her brother, Kieran. 

Addison still cherished fondly the last time she felt his strong arms hugging her scrawny body. It was on the day of his dispatch to some remote island, called Marich, located deep within the vast lands of mighty Caspivur. In hindsight, the battle that took place there happened to herald a turning point in The Great War, all in favor of Stinesaa. His battalion's sacrificial effort made it possible for a group of scientists to extract a pretty key piece of technology from hostile territory into safe hands. This knowledge eventually led to the development of The Modifier Mark III or colloquially known as just ‘Shrink Ray'.
None of the battalion members had survived the battle. Even so, almost all were awarded with much-venerated medals and were considered national heroes. All but one. Kieran had never participated in the battle, for he drowned before he was even able to set foot on Marich. During their trip, Kieran had stumbled over a straying dock line and fell into the whirling waters of the Northern Depths.
Before his buddies were able to rescue him a leopard seal suddenly emerged from the waters, clenched his teeth into his cloth and dragged him below the deep blue surface. His body was never found.

Addison fashioned her blond tousled hair, wiped her face dry to some towel and was about to exit the restroom. She was through with this place and wanted nothing more than to go home. Suddenly, the door swung open and she saw Lindsy standing there in the door jamb, with some box in her hands. 

“What do you want? Ready to plunge another dagger into my guts?” Addison said. 

“I-I just wanted to say… I-I’m here to… I’m sorry, Addison. I truly am. I stepped over the line. I guess I was just threatened by your presence here.” 

“My presence?” That surprised Addison. Lindsy appeared so self-assured. Why would she feel threatened by her? A mere fourteen-year-old girl? 

“Well, you ARE the boss’s niece after all.” Lindsy gave a chuckle. Addison manages to join the laughter. 

“I guess I am.” She said. 

“Here.” Lindsy handed her the box. “Its not much, but its all I could find in such a short notice.” 

“What is it?” Addison took the box from Lindsy. 

“Take a peek yourself.” Lindsy gave an inviting gesture. 

Addison opened the box and saw two structures of about three inches in height. 

Lindsy added an explanation, “They are monumental buildings, confiscated from Caspivur. They came in just yesterday. I know you collect these things. They are yours. 

“and don’t tell your aunt please.” Lindsy gave a sour smile accompanied with folded praying hands. “I had them registered in the system as ‘broken’.” 

“Haha, don’t worry, I won’t” Addison returned a reassuring smile. She took her time to delicately pick up one of the structures to admire it. It was hard to believe that this historical structure was once an imposing thing of several hundred feet in height. Now however, pinched between the fingers of a fourteen-year-old girl, it looked like some ultra-realistic plaything you could buy at the toy store around the corner. It would be so easy for her to crush it between her thumb and index-finger. That would be a waste though. Addison was already brimming with ideas of how she would use them to decorate the shrunken society in her bedroom. The buildings didn’t look very clean though. That meant she had to put her microscopic servants at work. 

“Come, look at the clock. Its high time for a break.” Lindsy ushered her along. They meandered through a maze of halls. At some stage, Lindsy asked her to hold up, for she had to tie her shoe.
While tampering with her shoelaces, Lindsy started to speak. “Pity of the lorrie, by the way.” 

Addison’s thoughts were already drifting off to her brother when Lindsy spoke. 

“Lorrie?” She glanced back with a faraway look. “Ah yes! The lorrie!” Addison shrugged. “I did it on purpose.” 

“Ha! I knew it.” Lindsy snapped her fingers. “You little rascal, you.” She gave Addison a naughty smile. “But aren’t you afraid for sanctions? Even though that driver was just a Caspivurian, your aunt does value them as employees.” 

Addison sighed, “My aunt values the counting of money even more to notice such trivial things. Uncle Scrooge got nothing on her, Im telling ya.” 

“So you do these kind of things often?” 

Lindsy's sudden blunt assumption surprised Addison. She hesitated for a moment before her lips parted again, “My parents are rich. Fat filthy rich. Maybe not on the level of Aunt Cassadee, but still. I always get whatever I want. Especially from my dad, he's a weak puppet when facing my pouty lips. Still though…” 

“Its not enough?” Lindsy asked. 

“Its NEVER enough!” 

“Sooo?” Lindsy prodded 

“So… I think I kind of took matters into my own hands from time to time.” 

Lindsy gasped, bringing up both hands over her mouth. “You stole from her!” 

“Not so loud, you clod!” Addison fumed. She frantically looked about. “and don't say it like that. You make it sound like Im a criminal or something.” 

“Sorry.” Lindsy whispered. None of them spoke for a while, until Lindsy broke the silence. “Like… what kind of things did you… you know…” 

“Borrowed you mean?” Addison said “The usual. A few buildings here and there. Just to decorate my society. And a handful of Caspivurians when the need was there” 

Lindsy gave her a was-that-all look. 

“And perhaps a city or two... no wait, three actually.” Addison finished her confession. It remained silent after that. And for the first time during this conversation Addison had serious doubts if it was a wise move of her to spray so openly about her vile deeds. She hardly knew this Lindsy. Her apology from earlier did seemed genuine though, but still. 

“There, my shoe is tied.” Lindsy stood up and ushered Addison along. “come, we deserved a break. It’s a long day still.” 

The rest of the day went by without further ado. Lindsy showed Addison the finer points of the commercial approach and how to create a goodwill factor when dealing with hesitant customers. Addison noticed that Lindsy’s endearing smile did half of the battle on that area. She had to admit that Lindsy was indeed a handsome girl to look at. Addison knew that she was quite the eye-catcher herself, even for her youthful age. However, she had to acknowledge the superiority of Lindsy’s fine facial attractiveness in comparison with hers. 

“You did great today, Addi.” Lindsy gave Addison a tap on the shoulder. 

“Really? Addi?” Addison rolled her eyes. 

“You don’t like it?” 

“Perhaps I would. If it weren’t it for the fact that my grandmother used that same name every time she reprimanded me for swearing within the walls of her home.” 

Lindsy laughed out loud. “God! Im sorry to hear that.” 

“Well, I suppose its still better than ‘cutiekins’. That’s my aunt’s most favorite pet name when addressing me.” 

“Amen to that.” Lindsy said. 

“Speaking of my aunt. Lets go see her right now.” Both Addison and Lindsy ambled their way towards Cassadee’s office.
She barged in unannounced and saw her aunt toiling behind her laptop, eyes heavily frowned, under the light-speed rattles of typing sounds.
Before Addison was able to address her aunt with some witty comment a cold stern voice suddenly spoke; 

“Sit down.” 

It perplexed Addison to hear her aunt using such a short instruction, in a somewhat imperative voice. This was nothing like Aunt Cassadee. Perhaps some headwinds? That’s still no reason to take it out on your favorite niece, was it?
Addison sat down in the office chair in front of her aunt on the other side of the desk. Lindsy stationed herself behind Addison.
It took an eternity before Aunt Cassadee finally took her attention away from the screen and glanced at Addison with eyes that dripped from disappointment. 

“What?!” Addison said. 

Aunt Cassadee said nothing in return. She grabbed her laptop and spun it 180 degrees. Addison felt like she was struck by lightning when she saw footages of herself, walking with Lindsy in some hallway.
She saw Lindsy crouch, to tie her shoe. Addison knew what was coming and waited for the inevitable.
Suddenly, she squinted her eyes when she noticed Lindsy taking a quick peek towards the camera, looking directly into the lens, just before she started to speak.
Addison’s chair screeched backward, tumbling on his side when she leapt up. She seethed, eyes brimming with hate when she aimed them at Lindsy, 

“YOU SET ME UP!” 

Addison was deaf for the attempts of Aunt Cassadee to ease up. The loud smack reverberated through the crampy office when Addison’s hand landed hard on one of Lindsy’s cheeks. 

“CUTIEKINS!!” 

Addison looked at her aunt, still defiant, but also surprised by her strident voice cutting deep in her eardrums. 

“I spoke to your mother, and things are getting completely out of hand with you lately.” Aunt Cassadee started. She gave a deep sight, and her firm gaze melted off and made place for a look of disappointment and gloom. “I hate to do this, cutiekins. Nevertheless, both your mother and I think its for the best.” 

Addison was shocked to see her aunt grabbing a shrink ray out of the top drawer. 

“Aunt?...” Addison said. 

“Im sorry.” 

A familiar sound reached Addison’s ears when her aunt charged the shrink ray and a bright-red glow shot to her face, making her feel light-headed, radiating a queer warmth through her body. Before she knew it, Addison had to crane her neck deeply to look up at a positively huge Lindsy.
Addison almost lost her footing when some heavy tremors preceded her aunt’s arrival, who positioned herself next to Lindsy. Both looked down upon her. One with a glance of repentance and the other looked like she was relieved and satisfied even. 

“I thank you for your honesty Lindsy.” Her aunt’s voice boomed high above Addison. “I know this was a tough dilemma for you since she’s related to me. Know that you have my deepest gratitude.”
Addison received one last disappointed look from her aunt before she left, but not without a final word; 

“She’s yours for the week.” 

Addison jumped and screamed frantically to gain her leaving aunt’s attention. She pleaded wildly to reconsider things and shouted out all the lewd things Lindsy had done to her, but it was already too late.
She cowered in fear on the floor when a glaring Lindsy, with still a prominent slap mark on her cute face, crouched down to collect her with a football-field-sized hand.