“Stand still.” Ally held the measuring tape against the bathroom door frame.

“I am standing still.” Eli slapped his arms against his sides for emphasis.

“Sixty-four inches on the dot.” She made a light mark with her pencil.

“Sixty-four inches!” Winter aimed the phone’s camera at herself, wide-eyed and smiling like a misfit.

“Get out of the way, Winter.” Ally shooed with her free hand. “You’re supposed to be recording this.”

“I’m giving comments to make it more interesting.” Though defiantly happy, she pointed the iPhone back to where Eli stood, capturing the deadpan look on his face.

Ally’s gaze lingered on the three of them in the wall mirror, noticing, not for the first time, how her Asian features contrasted with her siblings’ fair appearances. She rarely thought of herself as adopted, but something about the mirror image reminded her of that fact. Not in a bad way — she’d lived her entire life with these goofballs — just in a thoughtful way.

At eleven, Winter was the youngest, followed by Ally at thirteen and Eli at fourteen. In spite of their three year age difference, he might as well be Winter’s blond twin. Her shoulder length hair was longer, but not by much. They had the same round nose, blue eyes, and goofy smile, though Eli hadn’t smiled much since his diagnosis the other day.

“Now step on the scale.” Ally took command of the situation as she usually did. “Ok. One oh nine.”

“That can’t be right. I only lost an inch. How could I lose five pounds?”

“Five pounds! Wow!” Winter piped. “Seems like a lot.”

“Shut up.” Eli shot back. “At least I’m not a little wimp like you.”

Ally blinked in surprise. One again, he fell for Winter’s attention seeking antics. How did she do it? It was like a magic power that reverted him back to a kid again. The idea of eventually being smaller than her must really be bothering him, so why would he say something like that?

“I’m not a wimp! You’re the one who’s going to be a wimp in a few weeks.” Her mischievous smile returned. “Mom told me to save my old clothes because you’d have to wear them pretty soon.”

Eli’s face went slack. “She did not say that.”

“Wanna bet? I’ve already got all the pink outfits set aside for you to wear.” She stuck her tongue out.

Ally interrupted. “Stop it. He’s not going to wear your old clothes.”

“He started it by calling me names. My friends are going to watch this video.”

Ally sighed and looked directly into the camera. “Dear Winter’s friends. She’s not a wimp. She does gymnastics and is actually quite strong. As you can see, these two fight a lot. I’m usually the voice of reason.”

“That’s right. I’m in gymnastics. I bet I can do more pushups than you, Eli.”

Clearly not listening, he stepped off the scale and back on, revealing the same number. “This totally sucks.”

“It’s a healthy weight for someone of your...height.” Ally didn’t know this for certain, but she herself was about ninety-eight pounds and only three inches shorter than him. During her last physical, the nurse said she was healthy. Besides, he needed some encouragement.

“It’s not supposed to be my height.” Eli stared at the scale, speaking in a softer tone. “I’m already shorter than some of the girls in my class.”

“Oooo, Eli’s got a new girlfriend!” Winter brought the phone’s camera closer to inspect his face.

“No he doesn’t.” Ally wasn’t sure why she needed to clear the air on that point, but she knew for a fact he didn’t currently have a girlfriend. They went to the same middle school after all.

“Are we done?” Eli asked.

“No. We need to document the effect of the shrink gene over time, including measurements and tests.” Ally turned to the camera. “That’s what makes our YouTube channel different from all the others out there. That’s why our viewers will subscribe down below”—she pointed downward—“and comment with ideas.”

“Fine.” He pretty much had to agree. It was their only hope for getting him into Premoria — a private community in southeastern Wyoming where shrunken residents could live ‘normal’ lives. It was expensive, and online fundraisers had become all too common. They had to make theirs unique in some way. “What next?”

“Pushup challenge!” Winter bounced on her bare feet.

“Stop shaking the camera.” Ally placed a hand on top of Winter’s head, calming the girl. “And no pushups.”

“Why not?”

“It has to be something related to the shrinking gene. Something that will change as he gets smaller. Even when he’s only a few inches tall, he’ll still be able to do as many pushups as he can today.”

“Ohmigosh...he’s going to be so cute! I can’t wait till —”

Ally covered her sister’s mouth with her hand.

“I quit.” Eli stepped through the doorway.

“Wait.” Ally grabbed hold of his t-shirt, slowing his escape down the hall.

“These ‘tests’ aren’t even...scientific.” He pried at her fingers.

“It doesn’t matter.” She strengthened her grip. “They just have to be interesting enough to increase our subscribers.”

“You mean embarrassing enough.” He stopped prying. “This is a stupid idea.”

“Eli, we’re just trying to help.”

“She’s not trying to help.” He pointed at Winter.

“Am too! I’m holding the phone.”

“Ok. How about this.” Ally dragged him into the bedroom she shared with her sister. “Get into pushup position.” She turned to Winter and stuck out her hand. “Phone.”

Reluctantly, Winter handed the phone over. It was Ally’s phone after all. She’d received it for her birthday last month, along with a tripod into which she now inserted the phone. She aimed it at Eli who, surprisingly, was already on all fours.

“Ok. Winter sit on his back. Then, I’ll count how many pushups.”

Giggling, Winter hopped and sat on his back so fast that his knees hit the floor. A full head shorter than him, she couldn’t be over seventy pounds, but it was more than he could handle.

He lifted one knee only to have it return immediately to the carpet. “Too heavy.”

“You’re too weak.” She messed with his hair.

“It’s fine,” Ally said. “Just see how many you can do on your knees.”

As he started to descend, Winter giggled and lost her balance. She stood, then lay flat against his back, her arms wrapped around his torso. He descended fast and struggled but managed to do a full knee pushup. On the second rep, he made it half way up before collapsing amid peals of laughter from his sister. She rolled off of him, clearly enjoying this more than her brother.

He lightly kicked her foot away from his. “How ‘bout I sit on your back next time?”

Before Ally could protest, Winter got on her hands and knees. Her hair concealed her face but nothing could hide her laughter. “Come on.”

He stood and looked down at her, absentmindedly swiping his hair behind his ear. “I was joking.”

“Actually, go ahead and do it.” Now that Ally had time to consider, it wasn’t a bad test. Eventually, he’d be light enough Winter wouldn’t even notice his weight. Neither of them would.

With the thought came a sense of excitement that she couldn’t explain. She should feel bad for him and she did, but she also felt...an excitement. There was no other word for it. After she recognized the feeling, guilt followed. At least she could hide her feelings a lot better than her sister.

Eli sat on Winter’s back, letting his feet rest on the floor. As soon as her elbows bent, she crashed, still laughing hysterically. “Get off. Get off.”

“What? Did you hear something Ally?” He balanced a portion of his weight on his feet to avoid hurting the girl, though he probably didn’t need to.

She jackknifed her legs against his side, but he caught a foot and started tickling — a smirk brightening his features. It was the closest thing to his smile Ally had seen in days, and it caused her to do the same. This was the Eli she knew as a brother. This was the Eli she’d do everything in her power to help. The mutation might take his size, but it wouldn’t steal his spirit, at least not without a fight.

She joined in, caught Winter’s other foot, and tickled mercilessly until the poor girl screamed that she was going to pee — an excuse she’d used in the past but it always worked. They both stopped, of course, unwilling to call her bluff. Eli stood and stretched. Rather than run off to the bathroom, Winter rolled onto her back, red-faced and giggling sporadically like an engine low on gas.

She grabbed Eli’s foot and tried to tickle but he just stepped away, pulling easily from her grasp. “Are we done?” he asked. The lack of amusement in his tone disappointed Ally. He’d seemed to be enjoying himself. She’d have to think of other ways to cheer him up. At least she’d seen him smile once today.

“Yeh, that’s enough for now.” She crawled to the camera. “Please like, subscribe, and comment down below with ideas on how best to measure the shrink gene’s effects. Our goal is fifty subscribers by the end of this week. If we hit that goal, Eli will sing — “

“Not gonna happen.” He walked out of the room.

“He really does have a good voice.” She wasn’t lying. She couldn’t tell if his voice had broken yet or not. Probably not. When he sang, he sounded more like a boy than a man, but in a good way. “He’s just shy.”

“It’s true.” Winter nudged Ally to the side. “He sang for me when I was in the hospital. He thought I didn’t hear him because I pretended to be asleep. He used to take lessons, but stopped last year, even though Mom got angry. I think it’s because —”

“Ok, Winter, you don’t have to give his whole life story in the first episode.”

“Fiiiiiiine. Like, comment, subscribe. Love you guys.” She held two fingers beside her face. “Peace out.”

 

 

 

Eli shut the door to his room and headed straight for his closet. He turned on the fluorescent light, stepped inside and closed the door before slumping against the foam-covered walls. The mic hanging from the ceiling taunted him. He’d have to lower it slightly if he used it again. Not that he ever would. Not since Zoey...

Negative thinking didn’t suit his personality, but the situation couldn't get any worse. Shrinking didn’t always happen fast (cases taking over a year had been documented), but the end result was always the same: he’d end up the size of the action figures he played with as a kid. G.I. Joe. About the only thing his dad had ever given him, probably because he forgot to take the collection when he bailed to California a decade ago.

Eli pulled out his phone, an Android with a cracked screen and a missing power button. He swiped open his notifications and read through his latest messages:

Carter (April 14 8:02 pm) - dude it not that bad. give me a call

Carter (April 15 3:35 pm) - i checked. shes ur age and hot AF. shrunk last year. homeschooled.

Eli (3:37 pm) - i said i’m not interested

Carter (3:44 pm) - heres a pic

Eli (3:45 pm) - NOT INTERESTED

Carter (3:46 pm) - don’t be a wuss. stop acting like your life is over.

Carter (4:49 pm) - her name is haley and her number is 555-1239. You can thank me later bro

Carter (5:30 pm) - did you call her?

Carter (5:51 pm) - seriously? Silent treatment now? I’m going to kick your ass if you ignore me all weekend. You’re already an inch shorter so it should be hella easy

Carter (6:04) - dude. that was a joke

Carter (6:22) - dick pic incoming if you don’t respond

Carter (6:25) - dead serious. Pubes and all

Carter (6:28) - even the part where i shaved your name into my hairy balls

Eli laughed at the last one. Carter was an asshole but he was also his best friend. Or at least he used to be. He went off to high school and they hadn’t spent nearly as much time together, especially after their ‘band’ broke up. It was never really a ‘band’ since they’d never played a gig, but it was fun.

Eli responded: i actually want to see that

He tossed his phone to the other side of the closet where it thunked softly against the soundproofing. Tapping the back of his head against the foam, he worked through the options in his mind.

Plan A. Make it into Premoria and live a normal life, or at least as close to normal as he could get at this point. He’d be able to attend high school and college with teenagers his size, and eventually get a job and get married. He didn’t want marriage anytime soon but eventually. Probably.

Plan B. Fail to raise enough money and live in a shoebox under his sister’s bed. Perhaps they’d upgrade him to a dollhouse. He’d take classes online. Alone. In college, instead of partying, he’d spend evenings sifting through profiles on Premium Encounters, the number one dating app for premies — the informal way of referring to those affected by the shrink gene. Then he’d beg one of his sister’s to drive him so he could meet his date. This conjured the image of a tea party with Winter’s billboard face, smiling in the background.

Plan C… Don’t think about Plan C. Heck, he shouldn’t have to think about ANY of these plans.

He’d skipped school the last two days and had spent the time researching how people coped with the disease, and this was the best he could find. Virtually nothing good. Only one upside — Mom might not care as much when she found out he was failing half his classes. After all, why should he care about school anymore?

His phone buzzed. He reached over, picked it up, and Carter’s voice filled his ear. “I always knew you were gay.”

“Yup.” Eli lacked the energy to think of a witty comeback. “You got me.”

“Dude. You sound like you’re dying. I’m seriously going to drive down there and kick your ass.”

“You can’t drive.”

“I’ve got a permit bro. And my sister owes me big time.”

“Must be nice to have a permit.” Driving. Add that to the list of things he’d never be able to do.

“You’re fourteen now.” Carter spoke before thinking as usual. “Oh wait…”

“Yeah.”

“Who cares.” Carter didn’t hesitate. “It could be months before you shrink again. Just go take the test and start driving while you still can.”

“There are so many problems with that statement.”

“There are so many pieces of sand in your vagina.”

“Original. And it’s grains of sand not pieces of sand.” Eli changed the subject. “Why does she owe you?”

“Who?”

“Your sister. You said she owes you big time.”

“Because I caught her smoking marijuana last week. And. Well you know how blackmail works.”

“Did you smoke any?”

“No, I don’t want that shit. Ruins your life. I told her that too.”

“Can you bring me some?”

“Dude, what’s wrong with you?” Carter bumped his voice an octave. “Oh noooo. I’ve got the shrink gene. My sister threatened to dress me up in Barbie clothes. I’ll never go to high school. I’ll never get laid.”

“I never said that last part.”

“Well. It’s true. You probably won’t ever get laid. But it’s because you have zero confidence in yourself. And now you’re throwing the world’s biggest pity party on top of it.

“You think you’ve got it bad? My Mom’s sister died last summer from brain cancer. Now that’s messed up. She was fine until”—he paused—“I ain’t gonna talk about it. Just remember: it ain’t brain cancer, so stop crying.”

“Sorry…”

“Hey man. I didn’t say it to bring you down.” He sighed. “I’m just giving you a hard time because you’re my best friend. I haven’t been around as much lately, and I apologize. My life’s just been...crazy. But I’ve got your back. You know that right? I don’t care if you’re only three inches tall or whatever. Which, by the way, did you even LOOK at the picture of Haley?”

“Yeah.”

“Annnnddd?”

Eli paused, smiling a bit. “She’s cute.”

“That’s my boy! You sing her that song you wrote and she’ll jump your bones faster than you can blink.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Wait till high school, man. It’s all about sex over here. Everyone talks like they’re gettin’ some but most of ‘em are lyin’. Unless they got mad skills like I do. Hell, if I also had your voice, I’d be up to my eyeballs in —”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Ok. Ok. I forgot you’re saving yourself. But that doesn't mean you can’t at least date or talk to girls. I won’t bring it up again, but keep Haley in mind. I’ve talked to her before on Facebook. She’s really chill. Plays the piano too, which reminds me, I’m coming over tomorrow so get ready to jam out.”

“Really?” Part of Eli wanted to protest or make any number of excuses, but another part, the old him, perked up a bit.

“You bet. Start practicing because I got a surprise for you.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll see. Laters bro.”

 

 

 

“What’s the fun of your brother shrinking if you can’t even dress him up?” Winter lay down and back bended off the side of her bed, her hair touching the shag carpet as the room turned upside down. Ally ignored her, sitting Indian style on her own bed, thumbs tapping against her phone.

“You’re not even listening to me.” Winter reached with one hand, attempting to span the distance to her sister’s bed, but falling short by a few inches.

Ally looked up briefly. “How would you like it if you shrank, and he made you play...GI Joe all day.”

“I’d love it! I’d karate kick the bad guys and save the princess.”

Ally sighed and flipped her long hair over her shoulder. “He’s not a kid, Winter. He doesn't want to play Barbie —”

“I don’t play Barbies.” In fact, she’d mostly stopped playing two years ago when Ally had stopped. It just wasn’t as fun anymore.

“Or Bratz. Or house. Or dress up. Just because he’s shrinking doesn’t mean he’s going to be interested in any of that. You should really stop teasing him.”

Winter kicked into a handstand, a motion that carried her the other direction until her legs landed at the foot of Ally’s bed. Then, she climbed up backwards and sat facing her sister. Unfortunately the impressive maneuver hadn’t been enough to distract Ally. Why did she have to wait two more years to get a smart phone? It wasn’t fair.

“He teases me aalllllll the time.”

Ally simply tossed her hair over her shoulder and continued typing. She had such black, silky hair and her ears didn’t stick out. Winter used the same shampoo and conditioner. She really wanted to dye her hair darker.

“What if I make him wear Ken clothes? Ken’s a guy.”

“You’re not going to make him do anything. He’s your brother, not your slave.”

“I know! I didn't mean it that way. But what if he AGREES to it?”

She looked up, finally. Her eyes squished together for a moment like she was thinking. “I suppose that's ok then. Just try to be supportive, especially as he gets smaller.”

“I'm not a kid anymore, Ally. I'm not going to hurt him.” She thought a bit more. “What if he agrees to ride Rainbow Dash?”

“By the time it ever gets to that point, we'll both have gone through the official training. So we'll know what's ok and what's not ok.”

“I'm going to start studying this weekend!” Mom wouldn’t let her use the internet unless supervised. She’d simply have Ally pick out a bunch of #premie care videos for her and she’d memorize them. She’d forward them to her friends…wait. “What about my friends?”

“What about your friends?”

“They aren't getting the official training so…”

“So they aren't going to be seeing Eli either.”

“Whaaaaaaat?”

“Why would they? They're your friends, not his.”

“Yeh, but I’ll make sure they watch the training videos.”

“This isn't about your popularity, Winter. Stop thinking of yourself for once.”

“I WASN’T thinking of myself. You're being mean to me. I'm going to see Eli.”

Ally made her so mad. Ever since she got that stupid phone, she’d been acting so ‘mature’ and pretending to be an adult. At least Eli didn’t ignore her all the time.

***

“...and i just asked if my friends could see you and she said I was being selfish and I wasn't, really. I would've asked you. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you when you get small. I promise. I'll be the best big sister. You'll see.”

Sitting on the floor, she hugged her brother tighter, burying her head into his shirt.  He’d been looking at his phone too when she’d peeked into his vocal booth, but he’d at least put it away and gave her his full attention.

He exhaled softly. She could only hear it because her ear pressed against his chest. “You’ll still be my little sister.”

“Even when I’m bigger than you?”

“Of course. Physically, you’ll be bigger than me —

“A lot bigger.” She smiled. She knew that would bother him, but she couldn't help it. Even now, his heartbeat seemed to get faster. Was he scared? She had to see his face.

She sat back and looked him in the eyes.

“I guess.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and swiped his hair out of his face. “But I’ll always be your older brother.”

Though blue like hers, his eyes seemed sadder than usual, almost worse than when Zoey dumped him last year. She didn't want to make him sad. Maybe Ally was right and she should stop teasing him. Didn’t he know she was joking? She’d never do anything to hurt him.

She tried to picture what it would be like standing only a few inches tall. She’d be able to sit in his hand, climb his shirt, and swing from his hair like Tarzan. It just seemed so magical and fun. But maybe he was worried she’d accidentally drop him or worse...step on him! She wasn’t that clumsy, at least not since she started taking gymnastics.

“I’m going to be very careful, Eli. If you need help with anything, I’ll be there. I’ll carry the groceries and take out the trash and do all the things you normally do. You won’t have to do anything. And when I can drive, I promise I’ll drive you wherever you want to go. I really will be the best big...I mean little sister.”

“I’m not going to be that helpless.”

She bit her lip, suppressing the urge to contradict him.

“Besides, if I make it into Premoria, I’ll be able to do all those things...just on a smaller scale. I don’t want to sit around and do nothing all day.”

Premoria. Why did he have to mention that place? She’d agreed to help with his YouTube channel — it was super fun — but the idea of him moving away made her want to puke. Ally felt the same, she just didn't admit it.

It wouldn’t matter. Once he saw how great things were after shrinking, he wouldn’t want to —

The front door opened downstairs. Winter jumped up and ran out of the room. By the time she made it to the stairs, her mom, dressed in sky blue from head to toe, was already nearing the top. She carried two pizza boxes in her hands, Papa John’s, their favorite!

“Mom! Do you need help?”

“Hey sweetie.” Her voice sounded tired. “Yes, please set the table while I go change.”

“Ok.” As soon as she set the boxes on the dining room table, Winter hugged her from behind. She smelled like the hospital, the clean smell, not the bad one. “I love you.”

Mom turned around and knelt to kiss her on the forehead “I love you too, baby. But you really shouldn’t hug me while I’ve got my scrubs on.”

“I could tell they were clean.”

“Oh you could, could you?” The glint in her mother’s eyes flashed. “And how did my little apprentice know that?”

“Because you usually wear the pink ones at the hospital. So, if they’re blue, I know you changed before leaving.”

Her mom smiled and gave her another kiss, this time on her hair. “Well, that’s not always true, especially when I work overtime, but you’re a good detective.”

“I’m going to be a nurse like you, not a detective.”

Mom stood. “Sometimes a nurse has to be a detective too.” She was the same height as Eli. Actually, she was an inch taller than Eli now. That meant Winter herself would probably grow another foot over the next few years. She couldn’t wait!

“Where’s your brother and sister?”

She rolled her eyes. “Ally’s on her phone like always, and Eli’s probably still moping in his room. I tried to cheer him up. I really did. But I think he needs professional counseling.”

Mom’s eyebrows lifted, clearly impressed. “Where’d you learn about professional counseling?”

Winter grinned. “I saw an advertisement on YouTube for premie counseling.”

“I don’t need counseling.” Eli stepped out of his room and headed straight for the pizza. He opened the spinach mushroom and took a slice.

“What?” Mom looked at him. “No ‘Hi Mom, thanks for bringing me pizza?’”

Still standing, he stuffed a huge bite into his mouth. “Hi Mom fanks for fringin me frizza.”

“He’s mad because he lost five pounds.” Winter pinched the side of his stomach, causing him to double over and retreat. “He’s probably going to eat everything to try to regain it.”

“Aww, sweetie. It doesn’t work like that.”

He swallowed. “I’m not trying to regain it. I’m just starving. It’s after seven.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Mom stepped forward, brushed his hair aside, and kissed him on the temple. Yup. She was definitely taller — so strange to see since they all thought he’d pass her height in a month or two.

“You think maybe it’s time for a haircut?” Mom asked.

He shrugged and took another bite, then plopped into one of the kitchen chairs.

“See, he’s been acting like this all day.” Winter looked to her mom for support. “Ally and I helped with his first fundraiser episode, and he didn’t even say thank you.”

“You know, it’s really not as bad as you think, honey.” Mom placed a hand on his shoulder. Her nails were cut short and unpainted, but her fingers were graceful, just like her. In fact, she wore virtually no makeup to work. Most of Winter’s friends had started wearing makeup and she’d occasionally tried some of Ally’s, but she knew she was too young. Besides, if her mom didn’t need it to look pretty, neither did she.

“Mmm hmm.” He chewed like a cow, staring at the empty vase in the center of the table.

“Dr. Whitting’s a premie and he’s one of the most talented surgeons in our department.” Mom opened the second box of pizza, half pepperoni and half banana pepper. “You should see the miracles he pulls off. Just the other day, he removed a tumor from a child’s brain. Saved her life. I could take you to meet him if you want.”

“I want to meet him!” Winter tugged on her mom’s sleeve with urgency. “I’m the one who wants to be a nurse, not Eli.”

Mom laughed and ruffled Winter’s hair. “Alright sweetie. I’ll ask if you can come too. I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”

“Yay! I’m going to start studying how to take care of premies this weekend. So, Eli won’t have to worry when you’re not home.”

He brushed his hair aside. “Mom, she said you told her to save her pink outfits for me to wear.”

“It was a joke!” Winter stuck out her tongue at him. “Besides, you have to wear something. You’re clothes are already looking a little big.”

“Don’t worry.” Mom walked toward the hallway. “I’m heading to the thrift shop this weekend. You may not have the latest styles, but I’ll find some things that fit.”

Winter’s eyes widened as she followed her mom. “I wanna go!”

“Eat your dinner and we can talk about it later.” Mom peeked her head into their bedroom. “Ally, dinner’s ready. And no phone after seven.”

She was always on her phone after seven.

“But I’m done with all my homework.” Ally put her phone down and got off her bed. Finally.

“Doesn’t matter. Read a book or something. Or help Eli with his homework. Heaven knows he needs it.” Mom headed into her own bedroom. It was the smallest of the three and didn’t even have an attached bathroom like theirs. She’d always used the hallway bathroom. So did Eli, but Eli was a boy and didn’t need his own bathroom.

Mom sacrificed a lot and Winter was the only one who appreciated it. She’d show how dependable she could be, even more than Ally.

Just wait.

 

 

 

“No. No. Absolutely not.” Eli backed against the opposite side of the vocal booth and crossed his arms.

“Dude. Are you kidding me?” Carter’s head blocked half the view and, not for the first time, Ally wished she’d installed a second camera in the booth. Yet another drawback to her role as producer, where she had to sit outside the booth, wearing headphones, staring at a video feed on Eli’s crummy laptop. They’d never even ‘produced’ anything. Eli deleted it all after listening a couple times.

“The entire school will be there.” Carter raised his voice. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime!”

“I don’t even go to that school.”

“Not yet. You will next year. Besides, bands are allowed to include one outside member. It’s totally legit. I’ve already spoken with the music teacher.”

“That’s beside the point. I’m not going to your fucking talent show. End of story.”

“Dude. Chill. Ok. You don’t have to act like a…”

Eli’s eyes glistened and his mouth drew to a thin line. Ally had rarely seen him this upset (he rarely ever cursed), and she was almost ready to make an excuse to get him out of there.

“Fine.” Carter’s voice seethed with frustration and mild anger. “So we gonna finish the session at least, or did I drive down here for nothing?”

Eli blinked a few times and took a deep breath through his nose. “Yeh.”

“Ok.” Carter always tried to squeeze in diagonally behind Eli, but his head never quite fit in the frame. Standing now four inches taller than her brother didn't help either. “But if you insist on singing this grunge crap, at least put your fucking heart into it. The last few takes, you sounded like a kid who dropped his ice cream. You hate the world, you hate life, whatever. Just stop bottling it up and pour that shit into your music.”

“Fine.” Eli glared at the camera for a moment, and a weird sensation tingled the back of Ally’s skull. She didn’t like seeing him upset, usually, but something about the rawness of his expression stopped her breath.

Carter played the familiar guitar riff to Come As You Are and Eli’s eyes seemed to focus on nothing. His head tilted slightly to the side, and when he opened his mouth, he was a different person.

He didn't sound like his current idol, Kurt Cobain, but he didn’t sound like Eli either. His voice traveled through her headphones like spiritual electricity, causing her spine to shiver and her heart to race. Time lost it’s meaning, and if not for the visuals of the recording software, she’d swear it had frozen.

When the song ended, she exhaled, finally, and blinked waterlogged eyes. What just happened? She didn’t even like Nirvana. But it was as if he’d shared his deepest secret, a true piece of his soul, and she’d been the only one around to listen.

Clearly, she hadn’t been the only one.

“Holy shit.” Carter’s lax-mouthed expression made her smile, as did the bubbles of excitement forming in her chest. It took everything she had not to throw open the door and hug her brother.

Turned out, she didn’t need to open the door because Eli did it for her. “I feel sick.” He lurched across his room, one hand clutching his stomach.

“Wait, Eli.” Ally rose from her chair and removed the headphones. “Are you shrinking?”

“Did you hear that?” Carter emerged from the booth and headed straight for the computer, just as Eli slammed the door to the hallway bathroom.

“What are you doing?” Ally watched as he grabbed the mouse and started clicking around.

“I gotta hear it again.”

“I think Eli might be shrinking.”

“So.” Carter pulled up the recording and set it to replay.

“Aren’t you concerned?” She never did understand why he was Eli’s best friend.

“A little, maybe. But if I follow him to the bathroom, he’d freak out. He ain't going to want to see me right after he shrinks either. No, I’m just going to grab this and head out.”

“You can’t copy it. Eli would go ballistic.”

“Chill. I’m just going to listen to it. You have to admit, that was some of the dopest shit you’ve ever heard.”

“I’ve got to go check on Eli. Don’t mess anything up.”

Carter had already donned the headphones and was playing back the recording. It didn’t really matter if he messed it up somehow. Eli would delete it anyway.

She ran into the hallway and knocked on the bathroom door. “Eli? You in there?” She heard a groan followed by a soft kick against the wall. “I’m coming in.”

She had to squeeze inside as his feet prevented the door from fully opening. He lay in a fetal position on the floor, cheek plastered against the linoleum. She shut the door and knelt, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Are you OK? Should I call Mom?”

He shook his head a bit. “I’m going to throw up.”

“Can you make it to the toilet?”

He made as if to rise, then paused, arms wobbling as they supported his weight.

“Here, let me help you.” Awkwardly, Ally placed her hands under his armpits and lifted, helping move his body toward the toilet. Once he made it there, she lifted the seat and held his hair back as his body shivered.

She wished Mom were here to handle this. Unlike Winter, Ally had no desire to be a nurse. The sight of blood disturbed her and puke wasn’t far behind on her would-rather-not-see list. She turned away and stared at the socked feet poking out of his jeans. As he emptied his stomach, his toes twitched. After the retching noises ceased, she held her breath and flushed the toilet. Unfortunately, she caught a whiff and it almost made her want to puke herself. He really shouldn’t have eaten the rest of that pizza for lunch — five slices! — even though he knew gaining weight was a lost cause.

“Gotta run, Eli!” Carter’s voice carried in from the hallway. “Hang in there man. And if you change your mind on the talent show before Thursday, give me a ring!”

Eli made no attempt to respond, so Ally did for him. “Bye Carter!” The front door shut before she could even finish speaking his name. Thank goodness he wasn’t the only one here with Eli today. She could imagine him shrugging off anything short of a gunshot wound and going about his day as normal. Boys really irritated her sometimes.

Eli sat back and stared at the floor. A drop of liquid rolled down his chin.

Ally grabbed a washcloth, moistened it in the sink, and cleaned his face. “Feel better now?”

“Cold.” His shivering had intensified, and that could mean one thing.

“I think you’re getting ready to shrink again.” Feeling somewhat guilty, Ally pulled out her phone. “Do you mind if I film it for the channel?”

“Don’t.”

“Eli, we really need to show everything if we’re going to get subscribers and donations. You do want to go to Premoria, right?”

He just sat there, crossing his arms, staring listlessly. Not knowing what to do, she placed a hand on his back and massaged in circles. He actually felt cooler. Not like ice, of course, more like an inanimate object, like a stuffed animal might feel when left unattended. Not cold but certainly not warm, unless someone warmed it.

“Ok.” His mumble, though barely audible, was enough for her to leap to her feet and rush to her room. She grabbed her tripod and a thick blanket, then returned to the bathroom. After laying her blanket over his shoulders, she set the tripod in the bathtub, inserted her phone and aimed it at Eli. Then she sat down with him.

And waited.

The waiting was simultaneously the best and worst part. She had no idea how to comfort him, but the thrill of it all eclipsed her unease. How much would he shrink? What would it look like? What would it feel like to him? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time shrinking had been documented on YouTube, not by a long shot. But she’d only rarely see it happen in real life. Most premies went someplace private when they started feeling the chills.

“So cold.” The blanket vibrated like a frozen volcano preparing to erupt. She continued rubbing and patting his back, as if her actions would magically warm him.

“I’m scared.” His words came out as a whisper and certainly hadn’t been caught by her camera. However, they triggered something deep in her gut, something that made her want to turn the camera off. Instead, she reached for his hand, found it, and clutched it tight in hers.

“You’re going to be OK.”

He drew a sudden breath and squeezed her hand. Hard. She endured the pain. It was the least she could do. “Hang in there.”

His eyes snapped shut and his teeth clacked together. His body went rigid. She was about to pull her hand away...when the pressure relaxed. It hadn’t relaxed, per se, it had simply shifted, and continued to shift.

Incredible. She could feel his hand shrinking as she held onto it. His bones literally reduced in size, and his fingertips slid an incremental amount across the back of her hand. Though he likely still gripped her with all his might, his strength had lessened, and therefore so had the pain.

Finally, his mouth opened and he took several quick breaths, as if he’d just finished running a mile. Since he wasn’t standing, she couldn’t tell for sure, but he seemed smaller. The most anyone had ever shrunk at once was eleven inches. He hadn’t shrunk nearly that much, but he probably lost more than an inch.

“Stop the camera.” He pulled his hand away.

“Wait, we have to do measurements.”

“Not today.” He sounded exhausted. “I just want to sleep.”

“Ok.” She couldn’t argue with him. They could always get the measurements tomorrow, and she could edit the footage. But it was more than that. At the moment the channel didn’t seem to matter as much. The vivid memory of his hand getting smaller in hers awakened something inside her, something she couldn’t identify. She just knew she had to help him. It was all she could think of at the moment.

After turning off the camera, she asked, “Can you stand?”

He nodded and rose to his feet. His pants fell to the floor, pooling around his ankles, but luckily his boxers remained in place. He glanced down, then looked directly into her eyes. Directly — as in at the same level.

She just stood there like an idiot and stared back, unable to speak. So many confusing thoughts and emotions.

He looked away and pulled the blanket tighter around himself, perhaps for modesty, perhaps because he was still cold. Then, he turned and walked out of the room.

 

 

 

“Do you like it?” Winter asked for the third time.

Eli stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. The long-sleeved flannel hung a bit loose over his black and yellow t-shirt, but the worn jeans fit decently. And, though frayed and missing considerable tread, the yellow Converse shoes weren’t uncomfortable.

“I guess it’s ok.”

“I knew you’d like it!” She hugged him, bumping her forehead against his chin and reminding him just how big his little sister had become. Or just how small he’d shrunk.

Ignoring the collision, she tightened her embrace, making it difficult for him to squirm out. He didn’t remember her being this strong. Then again, she’d been taking gymnastics for a while now. As if to prove the unspoken point, she released him and, using her arms, reverse vaulted into a sitting position at the edge of the sink.

“Mom and I went to three stores yesterday. We found lots of stuff, all different sizes. I picked out almost everything. I didn’t get anything pink or girly, even though they had some really cool looking outfits. There was this one —”

“You did good.” If he didn’t interrupt her, she’d talk nonstop, delving into every detail. He ruffled her hair a bit. “Thanks.”

She beamed, hopped down, and pranced around the bathroom like an elf.

“Time for measurements.” Ally appeared at the doorway, measuring tape and pencil in hand.

“Why? We already know he’s the same height as you.” Winter placed her hand on top of my head and moved it across an invisible wire to the top of Ally’s.

“Yes, but we’re going to measure him anyway.” She dropped one end of the tape so that it fell alongside the door frame. “Over here, Eli.”

He moved to the designated location, once again unnerved by Ally’s size. Seeing her eye-to-eye yesterday hadn’t fully registered in his mind, probably due to his fatigue. Today however, he couldn’t help but notice the difference. If she, one of the most petite in her seventh grade class, appeared this large to him, how would the girls in his eighth grade class appear? Not to mention the boys. If he hadn’t missed the last two days of school, he’d seriously consider skipping Monday.

“Shoes off.” Ally’s tone had shifted toward authoritarian of late, but he didn’t object. If left to his own devices, he’d procrastinate and never create a single episode.

“Eli shrunk about three inches yesterday.” Winter gestured to the camera, showing the distance with her fingers. “After we measure him, we’ll weigh him and maybe do some tests. It’s only been a couple days and we’re already up to twenty-four subscribers. Keep watching and remember to tell your friends.”

“Hold still. Ok. Five-foot one.” Ally marked the paint with her pencil. “Now step on the scale.”

He did as requested, but didn’t look at the analog readout. Something told him he didn’t want to.

“Ninety-four pounds.” Ally wrote the weight in parentheses beside the height on the door frame. “That’s four pounds lighter than me. Way to make a girl jealous, Eli.”

“Wait, how’s that possible? You’re as thin as a rail.”

“Am not.” She thumped him on the arm.

He ignored the playful assault and bounced once on the scale. The dial jumped but went right back to ninety-four. Well, ninety-five-ish, but she’d probably subtracted a pound for clothing. Regardless, he definitely weighed less than her.

“It’s not just your height that shrinks. It’s your entire body.” She held her arm up next to his. “See, look at your wrist.”

It did look less wide compared to hers, which seemed impossible, as if he inhabited someone else's body.

“And your hands.” She held her palm flat against his and, though roughly the same length, her bones appeared a little thicker. Maybe. Though he could just be imagining it.

“Let me try. Let me try.” Winter grabbed his hand and smashed hers against it. Realizing she’d chosen the wrong one, she swapped hands and studied the results. “It’s still bigger than mine.”

“Great.” Eli yanked his hand away. “I’m still bigger than a fifth grader.”

“Actually, Mason and Rachel are both taller than you.” Winter raised her hand above her head to demonstrate. “They’re the tallest girls in my class. They came to my birthday party last month. Don’t you remember?”

“No names outside of us three.” Ally collected her tripod and phone. “I’ll have to edit those out.”

“You remember them, right Eli?” Winter tugged on his sleeve.

“I don’t know. I guess.” He’d all but avoided her birthday party, making only brief appearances to watch her blow out the candles and open a few presents. Luckily, she hadn’t noticed his absence.

They followed Ally into the girls’ bedroom and waited for her to setup the camera. She must’ve prepared something because the coloring table sat in the center of the open area, instead of the corner where it usually rested. He called it the coloring table because its legs, and those of its two chairs, were shaped like crayons, each painted a different color (green, red, blue, and yellow). No one actually used it for coloring, at least not anymore. Lately, it served only as a dumping ground for some of Winter’s toys: everything from Barbies, to Barbie look-alikes, to colorful rubber food thingies, and so on.

“Hey!” Winter rushed to her pile of playthings. “Why are my shopkins all over the floor?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you clean it up later.” Ally finished setting up. “I had to make some room.”

“For what?” Frowning, Winter organized the tiny foods on the carpet, using some arcane sorting method only girls her age would understand.

“For the arm wrestling contest.” Ally inspected a flip pad on her dresser and jotted down some notes. “It was the first suggestion we received.”

Winter’s face brightened. “I wanna arm wrestle!”

“Have a seat.”

Winter hurried into one of the small chairs and, gap-toothed grin aside, assumed the earnest demeanor of a professional arm wrestler. Her arm swiveled repeatedly, down and back up, as if wrestling an invisible opponent.

“Really?” Eli asked. “Does everything need to be a physical competition?”

“What would you suggest?” Ally pushed him gently toward the empty chair.

“I don’t know. A mental challenge, like math or something.”

“Boring!” Winter lay her head on the table and pretended to fall asleep.

“That does sound boring.” Ally placed her hands on his shoulders and guided him into the small chair. Built for young children, he could barely fit his knees under the table. Had he been his normal height, he’d probably have to sit on the floor. Then again, he ought to stop thinking of it as his ‘normal’ height. He’d never be that tall again.

“So, I’m just supposed to arm wrestle her?” As soon as he placed his elbow on the table, Winter reached across and grabbed his hand, pulling it into the center. Since her arm was shorter, he had to widen the angle of his more than he would have liked. Not that he was worried about losing. He’d shrunk considerably, but not that much.

“You do know how to arm wrestle, right?” Ally moved the tripod on top of her bed, angling the camera toward the table’s red surface. “Ok.” She sat on the bed’s corner nearest them. “Ready. Set. Go!”

Winter gripped his hand and jerked his arm with surprising speed. By the time his full strength kicked in, she nearly had his hand pinned to the surface. Her arm didn’t seem nearly as skinny as he remembered, and he struggled to return to center.

Giggling but determined, she leaned into the table and then to the left, using her body to resist his efforts. Amazed at her strength, he gave it everything he had, all while trying to look calm and collected. If Carter saw him lose to his sister at his current size, he’d never hear the end of it.

As his arm tired, he desperately sought a new strategy. Surely, there had to be some trick to this. Experimenting, he bent his wrist at a sharp angle, found some hidden leverage, and moved her hand halfway toward the table.

Breaking out into a fit of laughter, Winter threw her other hand into the mix and pulled hard. She pinned him quickly and painfully, and held him there, giggling hysterically.

“I win! I win!”

“I’m pretty sure that’s cheating.” He wrenched his hand from her grip, then wiped his sweaty palm on his jeans.

“Eli’s the winner.” Ally tapped Winter on the shoulder. “Now it’s my turn.”

“Aww, no fair. He’s a boy so I should get to use two hands.” In spite of her complaining, she rose and let Ally have her seat.

“Just wait till he’s your size. Then it’ll be fair.”

“Good point.” Winter flexed her arm for the camera, the sleeves of her white-striped pink shirt hiding her probably non-existent bicep. “Rematch in a few days!”

He hoped he wouldn’t be her size in a few days. The thought alone made him want to crawl out of his skin. He needed more time to adjust to his current height before he could handle shrinking again.

Ally tossed her hair behind her shoulders and planted her arm in the center. “Let’s go.” She opened and closed her hand as if squeezing a stress ball.

“I think I’m done for today.” His elbow still hurt a little, as did the back of his hand from where Winter had slammed it.

“Oh, come on.” She reached over and took his hand. “I’ll go easy on ya.”

Thankfully, he didn’t need to over-extend his arm this time since hers was roughly the same height. But she squeezed his hand relatively hard, and her nails, longer than Winter’s and painted dark red, dug into his skin. “Ready. Set. Go.”

He was prepared for her abrupt countdown this time, but not for her raw power. Going all out, he couldn’t budge her arm an inch and barely managed to hold his position. She too seemed to be straining, but showed no sign of conceding.

“I said go.” She joked, smirking. “Any time now, Eli.”

“Yeh right. I can tell you’re giving it everything you’ve got.”

“Am I?” Her smirk broadened into a smile, and she tilted her wrist — the same trick he’d used on Winter! He tried to reverse the tilt, but his wrist and arm refused to budge. Instead, they sent a bolt of pain that caused him to lose considerable ground. She’d almost pinned him!

“This isn’t exactly fair.” He couldn’t hide the exertion from his voice. “My arm’s already tired.”

“That’s true. You did just have a tough match against your little sister. Here, I’ll help you out.” She let him take her arm to the mirror position on the other side, nearly to the point of letting her hand get pinned. This was it — his last chance to win the match.

Summoning the rest of his energy, he pressed down as hard as he could. Her eyes widened and mouth gaped  as her hand brushed the table. Then, she leaned in as Winter had done and levered her upper body in the opposite direction. The movement was so fast and so overwhelmingly strong that his hand smashed audibly against the table’s surface.

“Ouch!” He rubbed his sore hand.

“Ally’s the winner!” Winter held up Ally’s arm like a ref announcing the results of a boxing match. “She’s officially stronger than Eli!”

“I’m pretty sure her hand touched the table,” he said.

“Wanna rematch?” She placed her elbow back in the center.

“No.” He flexed his arm above his head and heard a little pop.

“Are you ok?” Ally asked, her smile vanishing.

“A little sore.” The pop hadn’t hurt, but he certainly didn’t want a rematch.

“What’s next?” Winter ran to the dresser and picked up Ally’s notepad. “Makeup tag twenty. What’s that?”

“Give me that.” Ally leapt up and retrieved the notepad from her sister. “Someone offered to pay twenty dollars if we do Eli’s makeup.”

Winter squealed. “Ohmigosh! Let’s do it!”

“That’s not going to happen.” He rose to his feet and stretched.

“I figured you’d say that.” Ally made a mark on the pad. “But it is twenty dollars.”

“Twenty dollars.” Winter chimed, as if repeating the amount would change his mind.

“How would they even pay?” he asked.

“I set up a PayPal account.” Ally had a smug expression on her face.

“First of all, there’s no guarantee they’d pay,” he said. “Secondly, it’s not nearly enough money.”

“Well, what would be enough money?” Ally asked.

“I don’t know.” He wanted to say ‘nothing’, but he probably would do it if the price were right. “Let’s just move on. What else is on your list?”

“The last thing is weight lifting,” Ally said.

“What does that even mean?” he asked.

“Try to lift me off the ground.” Ally held her arms out.

“Fine.” He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, then lifted, tilting his body backwards. She was quite heavy, but her feet did rise from the floor.

“No comments about my weight,” Ally said after returning to solid ground. She couldn’t be that worried about her weight. He knew some girls stressed over body image, but she had no reason to be concerned.

“My turn!” Winter wrapped her arms around his stomach. Then, she lifted. He didn’t come off the floor, but he did have to place a hand on the wall to prevent himself from toppling over.

“Too heavy,” she huffed. “You need to shrink faster.”

“No thank you.” He pried her fingers apart and twisted out of her arms.

“That’s all for today.” Ally waved to the camera. “Remember to like, subscribe and make suggestions!” She removed her phone from the tripod and tapped the screen.

“Well that was humiliating.” He lay flat on Winter’s bed, feet hanging off the edge, and stared at the ceiling. Sometimes he’d look for patterns in the textured ceiling ‘popcorn’. Now, he was just tired. His body still hadn’t fully recovered from shrinking three inches yesterday.

“We’re up to twenty-five subscribers, so it’s worth it.” Ally sat on her own bed and fiddled with her phone.

“Wow. Twenty-five.” He spoke in monotone. “I’m famous.”

“That’s twice as many as my channel and I’ve had mine for a month,” Ally said. “Plus, you have over a hundred views on the first video.”

“Great. And how many views do I need?”

“Well, you need a lot. A million per video to really start making money. But, if we publish a lot and get one hundred thousand subscribers, we should get pretty close.”

“Oh yeh. Piece of cake. Only a million —”

Winter flopped onto her back, perpendicular to him and directly on top of his stomach, causing the air to shoot from his lungs. “My bed is so comfortable,” she said, giggling.

“Get off!” He rose to his elbows, but she didn’t move. Instead, she stuck her legs straight out, increasing the weight on his abdomen.

“Winter, stop.” Ally looked up from her phone and kicked at Winter’s outstretched legs. “He’s not as big as he used to be. You have to be more careful.”

“Aww.” She took hold of the purple comforter and back somersaulted to her feet on the side of the bed.

“I’m not that fragile.” He took a deep breath. “It’s just annoying.”

“Yes, but if she does that after you get smaller, she’ll hurt you.”

“I obviously wouldn’t do that if he was smaller. I’m not stupid.” She sat at the edge of her bed and patted his stomach. Then, she grinned and started tickling.

“Alright, I’m gone.” He started to roll over but Winter’s hand caught his shoulder.

“Ok ok, I’ll stop.” She withdrew the hand from his stomach but held onto his shoulder. “Just stay a while longer. You never come to our room anymore.”

“I’m tired, Winter.”

“You slept all day yesterday. I hardly got to see you! Just hang out. You can rest here and I won’t bother you. I’ll just talk and you can listen.”

He sighed. “Fine.”

He let his eyes drift shut while his sister droned about her entire last week at school, starting with Monday of course. He nodded and made the occasional comment until the cadence of her neverending monologue eventually put him to sleep.

It wasn’t until Mom got home and called for dinner that he awakened. Upon rising, he found his chest covered in those little plastic foods, and Barbies surrounding his head — the latter arranged four on each side, in an arrows pointing downward.

He would’ve laughed if the window and it’s fading sunlight hadn’t caught his eye. In less than twelve hours, he’d be returning to school — significantly shorter than last week and entirely more noticeable. As someone who’d managed to blend in for most of his life, sticking out was the last thing he wanted.

The resulting ball of discomfort in his stomach did nothing for his appetite.

 

 

 

As soon as Eli set foot inside his school, Landon Middle, he knew he’d made the wrong decision. Teens trampled through the curved hallways, leaving little room for him to squeeze between the blue cinder block walls and the yellow lockers. To them, he probably looked like an ordinary sixth grader, easy to ignore. But that didn’t stop him from brooding on the worst possible scenarios.

He’d insisted Ally not follow him to class. He didn’t need a watcher yet, and she socialized a lot more than him. She wasn’t as outgoing as Winter, but she had her own group of friends and he had no desire to ‘hang’ with them. Alone, he could at least remain inconspicuous and —

A fierce jerk on his backpack straps sent him to the ground, landing hard on his butt. Books, papers and pencils scattered across the floor. A group of boys clambered past, stepping on his things and laughing. “Sorry man,” one of them said, but they continued onward, bumping each other into walls and other students.

“You OK?” A blue haired girl wearing a batman symbol t-shirt and ripped jeans knelt to help gather his belongings.

“Uh. Yeh.” He stuffed random papers back inside a folder, not caring if they were upside down or folded.

“Those guys are assholes.” She finished putting his books back in his old Jansport, then stuck out her hand. “My name’s Parker.” In spite of a fresh scratch on her cheek, her unsmiling face was striking and showed no ill intent. It was as if helping him had been no more or less routine for her than walking or breathing.

“Eli.” He shook her hand, noticing once again, how it seemed larger than it should be. Not that he’d ever met her before, but something felt off.

“Wait.” She paused, but maintained a firm grip. “You’re not Ally’s brother, are you?”

“She’s my sister.” He focused on her hand. Like her face, it too had scratches and black markings, presumably from a pen. Nothing identifiable, just weird drawings, like a spiral and what appeared to be hearts dripping blood.

“Sorry.” She released him and resumed the cleanup effort. “Ally’s in my science class. You’re her...older brother?”

“Yes.”

“What grade are you in?”

“Eighth.”

“Oh. Ok.” She rounded up his pens and pencils, placing them in the smaller pocket of his backpack. Together, they worked in awkward silence to collect the mechanical pencil lead which had somehow spilled out of it’s container. He knew what she was thinking.

“I’ve got the shrink gene.” Why not aim for maximum humiliation today? One ought to have goals after all.

“Oh shit.” She scanned him with her dark brown eyes. “Are you serious?”

He shrugged, zipped his backpack and stood, swinging it over his shoulder. Since last week, it had become heavier of course, but still not so heavy that he couldn’t wear it on one shoulder for a few minutes.

She rose to her feet, easily an inch or two taller than him. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell anyone.”

“It’s ok. Everyone will know soon enough.”

“Oh. Yeh. I guess that’s true.”

More awkward silence. It seemed as if she wanted to say something. Instead, she stood there, eyes flitting from the lockers back to him.

“Anyway. Uh. I gotta get to homeroom.” He pulled the other backpack strap over his shoulder. “Thanks for helping.”

As he started to turn, she touched his arm. “Hey, If you’re ever bored, come hang out in the parking lot after school one day. It’s just me and a few other skaters. You probably know one of them.”

“I don’t know how to skate.”

“Neither did I until a few weeks ago. You’d be great with your low center of gravity. Might as well make the best of it right?”

“The best of it?” he asked, feigning ignorance.

“Oh. I mean. You’re shrinking and all.” She winced, then clapped her hand against her forehead. “God, I’m an idiot.”

He paused just long enough for some color to rise to her cheeks. “I’m joking. I knew what you meant.”

She removed her hand from her reddened face. Then, upon seeing his smile, she pushed him gently on the shoulder. “Jerk,” she said, half smiling herself.

The bell rang, and he realized they were alone in the hallway.

“Crap. Uh. Thanks again.” He turned and speed walked away.

“Hey,” she called from behind. “See ya ‘round, Eli.”

He looked back and waved. The way she held her books in front of her and smiled — she reminded him a little of Zoey, though she looked nothing like her. Perhaps it was her smile. Perhaps it was the way she made him feel.

Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

***

“You late, Eli.” Miss Velasco said, her odd European accent almost as harsh as her intimidating glare. “Take seat.”

He tossed his bag beside his desk and sat down, ignoring the stares and whispers of his classmates. Or at least he tried to ignore them.

“He does look shorter.”

“Wow, I can’t believe he’s really shrinking.”

“I heard his little sister’s taller than him now.”

“Quiet class!” Miss Velasco stepped out from behind her desk. She was a round woman, though not particularly tall. Her stocky build and direct demeanor made her one of the more feared teachers in the school. “As I’m sure you heard, Eli has the shrink gene.”

She paused and looked at everyone in the classroom, seeming to dare anyone to laugh or speak or blink. No one did. No one dared. When her emotionless eyes (seemingly black holes in framed by makeup-coated eyelids) landed on him, she resumed speaking. “Unfortunately for Eli, there is no excuse for tardiness.”

Someone chuckled softly, and Miss Velasco heard it. “Kyle? Something you’d like to tell class?”

“No. Uh.” As the top swimmer in our class, and as a typical jock, he radiated an air of fearlessness, even in front of Miss Velasco. “I was just thinking his legs are getting shorter. So maybe he should get a little more time.” The amusement in his voice belied any sincerity that his words may have carried.

Muffled laughter could be heard throughout the rest of the class and Eli could feel his face changing colors. How did everyone already know he had the shrink gene? He himself didn’t find out till last Wednesday and this was his first day back.

“This is funny?” Miss Velasco asked and the room got dead quiet again. “Kyle, this school has anti-bullying policy. Yes?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The undertone of mirth in his voice hadn’t vanished. “I was just —”

“Verbal abuse? Embarrassing your classmate? Yes?” Miss Velasco asked.

“He’s not embarrassed.” The amusement had finally gone from Kyle’s voice as he defended himself. Eli stared hard at a deep cut in his desk, one that pre-existed his time there. He tilted his head downward to hide as much of his face as possible with his hair.

“Class, what do you think? Did Kyle bully Eli?” Miss Velasco peered around the room. Feet shuffled and a few pencils rolled on desks.

“Yes he did.” A clear, familiar voice from the back. A defiant voice.

Zoey’s voice.

Great.

“And why is that, Zoey?”

“He’s obviously embarrassed.” Zoey’s tone gained volume like a train gaining momentum. “I know I would be. Almost the whole class was laughing. Why do y’all think Haley’s being homeschooled? It’s like someone sharing they have cancer and making a joke about thinning hair. It’s disgusting. And if it’s not bullying, I don’t know what is.”

“Well said, Zoey.” Miss Velasco focused her glare. “Kyle?”

“I don’t know. I mean I was just joking around. I’m sorry I guess.”

“Why you telling me?” Miss Velasco asked.

“Hey Eli, I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”

Cringe. The day could NOT get any worse.

“See me after class today, Kyle.” Miss Velasco didn’t wait for him to respond. “As for everyone else, you will treat Eli with respect and consideration, same as any other student. If I hear otherwise, school policy has punishments for bullying including suspension and expulsion. Am I clear?”

“Yes Miss Velasco.” Eli didn’t join the chorus of replies. He just stared at the deep cut, wondering who had carved it into the wood and why — anything to take his mind off the current situation.

“I’ll be taking volunteers for watchers. Remember you’ll be responsible for Eli’s safety as he travels from class to class, and ensuring that he gets there on time. In return, you get free premie training and licensing along with the respect of peers and faculty. To volunteer, write your name on piece of paper and place it in box.” She pointed to a wooden fixture that looked like a mix between a mailbox and a bird feeder.

Eli didn’t hear anyone hurrying to rip off pieces of paper. What if no one volunteered? Would he be stuck with a teacher following him (and eventually carrying him) from class to class? On second thought, a teacher would probably be better than a student.

Especially considering the rumors he’d heard of Haley’s experience.

***

“I can’t believe the whole school found out before I did!” As soon as he exited homeroom, Zoey caught up with him and ‘guided’ him into an inconspicuous recess in the hallway. She loomed over him, literally, and backed him into the corner.

“Sorry.”

When they’d started dating two years ago, they were the same height. She’d grown much faster and stood a good two inches over him when she’d dumped him late last year — probably because of their height difference, though she’d never admit it. Now, one of the tallest girls in his class, she had to be at least half a foot taller him.

“Sorry? Is that it?” She reached for his shoulder then stopped, perhaps afraid to touch him now that they were alone. “I texted you all weekend, wondering where you’d been the last couple days. I was worried, Eli.”

“I know. I just…” He didn’t want to tell her that he’d uninstalled Viber, the application they’d used for texting. Her family limited her phone usage, so she rarely sent SMS texts.

“You’re being selfish. You didn’t used to be that way. We used to…” She dropped her red bag and wiped her eye. She always could be dramatic and wasn’t afraid to turn on the waterworks when necessary. “We used to tell each other everything.”

“I know.”

She crossed her arms, covering the pink-purple highlights at the ends of her light colored hair. “You said we’d still be friends. You promised me. Now it’s like you dont even…” She looked away and rolled her eyes, wiping them again. “It’s like you don’t even care.”

He did care, but it hurt. He’d loved her, and she dumped him. It was too hard to read her texts and not want to cry, too hard to watch her hanging out with the jocks because they were cool and he wasn’t. They used to be nerds together. Over time, she dyed her hair blond, replaced her glasses with contacts, and...developed. She’d left him in the dust without even looking back.

That’s what he wanted to say. Instead, he said, “I’m sorry.”

She tilted his head up, likely so that he couldn’t hide his own watery eyes, then shook her head.

“You idiot.” She pulled him into a hug, a tight one, one that pressed her chest into his neck. He didn’t care. He let the tears flow, crying onto the shoulder of her fluffy sweater. She wore her favorite perfume, kenzo flower, likely still the one he’d purchased for her birthday. The thought alone made him cry even harder. It didn’t matter if anyone saw him now, he’d already hit rock bottom in an ocean of embarrassment.

After they finally separated, she leaned in and wiped his face with a tissue. She always had stuff like that handy. “You’re going to be alright. I’m going to make sure of it.”

She must think his tears were for his condition instead of his love for her. Best to let her think that. They could never be together again anyway, not when he’d be the size of a doll by this time next year. Likely much sooner at the current rate.

“I’ve already volunteered to be your watcher, at least for the classes we share. You’re ok with that right?”

“Yeh.” His heart was ok with it but his brain wasn’t. Or maybe it was the other way around. “Thanks.”

“Don’t you dare skip school again, and if you ignore my texts I’m going to pummel you.” She gave a tearful laugh, bopping him on the head. “I can do that now, and you can’t stop me.”

He smiled in spite of himself and grabbed her wrist before she could bop him again. She twisted easily away and delivered a flurry of light punches to his chest until they were both laughing and breathing heavy, her body nearly pressing him to the wall.

As her face drew close, her smile faltered and she took a deep breath.

He should’ve gone for it. One last kiss. He could still do it. But what would it accomplish? They could never be together. Not really…

Ahhhhh! Carter was right — he had no confidence. No wonder she’d left him. Who’d want to date a coward?

“Alright.” She wiped the smudges from her eyes, then smiled a heart-stopping smile. “I’m watching you starting today. Let’s get to biology.”

“Ok.” Eli knew she wasn’t his watcher, not yet, not officially anyway. But, he could never resist her.

That much hadn’t changed and probably never would.

***

Eli sat alone at lunch, hiding out in the school library instead of eating in the cafeteria with everyone else. Zoey didn’t share the same lunch period, so she wouldn’t miss him, and he usually sat alone even when dining in the designated areas. Technically, the library was off limits during lunch hour, but no one enforced the rule so long as food and drink didn’t enter the premises. He wasn’t the only student there today, but the others minded their business.

Since the morning fiasco, the rest of the day had gone smoothly, boring even. Biology and English offered no surprises. Though he felt more eyes on his back than usual, most in class seemed as bored as him. He attracted attention as something more interesting than a lecture, but less interesting than the internet. As soon as class ended, everyone ignored him, hypnotized by their handheld devices. Thank god for Wifi — not even the shrink gene could compete with it.

After finding some privacy between two shelves at the back of the library, he unwrapped a granola bar and bit down, studying the consistency. How much larger did it feel in his mouth? The texture of the oats and nuts felt the same as he remembered, but surely it wouldn’t for long. How could he even digest the food if his molecules shrank further? He’d listened enough in biology to know how enzymes worked. Cellular respiration, glycolysis, ATP, and all that stuff. But how could it occur when the food molecules were larger than normal?

He didn’t have the answers and neither did anyone else. Many premies had volunteered themselves to science in return for lavish lifestyles and promises of a cure. He considered them guinea pigs and felt sorry for them, shuddering to imagine the science ‘experiments’ they endured. From everything he’d read, no one had discovered any answers to questions such as how digestion took place. Certainly no one had found anything close to a cure yet. Science couldn’t even predict who would shrink or when, as the ‘gene’ only became detectable weeks before it’s expression, like a random mutation simultaneously altering the DNA of every cell in the body — something that shouldn't be possible. In the decades since the discovery of the shrink gene, the only breakthrough had been a controversial treatment to help repair premie tissue damage, though it’s cost and side effects made it all but inaccessible.

Refusing to continue this pointless train of thought, Eli reflected on his encounter with Parker this morning. She’d stopped to help him, something no one ever did, at least not at this school. She’d even invited him to meet her after classes. Normally, he’d dismiss the idea without giving it a second thought — he went through a lot of trouble to avoid people — but he still regretted not kissing Zoey this morning, and Carter’s words ate at him.

With renewed determination, he texted Ally: not taking bus home. music club.

He wasn’t sure how he’d get home. Worst case scenario, he’d walk the four miles. Best case, his mom or someone would pick him up. When he’d attended music club regularly in seventh grade, Lance’s mom would drive him home. Since then, Lance had moved, and Eli didn’t know anyone who attended the club nowadays. He wouldn’t be going to the club of course, but it served as a decent alibi, so long as no one did any digging.

Somehow the riskiness of his decision cheered him up. In a way, it helped prove, at least to himself, he wasn’t a coward. For the rest of today, he wouldn’t hide in a corner; he’d face his fears and try something new. It could backfire. He knew that much for sure. But at least he wouldn’t have to deal with more regret.

Regret sucked.

***

Eli hid behind the industrial recycling bin, peeking around the rusted edge like a stealthy ninja preparing for combat. Except he wasn’t a ninja, and it was broad daylight, and the few kids remaining at the bus loading ramp could see him if they merely looked his direction. He opened his backpack and pretended to toss some papers into the bin.

After the last bus had departed, he snuck another look at the far end of the nearly empty parking lot. Three boys took turns jumping off a small ramp, nothing more than a piece of plywood leaning against a few cinder blocks. However, Parker was nowhere to be seen. Where did she go? She’d been there a couple minutes ago, when he’d last —

A tap on his shoulder. “Boo.”

“Shit!” He jumped and almost fell forward onto the pavement, but braced himself against the bin at the last moment.

“Now we’re even.” Parker laughed, her gray eyes sparkling in the sunlight. She dropped her sticker-covered board and rolled it back and forth with one foot. “What are you doing over here?”

Heart thumping and head spinning, he shrugged, wishing desperately to retreat into the dark confines of the trash receptacle and remain there until morning.

“You ok?” Concern etched into her face where her smile had been. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you that bad. I just saw you heading this way — ”

“I was just waiting.” Not hiding. He definitely wasn’t hiding. “You looked...busy and…” He swallowed in defeat. Might as well be honest. “I’m not very good at meeting new people.”

“Oh.” Her smile returned. “I’m not either actually. But it’s just my brother and his friends. You probably know Wes. I think he’s in a couple of your classes.”

“Yeh.” He’d seen Wes in social studies but had never spoken with him, not even once. Talk about awkward. Then again, Wes usually slept through the class, his head precariously propped on his hand in such a way that he appeared to be paying attention. Some jokingly called him the Sandman.

“C’mon, I’ll introduce you. They’re mostly dorks, but they’re harmless.”

Harmless or not, they were boys and she was a girl and surely one of them wanted to be her boyfriend. In spite of the fact that she wore a baseball cap, no makeup and male clothing, no one could deny her attractiveness. Attractive? Since when did he find her attractive?

This whole situation was a bad idea. He trudged further into it like a prisoner into an execution chamber.

Confidence. Confidence. Confidence. He’d made the decision to show up, and there was no turning back, so he might as well make the most of it — even if that meant faking that he wasn’t about to have a nervous breakdown.

Parker skated in front of him, skillfully weaving from side to side to maintain a speed equal to his pace. Had she really only been skating for a few weeks? She didn’t appear to be showing off, just enjoying the day. The spring air carried the scent of honeysuckle and other flowers that he couldn’t identify. It also carried her straight hair in waves, whipping against her slim shoulders like a blue cape.

She skidded to a halt and flipped her board into her hand, just as Wes came flying down the ramp, almost slamming into her.

“Idiot.” She slapped him on the back as he raced by, causing him to wobble for a moment.

“Hey Parker. Who’s your boyfriend?” A scraggly haired boy with a ripped pink shirt and hoodie called out before lighting a cigarette. At least it looked like a cigarette from the distance, but the way he held it seemed different.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” She didn’t say it in a spiteful way, but somehow, the words still stung even though they were entirely true.

“Better not be.” The tallest of the three, wearing black rimmed glasses and green knit hat barrelled toward Eli. At the last minute, his board went sideways and he stopped, but not before causing Eli to flinch. “My sister ain’t old enough to date.”

“Gross. I mean. We’re not dating.” She crossed her arms, dropping her skateboard in the process. “You guys are idiots.”

“Wow.” Her brother grabbed Eli’s shoulder. “Dude you just got friendzoned so hard.”

She shoved her brother so fast he tumbled onto his side. His pads absorbed the impact and he laughed with Wes, who had turned around and veered back toward the action. The guy smoking didn't laugh. He had a lazy smile on his smoke wreathed face.

“Eli, this is my idiot brother, Nick. You already know Wes, and that’s Gavin.” She pointed to the one who still hadn’t moved, nor had he made any attempt to speak after lighting up. “I told you they were dorks.”

“Wait. Do I know you?” Wes hopped off his board and leaned in close, red-rimmed eyes squinting, like a connoisseur at an art gallery. “Holy shit. You’re the shrinking kid. Ya, man I heard about you today. Sorry bro.”

“For real?” Nick stumbled to his feet and placed his hand directly on top of my head, as if he were attempting to palm a basketball. “Thought you looked a little short to be Parker’s boyfriend.”

She popped him in the arm so hard that even Eli sensed the sting.

“Owww!” Nick shuffled backwards and stepped on his board in one smooth motion, gliding away while speaking. “Just fuckin’ with ya man. She’s a lesbian anyway.”

“I’m going to kill you.” Parker jumped on her board and raced after him. She even followed him up the ramp, jumping off and landing on the other side without skipping a beat.

Eli wanted to die. A bullet in the head would preferable to another second of breathing, but he’d made up his mind to endure at least one day of torture. He walked toward Gavin, the only one not currently speeding around the parking lot.

“Sorry man. That’s some heavy shit.” Gavin definitely wasn’t smoking a cigarette. The sweet smell of pot invaded Eli’s nostrils. “Wanna’ hit?” He held out an unfiltered, dirty inch of a joint, and suddenly, Eli’s wish had been granted. Marijuana, the metaphorical bullet.

Still, he shook his head, too much of a coward to do something illegal on school grounds. “No thanks.”

“It’s all good man.” Gavin reached into his shirt and pulled out a little baggie which appeared to contain a couple of small joints. “You ever need to escape, just toke one of these.”

“Thanks.” As if in a dream, Eli watched his hand take the baggie and slip it into his pocket. He’d just participated in his first drug deal and the feeling of coolness counteracted some of the humiliation. Not all of it, but enough to make him feel like he actually belonged, if only a little.

“Yeh man.” Gavin nodded, like a wizened old man. “You ever run out, you know where to find me. Best prices at the school.” He took a final drag from what remained of the joint and smashed the remainder into the concrete with his shoe. Then, he stood and leapt onto his board, somehow changing from old man to agile teen in the blink of an eye — as if his system had magically recovered from it’s intoxication, blessing him instead with nimbleness and speed.

While watching, Eli thumbed the baggie in his pocket, consoled that no matter how embarrassed he got, he could use it to escape, if only for a few hours. Eventually, Parker stopped chasing her brother and joined him, popping her skateboard into the grass.

“Wanna’ try?” she asked, offering her board to him.

“Uh. Sure.” He placed the board on the ground with both hands, and stepped on it with his left foot.

“Wait. First step up here with me.” She pointed to the grass where she stood.

“Ok.” He stepped over the curb and stood beside her.

“You used your right foot, so use right foot forward on the board. It’s very important.”

“Ok.” He stepped on the board, pushed off, and rolled for a few seconds until a wobble caused him to jump off.

“Good.” She appeared beside him. Apparently he hadn’t been going that fast. “I told you your center of gravity would make you a natural.”

“It’s kinda fun.”

“Wait ‘till you hit your first nosegrind.” Wes jumped onto the curb and slid with the back wheels up for a second before tumbling into the grass.

“Ignore him.” She took hold of Eli’s shoulders. “Now step onto the board with both feet pointed to the side, right foot first.”

He complied, bending his knees and wobbling slightly.

“Ok. Now I’m going to push you. Just go with it and focus on balancing.”

Without waiting for a response, she walked alongside him, pressing gently against his hip with one hand. Her distracting touch made it difficult to focus, but he managed somehow. This continued for several minutes. She encouraged him, teaching him the basics of turning and braking. He envied her confidence and found himself wanting to improve, wanting to spend more time with her.

Lost in the sweetness of her voice, he didn’t notice when one of the front wheels hit a large pebble. Tilting forward, he lost his balance and crashed into the pavement. His right elbow and forearm absorbed the brunt of the impact.

“Oh no!” Parker bent over him. Her hair touched his face, making the pain in his arm seem like nothing.

“It’s alright.” He sat and extended his arm, then pulled back the bloodied sleeve to reveal a quarter-sized scrape. The blood made it look worse than it was.

“Nice rash, dude!” Nick flew by, giving a thumbs-up.

“The nurse’s office is still open.” Parker took his good arm and helped him stand.

“I don’t need —”

“We’re going.” With her skateboard under one arm, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along toward the school building. “This is my fault. You should’ve been wearing pads.”

“You’re not wearing any.”

She looked back for a moment, then continued walking. “I lied when I said I’d only been skating a few weeks. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to scare you away.”

“It’s ok.” Why did everyone think he was scared? Did he broadcast it in some way? “I’m glad you invited me.”

She half turned her head, enough for him to see her signature smirk. “Even though I tried to kill you?”

He laughed, then gave her hand a brief squeeze, more instinctual than intentional. She turned forward and quickened her pace, almost forcing him into a jog, but she didn’t let go. In fact, it seemed as if she’d increased her grip.

She did stop talking, however, and he kicked himself for that. He’d probably freaked her out.

His stomach flipped, then sank as they walked, as if he’d eaten a bowling ball for lunch, even though he’d hardly eaten anything. It wasn’t just nerves. He knew this feeling from before, and it wasn’t good.

After re-entering the school, they went straight for the nurse’s office but the door was shut. She knocked, then they waited. He switched from one foot to the other, trying to stave off the nausea.

She turned the knob. “Locked.”

“It’s ok, really.” He twisted his arm so he could get a better look. “It’s already clotted.” He swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in his throat.

She took hold of his arm. “We need to put antiseptic on it, else it’ll get infected.”

“I’ll just call my mom to pick me up. It’s ok.” He pulled his arm away from her, struggling to speak, like his tongue had become fat. “Um, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He waved then took off down the hallway, leaving the stunned girl standing there, skateboard in hand. She’d get over it. Better to leave her confused than have her see what was about to happen.

“Wait! Eli!”

He looked back over his shoulder. She’d started following him. He took a sharp right down a side hallway and broke into a run. The exercise jolted his stomach, and he paused long enough to dry heave a few times. He’d hardly had any lunch so nothing came up.

“Eli! Stop!” She was running now too, only a few classrooms behind him.

He sprinted to his favorite hiding spot — the library — turned into one of the aisles at the back and collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily. In spite of the recent exertion, chills creeped through his skin. He sat and pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping them with his arms.

He waited. The waiting was the worst part. Waiting for his world to change again, to be smaller and weaker and everything else that came with shrinking. At least Parker wouldn't find him. No one ever found his hiding spot. Then again, no one had ever looked for him this intently.

“Eli.” A whisper from the aisle over. Movement barely visible in the spaces between the books.

He held his breath, but coughed through his nose. It wasn’t loud, but neither was the library.

It was enough.

“Eli.” Parker’s voice from behind him. “What’s wrong?” She sat beside him. “Did I do something wrong?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Then why were you running?” Brows knitted in concern, she picked at her thumbnail.

“I’m about to s-shrink again,” he said, teeth chattering. “It’s emb-embarras-sing.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. You can’t help it.” Her tone brightened. “If you want, I’ll tell you an embarrassing story about me. I have lots of them.”

“That sssok.” A shiver interrupted his halfhearted smile.

“You’re freezing.” She sat with her knees up like him and scooted directly beside him. Drawn to her heat, he wanted to lean against her body, but resisted.

“How long does it take?” she asked.

“I d-don’t know. A f-few more minutes.”

They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. But it was a comfortable silence. Parker broke it, speaking a little too loudly.

“I’m not a lesbian.”

Of all the things she could have said, he didn’t expect her to say that. He glanced at her face, met her searching eyes, then looked away, his cheeks reddening in spite of the chill.

Screw it. He couldn’t live his life in fear.

“I — I liked holding your h-hand.”

Silence. Unbearable silence. Like the world had frozen, his heart the only moving object for miles around.

Then, the warmth of fingertips on the back of his hand. And a whisper.

“Me too.”

 

 

 

Of all the embarrassing things Eli had experienced, shrinking in front of a pretty girl, practically a stranger, topped the list. Yet, for once, he didn’t feel embarrassed. Parker had never laughed at him because of his condition, nor did she make him feel self-conscious. Not even when she folded her hand on top of his.

“You’re so cold.”

She reached behind him and pulled him into a gentle side hug. Welcoming it like a steamy shower, he leaned against her — leg against leg, shirt against shirt, his head upon her shoulder. In response, her embrace tightened, like an organic blanket melting his inhibitions. He released a final shiver, took a deep breath of her vanilla scented hair, then exhaled, relaxing completely. Nothing in the world had ever felt so natural — so safe.

With her presence and heat overpowering the cold emptiness, he became able to focus on his shrinking this time. They both had their knees up. As the seconds ticked by, his knees fell below hers, his jeans wrinkling as he lost mass. As his head slid further down her shoulder, a stray blue lock of her mane tickled his descending cheek. The breath from her nostrils, like a summer breeze, shifted from his eyelids to his forehead.

Not saying a word, her arms wrapped further around him. As her relative surface area increased, so did her temperature. He’d never felt anything like it. She’d turned a horrible experience into something enjoyable, euphoric even. He found himself wishing to prolong the experience, even if it meant he’d get smaller. In fact, the idea shrinking with Parker holding him like this —

Such an incredible feeling. The room bulged for a moment as if reflected through a funhouse mirror, and he sighed deeply — intoxicated with the feeling of becoming less, of giving up some intangible burden, yet knowing he’d be safe. Knowing he’d be loved.

When his vision re-focused, his breath caught in his lungs. His legs had become so much smaller than hers, much more than what he’d expected. The frigid shrinking sensation had diminished, but his heart rate skyrocketed when he considered how much he’d shrunk.

“Shhhh. It’s ok.” Parker’s soothing voice had a calming effect. She didn’t release him, nor did he want her to. Her presence, as weird as it might seem, was the only thing keeping him sane at the moment.

He nuzzled his head against her shoulder. Or maybe it was her armpit. He didn’t care; even the slight smell of her sweat didn’t bother him. He just didn’t want her to let go. He wasn’t ready to face reality.

“So much smaller,” he said, trying to come to terms with the situation.

“I’ve got ya.” She moved her hand up and down his shins, creating a frictional warmth which radiated to his feet and thighs. “Do you think it’s over?”

“Maybe.” He probably was finished shrinking for now, but he wanted an excuse to be with her for another minute or two. “You said you had an embarrassing story.”

Soft laughter in her chest jostled his head. “Loads. Wanna hear one?”

“Yes.”

“Ok.” She took a deep breath and he listened to the air as it passed in and out of her lungs, then alighting upon his face with the scent of cinnamon. “When I was in fifth grade, I had really short hair. Honestly, I looked like a boy. The funny thing is, it didn’t bother me. For a long time, I thought I wanted to be a boy.”

“You did?” How could anyone confuse her for a boy? Even with her baseball cap and skater clothes, he’d barely consider her a tomboy.

“Yeh.”

“Why?”

She paused the hand massaging his shins. “Are you going to let me finish the story?”

He chuckled quietly. “Yes.”

“Ok.” She resumed her caress, for which he was thankful. “So, I looked like a boy. I even started going by my last name, Parker.”

“What’s your first — ”

“You’re interrupting.” She squeezed his leg , playfully, causing him to laugh again. “Ok. So the first day of school, I decided to use the boys’ restroom. I’d done it before a couple times at restaurants, and it was never a big deal. This time, I walk in and the stalls are filled.”

“Oh...so…” He considered her options. “You just wait.”

“Exactly. Except another boy walks in. He looks at me, then asks if I need to do number two.”

“Who would ask that?!”

“This kid apparently. Anyway, like a dummy, I say ‘no’.”

“What? Why did you say no?”

“Because, I was an idiot back then. Anyway, the kid looks at me, looks at the open urinals, looks back at me. All this time, I’m just turning red.”

He couldn’t contain a chuckle. “What did you do?”

“I ran out of there! Didn’t say a word. Neither did the kid. He looked at me strange for the rest of the week, but luckily, he moved away and I never saw him again. Lesson learned. I never went to the boys’ bathroom again.”

“Wow. That’s pretty good.”

“I got a lot more. Trust me.”

“So...what is your first name?”

“Natalie. But please never call me that.”

“Do you still want to be a boy?”

She sighed, leaning her head on top of his. “No, that was ages ago. But I’ll never be a girly girl. I’m just...me, I guess. I like to skate. I like some girls and some boys. Well...one boy.”

Wait. Did that mean she was bisexual? And more importantly...

“Who’s the one boy?”

“Well.” She scooted a bit further away and lifted his face to look into his eyes. “He has blond hair and a goofy smile that makes my heart skip. He’s terrible at skateboarding, but brave enough to try. He’s shy, always eating lunch alone where he thinks no one can see him.”

“Wait. How do you know where I eat lunch?”

“Who says I’m talking about you?”

“Oh.” Ouch.

“Of course I’m talking about you.” Her impish smile instantly healed the pain of her joke. “I found out you had the same lunch period as me. So I followed when you got out of class and noticed you went to the library instead of the cafeteria. I know. I sound like a stalker. I promise I’m not, I just wanted to eat lunch with you. Then I realized I’d never seen you in the cafeteria.”

“Oh, why didn’t you say hi to me in the library.”

“Because then you probably would think I was a stalker.”

“Hmm.” He smiled. “Yep. You’re definitely a stalker.”

“Hey!” She pushed him, nearly toppling him.

“I’m joking!” He sat back up and wanted to get closer to her again but didn’t know how. The conversation had become awkward.

She blushed, her cheeks turning bright pink. “I probably shouldn’t have told you all that. I just...I felt safe telling you things. I’m sorry if it freaked you out. I’m kinda wierd.”

“I don’t think you’re weird.” He took hold of one of her hands, the one with the most ink markings, noticing how much larger hers was. He turned it over and lay his free hand against hers, making it obvious how her fingers extended almost a full digit beyond his.

“I shrank a lot.”

“So.” She interlocked her long fingers with his.

“It sucks.” He sighed. “The day I meet a girl like you is the same day I shrink the most. Pretty soon — ”

“What do you mean a girl like me?”

“Um.” He looked up and her eyes locked on his. He swallowed, blood rushing through his veins like a locomotive. “A girl that I like.”

Her smile grew almost imperceptibly. She leaned forward, closer to his face. Was she going to kiss him? He should be the one kissing her, but he couldn’t move a muscle. Suddenly, as if he’d finally regained control of his body, his head spasmed forward. His lips pressed into hers hard, too hard. They bumped heads and separated.

He stared at the floor, mortified that he’d ruined his first kiss with this girl. He didn’t notice her hand lifting his chin up as she came in for a second attempt. This time their lips met perfectly, hers covering his for a few seconds that seemed like minutes. After she pulled away, she bit her bottom lip.

“You’re worried I won’t like you when you shrink.” She moved her thumb across the back of his hand like a windshield wiper.

He nodded, too confused by the rush of emotions to think straight. He’d never been this open with someone before.

“Why?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Girls like taller guys. Someone that can protect them. Plus I’ll be really, really small. If people saw me as your boyfriend — ”

“You want to be my boyfriend?”

He nodded. “Yes, but — ”

“Then ask me.”

He could almost see the smirk returning to her face. Was she joking? He had no idea what he was doing. When he’d started dating Zoey years ago, it had all gone so slowly. This was something else entirely, but it felt so right. He’d never been so light headed, so giddy with excitement.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

A hypnotic smile grew on her angelic face.

“Yes.”

Too good to be true. He had to question it, a metaphorical pinch to his consciousness. “Even though people will think — ”

“Eli, I have blue hair, a nose ring, and I dress like a boy. Do you think I care what other people think?”

He hadn’t noticed her nose ring — a simple diamond stud on her left nostril. He’d seen it but it seemed like such a part of her that it didn’t register.

He shook his head.

“Like I said, I’m not a girly girl. I definitely don’t need a guy to protect me. And I know exactly how small you’ll get. It doesn’t bother me. In fact it’s kinda”—she paused, blushing, then continued in a softer tone—”There are lots of relationships between normals and premies.”

“But, pretty soon I’ll be too small to be alone. We won’t be able to hang out.”

“I’ll just volunteer as a watcher, for lunch and after school activities. It doesn't matter that we’re in different grades. I got held back a year so I’m probably older than you anyway.”

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen. Birthday is April 1st.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeh, it’s no fun having a birthday on April Fools’.”

“No, I mean, you’re birthday’s only two days before mine.”

“Nice.” She chewed on the side of her bottom lip. For a fleeting moment, his eyes focused on her canines, simultaneously cute and threatening.

He returned his attention to her intense gaze. “So, it really doesn’t bother you...that I’ll be a lot smaller than you?”

“No. Does it bother you that I’ll be a lot bigger than you?”

“Well yeh...but…” He sorted through his recent memories. “When you hugged me, it felt really good, like I just wanted to keep shrinking for some reason. I felt safe and protected, like you’d never leave me even though I’d only just met you. Part of me wanted to get smaller in your arms to increase that feeling.”

“You’re so...honest.”

He reddened furiously and turned to the rows of books, reading the titles in his head. Meltdown, The Midnight Fox, The Midwich Cuckoos —

Her hand touched the side of his left jaw and angled his head toward her encroaching face. Before he could react, her soft lips met his in perfect union. In all their years of being ‘together’, he’d only kissed Zoey twice, and only once on the lips. So when Parker’s tongue pressed against his lips, demanding entrance, he parted them purely out of instinct. He didn’t expect her to continue...

Pressing.

Reflexively, his head jerked back, but her hand cupped the base of his skull, preventing movement in the opposite direction. Trapped, he surrendered to the invading muscle as it traversed his teeth and slid across his own tongue. A tingling sensation crashed into him like a tsunami, washing away his fight-or-flight response. His brain went offline and he gave in completely. Her tongue writhed, exploring his oral cavity. Supernovas of pleasure detonated throughout his body.

Part of his brain, the minor part that still somewhat functioned, told him to reciprocate. He pressed his tongue past her lips and touched her teeth briefly before she pushed back even stronger, invading his mouth once again. Their breathing escalated together. He inhaled her sweet exhalations as if depending upon her for life support.

When they finally separated, he was literally panting and her face was flush with color. They couldn’t keep kissing or else he’d explode or faint or something bad would happen. Was that even a kiss? It felt more like, something amazing, definitely more than a kiss.

“I...uh…” He tried to place his arms over his baggy pants in such a way as to hide his body’s reaction. If she noticed, she didn’t point it out. Thank goodness.

“Um.” She pressed her lips together, looking simultaneously demure and excited. “Mom will be here soon to pick me up.”

Whew. He didn’t want her to leave but, then again, he couldn’t trust himself at the moment.

“How are you getting home?” she asked.

“Uh…” He couldn’t form words. Why couldn’t he talk?

Her smile returned full force. “Where do you live?”

“Brooklyn avenue.”

“Seriously? That’s really close. We live on Withdean road. Wanna ride?”

“Sure. Ok.” He took a deep breath, and attempted to collect his thoughts.

“Looks like your arm healed up. I read shrinking has that effect.” Her fingertip traced over the dried blood, reigniting electric tingles.

He pulled his sleeve down, desperate to escape her touch for a few minutes. If he didn’t, he doubted he’d be able to walk straight. He started to stand, but quickly returned to a sitting position, realizing that his pants were comically big.

“Here.” She reached over, then tightened his belt as far as it would go. Once again, he found himself thankful for the bagginess. “Ok, now stand up.”

He stood and his pants hung lopsided, but they remained in place. Luckily, his t-shirt hung so low, no one would notice. Parker removed his now oversized shoes and rolled up the cuffs of his jeans as if it was something she’d done a hundred times before. She then pulled off his dangling socks, stuffed them in the shoes, and put them in his backpack.

“Perfect.” When she finally stood, he took a step back, alarmed. The top of his head probably only reached her shoulders, at most. For her part, she looked down at him as he hadn’t changed in the slightest.

“Let’s go.” Skateboard under one arm, she held out her free hand. Did she really expect to hold hands in public? On second thought, who cared? If it didn’t bother her, it shouldn’t bother him.

He lifted his heavy backpack onto his shoulders and took her hand.

“Want me to take that?” she asked, nodding to his backpack.

“I got it.” He wasn’t completely helpless, at least not yet. “Thanks.”

“Just let me know if it gets too heavy.” She started moving and he speed walked to keep up. The exercise, more strenuous due to the weight on his back, helped him to cool down mentally. When they finally reached the parking lot, his body’s ‘excitement’ had returned to more normal levels, though still elevated, as merely holding her hand triggered his libido.

“Is it too hot?” she asked as his feet touched the warm asphalt.

“No. It’s ok.”

“Good cuz you’re still a little too big for me to carry.”

“Oh. Yeh.” What could he say? She really didn’t seem afraid to say what was on her mind. Perhaps that’s why he opened up to her so much earlier.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and they continued walking. Of the boys, only Nick remained, and he skated toward them.

“Holy shit dude.” Nick braked with the back of his board. “You shrank a fuck ton. You look like an elementary school kid.”

“And you look like an asshole.” Parker stepped ahead of me, standing between me and her brother.

Nick squinted at his sister, the sun reflecting off his glasses. “Why are you holding his hand?”

“Because I’m his watcher.”

“He ain’t small enough to have a watcher yet. Though he’s gettin’ pretty close.”

“I’m also his girlfriend.”

“Bullshit. In the last thirty minutes, you’re suddenly his girlfriend?” He spit on the ground and eyed them. “You ain’t allowed.”

“You had your first girlfriend at fourteen.”

“That’s different. I’m a guy.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“We’ll see what Dad thinks about it.”

“I’ll tell him when I’m ready,” she spoke coolly.

Nick frowned. “What if he asks me why you’re hangin out?”

“Tell him I’m Eli’s watcher. It’s the truth.”

Nick glared at Eli, then removed his glasses, pocketing them. “I’m going to kick your ass little dude.”

Eli took a step back but she held onto his hand, then pulled him beside her. “He’s joking.”

Regardless, Nick was a giant, easily over a foot taller than Eli. He’d done well at feigning bravery most of the day, but he stood no chance in a fight with someone of that size. None whatsoever.

“If you hurt my little sister, I’ll kill you.” Nick grabbed the neck of Eli’s t-shirt. “Don’t think for a second I won’t hit a — “

Parker whacked him in the side with her skateboard, causing him to release Eli’s shirt.

Nick stepped back, laughing while rubbing his side. “You should’ve seen the look in his eyes! I bet he pissed his pants.”

She raised her skateboard over her head and Nick took off, heading straight for the ramp and nearly falling after laughing so hard.

“Ignore him.”

“What about your dad?”

“Nothing to worry about.”

She didn’t elaborate and he didn’t question further. She knew her own family a lot better than he did after all.

It wasn’t long before a car arrived — a station wagon, white with wood paneling, most likely built prior to his birth. The heavyset woman behind the wheel, aside from her casual attire, looked nothing like Parker. She wore her brown hair in a messy bun. Large, round sunglasses adorned her jovial face.

“Hey Mom!” Parker opened the back door, removed my backpack, and tossed it into the spacious rear area along with her own backpack and skateboard. “This is Eli. He needs a ride home.”

“Hey there Eli!” Her mom sounded happy, almost too happy, like she’d just recovered from a laughing fit. “You can call me Dorothy, or Mrs. D, whichever you like.”

“Hello, ma’am.” He wasn’t sure he felt comfortable calling her by either name, both a little too informal.

Parker got in first. She swiped trash to the floor and covered some weird pedestal on the front armrest with a black cloth. Then she patted the seat beside her. “Come on in.”

He sat next to her and tugged on the door, but it didn’t move.

“It sticks.” Parker reached across and pulled it closed. She gave him a smile and rested her hand on his knee.

Mrs. D’s eyes drilled into me from the rearview mirror. “Aren’t you just the cutest — ”

“Mom!” Parker punched the back of the driver’s seat.

Mrs. D giggled, a sound he didn’t expect to hear from an adult. “Where you headed sweetheart?”

“Um, 1802 Southwest Brooklyn Avenue.”

“Ohhh, that’s not far at all. How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“He’s fourteen, Mom. He’s got the shrink gene. Now can we stop with the twenty questions?”

“It’s ok,” Eli said. “Really. I don’t mind.” Parker didn’t have to defend him all the time. He enjoyed it to an extent, but her mom wasn’t being mean.

“Well, I am a little nosy sometimes.” She fixed her makeup in the mirror. “Honey, did you tell him about your father and your —”

“Mom!”

“Ok. Ok.” She curled her eyelashes with some metal thing and blinked a few times.

Parker cupped her hand to my ear and whispered. “My family's a little weird. I promise I’ll tell you more about them tomorrow.” He almost missed what she said, so distracted by her warm breath against his face.

“Where’s you’re good-for-nothing brother?” Mrs. D. stuck her head out the window and practically screeched. “Nicolas! Get your skinny ass in here right now before I beat the crap out of it!”

Whoa. She’d gone from happy to terrifying in the blink of an eye. He did not want to upset this woman.

“Almost had my kickflip down!” Nick hopped into the front seat of the car, still holding his skateboard. “Couldn’t ya wait another minute?”

Mrs. D went nuts. She reached over and hit her son several times in the chest, punctuating her words with each backhand. “No — I — couldn’t — wait — another — minute.”

Nick burst into laughter and grabbed her arm, preventing her from striking again.

“Let go of my arm, else I’m going to knock you upside the head.” She raised her purse in her other hand. This woman was crazy. Like batshit crazy. What had he gotten himself into?

“Ok! I’m sorry!” He released her arm, but defended his face with his hands. “Did you meet Eli?”

“Of course I met Eli.” Mrs. D calmed considerably when she spoke his name. “Unlike you, he has manners.”

“Did he tell you he’s Parker’s boyfriend?” Nick asked, half chuckling.

“You asshole!” Parker reached forward and smacked Nick across the side of the head.

He merely ducked in his seat, still laughing.

“Aww, honey.” Mrs. D looked back at us, something resembling pity in her makeup-entrenched eyes, but not quiet. “When your dad finds out — “

“No one is telling Dad!” Parker’s hand trembled on his knee and she seemed on the verge of tears. “I’m serious, if either of you says a word…”

Eli slipped his fingers between hers, hoping to make her feel better.

Nick finally stopped laughing and Mrs. D spoke. “Honey, your dad — “

“I’ll tell him!” Parker’s words were choked. “Just not today. Can we please just drive and stop talking about this? Eli probably already thinks my family’s crazy — ”

“I don’t.” He lied. Well, half lied. Something about Mrs. D’s antics, while nuts, appealed to him. She certainly wasn’t boring. At her core, she seemed to be a good person.

“I think I see why you like this boy.” Mrs. D winked while Nick made retching noises in the front seat. Parker turned her head so her face couldn’t be seen.

The drive itself was uneventful. Mrs. D had the radio tuned to some pop station and Parker exchanged her phone number with Eli. They didn’t talk much, but her close proximity and the touch of her fingers on his palm provided more than enough communication, a wordless current of sensation that he didn’t want to end.

It did end, however, after he stepped out of the car onto the driveway of his house. She handed him his backpack and waved as he walked to the front door. In spite of his uncertainty about her family, watching her go pulled strings in his chest that he didn’t know existed. Strings that reached from him to her, closing together like stitches, as if they’re attracting power alone could stop the car from departing.

Unfortunately, the car continued moving and some strange wound inside of him felt exposed.

He pretended to knock on the front door, but as soon as the car had disappeared from view, he ran around to the back of the house. He had no desire to face his sisters anytime soon. They’d freak out over how much he’d shrunk and he’d rather postpone the encounter. He just wanted to text Parker and remember her touch...her kiss.

The rough grass scratched his ankles, reminding him that he’d need to mow soon, something he hadn’t done since last year. Then again, mowing would be a lot more challenging at his current height, and if he shrank any further, it would be impossible. Who would mow it then? Ally certainly wouldn’t do it every week, nor did he want her to. It wouldn’t be fair. He’d have to figure something out.

He bounded up the steps of the elevated deck, wincing as an exposed nail head dug into his heel. Hopefully Winter had found a pair of shoes to fit his current size, whatever that may be. The Converse in his backpack were size eight, so maybe seven or six.

After opening the screen door, he cupped his hands around his eyes and peeked into the kitchen through the rear door window. Enough light remained to make it difficult to see inside, but not impossible. His sisters were nowhere to be seen and his mother wouldn’t be home for another hour, as it was only just after five. The coast appeared to be clear.

He unlocked the back door and opened it slowly, careful to let the screen door close without banging against the frame. They had the television on, The Walking Dead, Ally’s favorite show. He couldn’t stand the show, but at least it meant Winter would probably be in the living room with her as she couldn’t stand being alone. He shut the back door, released the knob, and locked it ever so slowly.

The couch sat facing the main living room window, parallel to the hallway leading to his room. If they were actually watching the television, their faces would be pointing away from the hallway. Regardless, he wouldn’t need much time to escape into his room.

He tiptoed to the edge of the kitchen’s linoleum. As soon as his feet touched carpet, he took a sharp left and bolted down the hallway. Unfortunately, his rolled-up pant leg had descended and he tripped, landing hard on his chest, the full weight of his backpack coming down on top of him.

“Eli?” Ally called from behind. “Is that you?”

“Eli’s back?” Winter’s voice brimmed with excitement, enough to send a surge of adrenaline through his body.

Like a contortionist, he slithered from his backpack and, unburdened, speed crawled into this room. Then, he slammed the door and locked it just before the knob turned on it’s own accord.

“Eli, what’s going on? Where have you been?” Ally knocked on the door. “Open up.”

“Open, open, open.” Winter’s fists pounded, rhythmically, a bit lower on the door.

“I’ll be out in a while.” He emptied his pockets onto his desk, and hid the joints at the back of his secret drawer. The drawer wasn’t really a secret, but no one would check that far back as it didn’t pull out far enough. They’d literally have to be searching for something, and they had no reason to suspect him of stashing marijuana. Considering how awesome the day had turned out, he even considered disposing of it. He probably would as soon as he got the chance.

“I know you didn’t go to music club,” Ally said. “Where the heck were you? You didn’t answer any of my texts.”

He checked his phone. She’d sent him eight text messages, all variations of: Where are you?, How are you getting home, I’m telling Mom, etc.

“I was just hanging out with some friends.” He dropped his pants and boxers, easy to do as they barely clung to his waist. He pulled the boxers back up, but without his belt, they threatened to slide off his hips at any moment. Thankfully his t-shirt offered a modicum of modesty.

“You can’t just hang out.” Ally had stopped knocking, but someone’s fingernails, probably Winter’s, clawed at the door. “You never know when you’re going to shrink again.”

“I shrank. I’m fine.” He dug through pile of clean clothing on the floor. “I could use some smaller clothes tho.”

“Ohmigosh you got smaller!” The clawing stopped and Winter’s fingers appeared in the space beneath the door. She managed to stick her entire hand through, up to the wrist. “Let me see! Let me see!”

He walked to the door and stepped lightly on her hand, expecting her to say ‘Eeewwwww’ and withdraw it. Instead, her hand closed around his foot like a bear trap.

“Wow! Your foot’s so small!”

He wrenched his foot away and held out his hand just over hers, noticing they were about the same size, his being somewhat smaller. Wonderful. Now he really didn’t want to open the door.

“This is ridiculous.” Ally sounded annoyed. “I’m telling Mom. You can’t just do anything you want anymore Eli, especially not without a watcher.”

“I’m not under four feet yet.” He knew the basic rules of premie supervision. “Besides, I have a watcher.”

“What? That’s impossible.” A trace of concern entered Ally’s voice. “Who is it?”

“Just find me some clothes so I can get dressed. Some shoes too please.”

“How can we find you clothes if you won’t let us see you?” Ally asked.

“I don’t know. Just” —he glanced at Winter’s wriggling fingers—“I’m probably about Winter’s size now.”

“Ohmigosh omigosh! Let me in! Let me in!” Winter’s other hand jutted through the opening, this one palm down. The temporary tattoo of a butterfly on her skin contrasted with her zombie like clawing motions.

“No way.” Ally sounded surprised. “You’d have to shrink...seven inches at least.”

“Well...yeh. I’m not thrilled about it. But I’d rather not be naked all day please.”

Ally sighed. “Fine. Winter, go find him something to wear.”

“Got it!” She pulled her hands away, back under the door.

“Nothing pink!” he said.

“I know!” Winter’s voice sounded more distant.

His phone buzzed. A message from Parker: Now u know how insane my fam is. He smiled and texted back: Wait till u meet my fam.

“We definitely need to film another episode today,” Ally said.

“I’m taking the night off.”

“Eli, you’re up to eighty-two subscribers. Your channel is growing so fast. You can’t just take a night off, especially when you’re shrinking practically every day.”

“I’m in a good mood, Ally. I really don’t want to spoil it.”

“Why are you in a good mood? I thought you hated shrinking.”

“I...met someone.” He slid down, back against the door, and sat, staring at his phone.

“Who?” When he didn’t respond, she repeated. “Eli, who were you hanging out with?” After another pause, she asked, “It wasn’t Parker, was it?”

“Wait. How did you know?”

“Eli!” Something banged against the door. “You can’t hang out with her. She’s...psycho. She asked me which lunch period you had today. I shouldn’t have told her.”

“She’s not psycho. You don’t even know her.”

 “She’s a gender confused scene kid. Nobody likes her.”

“Screw you, Ally!”

“Hold up. She didn’t ask you out did she? Eli, please tell me you’re not interested in her.”

“She’s my girlfriend.”

“What! She is not your girlfriend.”

“Eli has a girlfriend?!” Winter’s voice chimed from another room.

“I cannot believe she asked you out. Eli, you don’t know her. She’s bad news.”

“Stop being so fucking judgemental.”

“Hey! I’m just trying to protect you here. She’s not a good person, and you’re way too gullible. There’s no way I’m letting this continue.”

“Ally, if you do anything, I promise I’ll never speak to you again.”

“Did you even wonder why she never talked to you before today? The same day she found out you have the shrink gene. Did she tell you her father is a premie? Her cousin, Haley, is a premie. Did she tell you that?”

The news stunned Eli, but he’d never side with Ally on this one, not in a million years. “Leave me alone.”

“She’s got a weird thing for premies. Everyone in our class knows it. She’s probably the reason why Haley left. She’s just going to hurt you, Eli.”

“Leave me alone!”

“Fine!” She kicked the door. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

“Fine!” he yelled as she stomped away.

 

 

 

Still slumped against the door, Eli dug his short nails into his exposed thigh, not deep enough to draw blood, but enough to slow his furious thoughts. Ally just had to go and say those things about Parker. It was as if she wanted him to be miserable. She’d never liked Zoey much either, never acknowledged her as his girlfriend. Maybe she’d even caused Zoey to dump him. Somehow. He wouldn’t put it past her.

A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, followed by Winter’s tentative voice. “Eli, I found a few things.”

He stood and cracked the door, just enough to hook his arm through, but not enough for her to enter or see him.

“Can I come in?” She deposited a stack of folded clothing onto his hand.

“No.” As he drew his arm back inside, his hand wobbled, and the clothes toppled to the floor. It wouldn’t have happened, but everything still felt so different. The doorknob, clothing, even the carpet under his feet, their individual fibers squishing under his skin. Sensations he wouldn’t have noticed in the past nudged into his consciousness — like experiencing the world anew in some parallel bizarro dimension.

“Here.” Winter shoved the vertical palette of clothes through the opening.

As soon as her hand withdrew, he shut the door, and examined his options. There weren’t many. A gray shirt with black lettering, jeans with more pockets than he could ever use, and a blue-green striped knit beanie. The only normal articles were the white socks and underwear although, upon closer inspection, the latter were of the feminine variety.

“Panties? Seriously?”

“I’ve never worn them! You said you’re my size, and they’re not pink.”

He pulled the jeans over his old boxers, and stuffed his bunched underwear back into place. Then he tightened the drawstring on his jeans. Since when did jeans have drawstrings? Still, they did a better job than the belt, and he only had to roll the cuffs up once to prevent them from dragging. After removing his baggy shirt, he donned the smaller gray shirt and stood in front of his mirror. The black lettering spelled WHATEVER, the W and the R appearing on right and left sleeves respectively. Not something he’d wear if given a choice, but he had to admit, she’d done a decent job overall.

“Can I come in now?” The door opened a hair. He’d forgotten to lock it.

“Yeh, I guess.” He picked up his phone and sat on the bed, noting that his big toe barely brushed the carpet.

“Really?” she asked excitedly, opening the door a smidge further. It was as if he’d said they were headed to Disney World.

“Yeh, just lock the door.” He’d had enough of Ally for one night.

“Ok.” The door opened and closed, and the lock on the knob clicked in place. He hadn’t received any new messages from Parker. Maybe she was busy. Should he text her again? He’d texted her last, so —

“Whoa.” Winter’s muted exclamation caused him to look up. She approached like a deer hunter, one dressed in shades of pink and purple, light blue socks tiptoeing as if to avoid snapping an imaginary twig and scaring the creature away. Suddenly, it didn’t seem like such a great idea to lock the door with her in the room.

“Stop being weird, or you’re leaving.” Better to assert dominance. She looked like she’d sprouted a foot taller, but she was still his little sister. He wasn’t about to start feeling intimidated by her. Not now. Not ever.

“Ok.” Her grin a mile wide, she hurried to the bed and sat down with a bounce, right beside him. The front pads of her feet touched the floor. Hopefully she didn’t notice.

“Whatcha doin?” She leaned over, invading his personal space. While certainly not a new behavior on her part, her proximity heralded a new sense of unease in him, as if she’d shoveled a fresh load of coal into some inner furnace of anxiety. The effect only intensified when she rested her chin on his shoulder.

“Do you mind?” He leaned away and stood, turning to face her. Standing, of course, had been a mistake. Promptly she stood too, moved her forehead close to his and placed a hand on top of his head.

“Ohmigosh!” she said, looking down slightly. “I’m taller!”

Her bubble gum breath caused him to withdraw a step. “News flash. I’ve got the shrink gene.”

“Stand here.” She took hold of his shoulders and moved him in front of the mirror. He let her do it. The faster she got this out of her system, the better. She stood adjacent to him, rigid like a post.

“Satisfied?” he asked. Eyeballing it, he could tell she was about an inch taller. Eerily, she looked a little larger too, as if her head and appendages were a fraction bigger. His brain couldn’t reconcile the person beside him with his little sister, who’d always seemed hopelessly small for her age. How could he be smaller than her now? If this feeling of...dysphoria (he recalled the term from his readings last week) was this bad now, how bad would it get?

“We need measurements for YouTube.” She stepped behind him, then elevated on her tiptoes to stare at herself over his head.

“I already said no.”

“This — is — nuts!” Her arms wrapped around him in a reverse bearhug. “You’re just soooooo — ”

“Let go.” He twisted but she had a good grip, her hands locked together, her arms pressing his tight against his sides.

“Break free,” she said jovially, just behind his ear.

“No.” In spite of saying otherwise, he did make an attempt, but couldn’t budge his arms. She couldn’t know how hard he was trying. She had to be using leverage or some trick of physics, as he doubted she was actually stronger than him. “Let go.”

“You’re trying aren’t you? I can tell.” She leaned back, lifting him off his feet a couple inches before setting him back down. “I can even pick you up now.”

If he couldn’t brute force his way out of this, he’d simply outsmart her. Leaning to the left with all his weight, he pushed off with his legs, sending them both falling sideways onto the bed. She broke out into a fit of giggles, interrupted when she spit air into the back of his head, likely from catching some of his hair in her mouth. Although she didn’t release him, he’d shifted in her embrace, affording him a one-sided tickle attack. This, of course, granted immediate freedom.

The freedom was short-lived as she quickly rolled over and pinned his wrists to the bed with her hands. Fortune must’ve graced her with yet another miracle of physics — he couldn’t pry his arms away from her sweaty grip. He could kick her, but that wouldn’t end well. The one time he’d hurt her during a wrestling match, an arm bar gone awry, he’d felt terrible for a week.

It didn’t matter anyway. The opportunity to kick disappeared when she vaulted her entire body on top of him, landing on his chest and stomach with her shins and knees, toes tucked under, sitting on her heels. In the past, when she’d do this, he’d simply roll over. This time, it was as if she was crushing him, and he could barely manage a breath.

“Say uncle.” Though red faced and breathing hard, she nevertheless smiled, raw determination in her blue eyes.

“Uncle!” He whisper shouted the word, afraid he’d suffocate if he remained under her weight for much longer. Hopefully, she’d just be happy she won and not notice how close she’d come to actually hurting him.

Satisfied, she hopped off and released his wrists, adopting the same tucked kneeling position adjacent to him. He coughed, and sat up, feigning annoyance instead of showing his real feelings (what were they anyway?). Though she didn’t say anything, her radiant face spoke volumes — “I win!”, clear as day. She’d probably been waiting ages to do that. She’d never beaten him in a wrestling match. Might as well let her enjoy the victory.

“I’m going to mow the lawn.” He took a deep breath and got to his feet.

“Wait!” She reached for his arm, but he stepped away, entirely done with wrestling for the day. “You didn’t say anything about the clothes. Do you like them?”

He straightened his shirt in the mirror. “Whatever?”

“Mom and I tried really hard to find stuff you’d like.” She employed her ‘troubled’ expression, eyebrows dipping slightly, lips straightening, eyes pleading. As irritating as she was, he couldn’t dismiss that particular face.

“You did good.”

She brightened a little, but glanced at the pile of clothes remaining by the door. “What about the underwear and socks.

“Those are panties.”

“So.” She hopped up fast, so fast he flinched. Why had he flinched? Thankfully, she didn’t notice and went straight for the panties, lifting them up and stretching them a couple times at the waist. “They look like boys underwear.”

Determined not to be afraid of her (who could possibly be afraid of Winter?), he marched over and picked up the socks, then returned to his bed. “I like the socks.” He donned the left sock. Slightly loose, but it would do the job.

“What’s wrong with these? They even say Hanes.” She flipped a little gray tag on the waistline as proof.

“I don’t care if they say...Ninja Warrior.” He pulled on the other sock. “When you get older, you’ll understand.”

“Oh please! We watched the video on puberty in class already. I know all about boys...things.” She seemed to be getting a little flustered, but it didn’t stop her. “I’ve worn some of your old boxers before, the ones you outgrew. And these” — she dangled the panties — “have never been worn. I promise!”

“Ok. First of all, don’t wear my stuff. Ever. Second, you’re insanely weird. Third, they could be fresh off the factory line. I’m still never going to wear them.”

She scanned him with her eyes, tossing yet another shovel full of coal into his inner furnace of discomfort. Then, she stepped toward him. “Give me one reason.”

Or what? He didn’t even want to consider the possibilities. She took another ominous step. It was now or never. He had to make his stand or she’d discover something. Discover what? Perhaps on some level, in some dark recess of his brain, his subconscious feared her. Just a little, but if she discovered it, knowing her, she’d take advantage. Somehow.

He rose defiantly, walked right up to her, and gave her the best reason of all. “Because.”

She stared at him, sugary breath permeating the air in the immediate vicinity, even though whatever gum she’d chewed had long since disappeared. He mentally prepared an escape if she tried to grab him, but he didn’t flinch this time. He couldn’t. Too much was on the line.

The seconds stretched until, finally, her face crumpled into a pout, and she tossed the undergarments to the floor. “Fine.”

Victory! And an educational one at that. He simply had to speak to her sternly, not showing an ounce of fear — something he should be able to do no matter how small he got. Practicing would build his confidence in other situations. He’d learned a new secret to surviving in this changing world, and he intended to make use of it.

“But why I can’t wear your clothes when I get bigger.” She crossed her arms. “It’s not like you’re going to wear them anymore.”

He sighed. Might as well let her have an empty win. “Go ahead. Just not my boxers.” He went straight for the door, eager to escape this claustrophobic situation.

“Ok.” She tailed him. “I didn’t like them much anyway. They’re not nearly as comfortable as panties. If you’d try them, you’d know.”

She really didn’t want to drop the topic. Even for her, this was...wait...

“Please don’t say the only underwear you bought me was panties.” He made a beeline for her room, nearly tripping over his backpack which still lay in the hallway.

“Of course not.” She was right on his heels, like a starving bear cub, already far too big for safe human interaction. “I just didn’t get much in my size because I figured you’d wear some of my clothes...if they looked like boy clothes.”

“You figured wrong.” Her room smelled like rancid perfume, something akin to dead roses. A tri-fold display, like those used for science projects, rested at the foot of her bed. Pink letters spelled The Bubble Experiment across the top. Balloons and pictures of her blowing gum bubbles adorned the center.

“Wanna see my project?” She lifted the display so that it stood vertically. A circular cutout containing the hypothesis fell to the sheets. “Oops.” She lay the floppy exhibit back down and grabbed a Scotch tape dispenser. “Whaddya think? I did it all by myself.”

He read the question section. Which gum blows the biggest bubble? She even had a couple of bar graphs. One depicted average bubble diameter in inches for various brands of gum.

“Actually, it’s pretty impressive.”

“Really?” She paused her repairwork to study him. “You think so?”

“Yeh.” Although eye bleedingly colorful, it seemed quite professional, or at least interesting. “You did this by yourself?”

“Well, Ally helped measure the bubbles. But I chewed all the gum, and it wasn’t easy. I had to chew five pieces of each flavor and my mouth got sore.”

No wonder she smelled like a candy machine. “But you did these graphs and all this writing?” He pointed to the results and conclusion sections.

“Um,” she began sheepishly. “Ally helped with some of it.”

He figured if he continued prying, he’d discover Ally had helped with all of it. If there was one thing that annoyed him more than Winter’s antics, it was Ally’s...perfectness. She made everything school-related look easy. Come time for report cards, he wanted to be nowhere near Mom’s verbal praises of her.

“You really had to chew thirty pieces?” he asked. Better to focus on the positive.

“Yep! I had to chew each piece for twenty-five seconds, and blow perfect bubbles every time.” She finished taping the hypothesis, a little lopsided, but not enough to detract from the overall appearance.

“So, where are my clothes?” He looked at Ally’s perfectly made bed, a sharp contrast to Winter’s wrinkled and lumpy comforter.

“Over here.” She bounded on top of Ally’s bed and spread her arms wide, like a circus ringleader presenting the next act. He headed over and saw the line of clothing piles, each neatly labeled with paper signs stuck to the adjacent wall: 5”, 4’6”, 4’, 3’6”, 3’, 2’6” and 2’ in purple ink. The area under 4’6” was empty but the others were stacked over a foot high with folded clothes.

What about when he shrunk under two feet tall? He didn’t want to ask.

“Alright.” He knelt and reached for the first stack. “Let’s move them to my room.”

“No!” She jumped down and stomped her foot on top of the contested pile. “You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” She pressed her lips together, but didn’t lift her foot.

He knew that look. She was hiding something.

“Because?” Good thing she couldn’t keep a secret. At all. Usually he didn’t even need to pry, she confided in him without him even asking or wanting to know.

“I’m not supposed to tell you.”

“Tell me.”

“Ok. But, promise you won’t tell Ally I told you that you're moving in here.”

“What?” His mouth fell open. “Who said?”

“She said you’d need someone to help you, as you got smaller. We can’t leave you alone in your room because what if you needed help at night. No one would know. We wouldn’t be able to hear you in a different room. This way, I’ll be able to help you whenever you need it. It’s going to be fun, Eli. Just wait — hey — “

She took hold of his arm as he tried to walk away. “You can’t tell Ally. You promised.”

He jerked his arm free and took off down the hallway and into the living room. Ally sat on the couch, thumbing away on her phone, obvious to the world. The Walking Dead still played on Netflix, though it must be a rerun because she paid it no attention.

“I’m not moving into your room!”

Ally pretended to ignore him. Winter took a seat at the far end of the couch, behind him. She curled up, legs against her chest, chin on her knees. “I don’t like it when you guys fight.”

“We’re not fighting,” he said, taking a breath. “I’m just telling her what’s going to happen. I’m staying in my room. She’s staying in her room. Period. End of story.”

“Did you hear something, Winter?” Ally cast a glance in the direction of her sister. “I thought I heard Eli, but it couldn’t possibly be him. He’s never speaking to me again. I must be imagining it.”

“Hilarious.” He watched as she went right back to her smartphone. No wonder Winter hated that phone so much. It made her seem like a regal monarch lording over her fiefdom. “Fine. I just came to give you the news I’m staying in my room.”

Finally, she looked up, but her eyes lingered a bit too long, the hint of a smirk forming. Was it his clothing? Or did she know something he didn’t?

“I’m going to mow the lawn.” He stepped away. Manual labor would —

“No, you’re not.” Ally said, matter-of-factly, causing him to face her again. “We hired a company. They’ll mow it tomorrow.”

“Whatever.” Might as well make the most of his shirt’s slogan. “I’ll mow it right now. Save Mom the money.”

“Eli.” She set her phone down and stretched her arms over her head. “You won’t even be able to start it. We haven't used it for months. Even if we had, you’re…” She looked him up and down, like a feudal lord examining a potential slave for physical aptitude.

“I’m what?”

“Just...you won’t be able to start it. Trust me.”

She stifled a yawn, then spoke again. “It wasn’t my decision to move into your bedroom. I couldn’t care less. It was Mom’s decision.”

“What!” He shook his head. She had to be lying. “If that’s true, why didn’t she tell me?”

“If you haven’t noticed, you’ve been sleeping a lot lately. She was going to tell you tonight.”

“That’s bullshit. I — I’m just going to tell her no.”

“Suit yourself.” She picked up her stupid phone again, and he lost it. He leaned over and swiped it from her.

“Snapchat?” he asked. “Is this what you do all day?”

“Give it back.” She extended her hand.

“Miss high and mighty, Snapchatting her fake friends? Let’s see who we have — ”

Suddenly, Ally rose to her feet. And by rise, he meant rise, a full head above him. “Give it back.” She repeated, this time a hint of anger in her tone. “I won't ask again.”

“Give it back, Eli,” Winter pleaded.

He took a step backwards, but she grabbed his shoulder, painfully, then shoved him sideways onto the couch. After taking hold of his arm, she jerked the phone from his fingers with uncanny strength. She pocketed her phone but didn’t stop squeezing his forearm, and it was starting to hurt.

“Let go.” He pried at her fingers but they encircled his arm like cables, digging further the more he struggled.

“You have no right to get angry at me.” Ally leaned in, her long hair brushing against his legs, her too-flowery perfume invading his senses. “Like I said, it wasn’t my decision. But I agree with Mom. You’re a premie, Eli. You’re not normal. You don’t need a normal sized room. You can’t use a normal sized lawn mower. And pretty soon, you won’t even be able to use the bathroom or eat without help. The sooner you come to understand your new place in the world, the better.”

“Let him go.” Winter cried. “You’re hurting him.”

Ally’s eyes went to his arm and she released him, then retreated a step. He swallowed, then blinked hard, determined not to show any sign of weakness. He scooted off the couch and ran for the stairs, clambering down them as fast as he could. By the time he reached the garage, his vision had blurred to the point of uselessness.

He wiped his eyes and punched the button to open the garage door. After rolling the yellow mower out of the garage and into the fading sunlight, he paused, trying to remember the steps. With shaking hands, he filled the tank with gas and primed it. The push mower was huge to him now, but it was self-propelled. He needed only to start it, and so help him, he’d start it or die trying.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t use both hands. With one hand holding the throttle down on the handlebar, he yanked the cord with his free hand, but it was like pulling in slow motion. The engine didn’t even turn. Again and again, he yanked with all his strength until the handle whipped out of his sore fingers, spooling back to its original position against the engine.

He hated her, truly hated her. But she was right. He couldn’t even start a lawn mower anymore. Soon he wouldn’t be able...he wouldn’t be able to do all those other things she mentioned. Because he wasn’t normal. There were a couple million premies in the United States alone, but that by no means made him normal. It by no means made him equal to the hundreds of millions of normal people. He was a freak, afflicted by some genetic disorder that no one really understood, destined to live or die at the whim of giants, of tyrants like Ally.

He sat on the driveway, knees up, and buried his face in his arms. At least he still had Parker, but what if Ally was right about her too? What if she merely saw him as a freak, as a future toy, or something worse? He couldn’t have a normal relationship with her, could he? Of course not. He wasn’t normal. He’d never be —

“Eli.”

A hand on his back. He peeked out to see Ally kneeling there beside him.

“Go away!”

“I’m sorry, Eli. I didn’t mean — ”

“I hate you!” He buried his face again.

She removed her hand and said nothing for a while, but he could tell she hadn’t left. Then she spoke, softly. Painfully. “I — I hate myself too. For what I did. I didn’t mean it. You are normal.”

“No I’m not! I can’t even start the lawn mower. You’re right. I’m a freak. I’m — “

“You’re not a freak. You’re” — her voice cracked — “you’re one of the coolest people I know. And I’m not just saying that. You — “

“I can’t even start it!” He kicked the stupid mower’s wheel, hoping to send it careening down the driveway, but failing to move it an inch. Then, he rose and wiped his face. “I’m useless and becoming more useless every day. Mom can’t afford to pay for a lawn service. That’s my job. What about taking out the trash and cleaning and — you said I won’t even be able to —” He couldn’t finish the sentence, his throat so constricted it wouldn’t let his tongue utter another syllable.

Ally stood slowly, her own face streaked, then pulled him into a hug. It was the exact opposite of what he wanted from his hated sibling, but at the same time, it was exactly what he needed. She held him close as he bawled into her chest, and he almost confused her with Mom. In many ways, she was Mom because his real mom was never around. Perhaps that’s why he resented her so much; she reminded him of and often took the place of the parent he missed the most.

“I didn’t mean any of those things I said.” She cradled the back of his head, holding him closer. “You’ll still be able to do most things, even if you don’t go to Premoria. Who cares if you can’t take out the trash or mow the lawn anymore.” Her voice softened further. “You’re kind hearted. You sing like an angel. And you’re the best big brother a sister could hope for.” She sighed. “I’ve been a bitch and I’m really, really sorry. When you mentioned Parker, I got overprotective. I — I still don’t trust her, but I won’t get in your way. Just be careful and promise me if she does anything, anything, against your will, you’ll tell me.”

By the time she finished speaking, he’d stopped crying, feeling somewhat foolish for being unable to contain his emotions. However, he still felt much better in her arms, his hatred replaced by a much softer feeling, akin to love, yet entirely different than what he felt for Parker. Ally had opened up to him, a lot, and he appreciated it more than he could express.

“I promise.”

They cuddled for a while longer, then she held him at arm's length, a weary smile on her face. “By the way, I think you shrank today.”

“Ya think?” He laughed through his nose, causing a bit of mucus to come out, which he promptly wiped on the sleeve of his shirt.

Ignoring the mucus, she rolled up his sleeve and winced at the finger-like marks on his arm. “Oh no! Eli...” She traced her fingers across the marks. “Does it hurt?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Mom.”

“You don’t have to. I’ll tell her. I never should’ve done that.”

“Don’t.” He couldn’t stand the suffering in her eyes. Almost worse than when Winter gave him her characteristic look. “Seriously, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“I’ll never do it again. I promise.”

The thought crossed his mind — if she’d squeezed him that hard at his final size, he’d be dead — but he dare not speak it out loud. It would crush her far worse than the fear it stoked in his chest. He’d simply have to learn to live with his fears because if his family started walking on eggshells around him, he’d detest it even worse.

He grabbed the mower and, with Ally’s help, lugged it and the gas tank back into the garage. They shut the door and headed inside, just in time to hear Winter rummaging around upstairs. She’d probably spied on them the entire time from the window.

“Oh,” he said as they ascended the stairs. “You didn’t mean that thing you said about the bathroom, did you?”

She laughed. “That’s what you’re worried about?”

“Well...yeh.” How could he not be worried about it.

“Like I said, you’ll be able to do most things just fine. So don’t concern yourself. Now, we still have a few minutes before Mom gets home. How about a quick YouTube session?”

She’d changed the subject, but at least she’d answered his question. Kind of. She probably didn’t have all the answers herself yet. She often pretended to know more than she did, awe-inspiringly overconfident, as if God had granted her his rightful portion of confidence in life.

Still, she’d made him feel much better today, as she had a strange way of doing, often by telling him what he needed to hear instead of what he wanted to hear. Sometimes drinking vile medicine was the only way to cure an illness, and Ally dealt in such medicines as needed, a pharmacist of words so to speak.

“Ok.” He followed her up the final steps. “Only if it’s fast and not too embarrassing.”

“Awesome.” She pulled out her phone and flashed him a smile. “It’ll be fast.”

 

 

 

“I can’t believe I let you do this.” Eli touched his cheek.

“Don’t!” Winter stilled his arm and sandwiched her face beside his. In the flower-framed mirror, they looked like twins, except his sulking face was caked with makeup, and hers was jubilant, clean and smiling. Ally hovered behind them, camera in hand, capturing the horrific moment.

“You said this would be quick.” He turned and glared at Ally. She lowered the camera, intent on capturing every humiliating second.

“You have no idea how adorable you look right now.”

“We’re done, right?” He stepped forward, but she all but blocked the narrow path between the two beds. This had gone on for long enough. As soon as he’d finished the mandatory arm wrestling match with Winter (and lost), they’d jumped right into ‘makeup challenge’, ignoring his protests. After all, they’d said, the anonymous benefactor had increased the promised contribution to fifty dollars. How could he resist?

As soon as he squeezed past, the front door opened and Mom’s voice rang out. “Hope everyone’s hungry for Chinese!”

He made a break for the bathroom, determined to wash his face before Mom saw. He moved fast, but not fast enough. Ally grabbed his left arm, and Winter his right. Together they marched, like a pair of executioners leading him to the guillotine.

“Let go!” He twisted this way and that, to no avail. They weren’t hurting him, but they weren’t about to release him either.

“C’mon Eli, we worked so hard on it,” Ally said. “Let Mom see.”

“Let me see what?” Mom reached the top of the stairs, red and white bags of savory smelling food in her hands. She turned her head in their direction. “Oh my.”

“Look, Mom!” Winter bounced up and down with my arm in tow. “Eli’s a girl.”

“He’s not a girl,” Ally said. “We did the makeup challenge. He was a good sport.”

“Can I go now?” I hug my head, but my hair remained behind my ears, stuck with whatever spray they’d applied to it.

“Awww, honey.” Mom placed the bags on the table, then walked up to him and touched his chin. “Did the girls make you do this?”

Eyes level with her breasts, he really had to look up to see her face. Though she had a concerned expression, the corner of her mouth twitched.

“No,” Winter said. “Someone on YouTube offered fifty dollars and Eli said it was OK.”

“Ally, I told you to be careful with YouTube. There are bad people on the internet.”

“I know, Mom.” Ally droned. “Trust me. I delete half the comments and suggestions. This one just seemed harmless and Eli didn’t mind. It was fun.”

“No it wasn’t.” He frowned.

Mom struggled to hide her smile. She got on her knees and played with his hair a bit. “You look just like your sister.”

“I don’t want to look like my sister.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” She embraced him right there in the hallway, but he could feel the silent laughter in her chest. “You’re just the cutest — ”

“Mom!” He pushed away but, in spite of her laughter, she resisted, holding him tight. Physically, it felt good. It had been a while since he’d properly hugged his mom.

“I want a hug!” Winter said, followed by a “Me too!” from Ally.

Soon, all four had joined together. His sisters, infected by Mom’s mirth, broke out into laughter, lightening his mood to the point where he found himself half smiling. He erased the smile as soon as the hug ended, but he did feel better about everything. Well, except for one thing.

“What about my room?” he asked before his mom could stand.

She glanced to Ally, then back to him. “Sweetie, I was going to tell you, but I didn’t get a chance over the weekend. We’re moving you to Winter’s room.”

“But — “

“Sweetheart, it’s for your safety.” She thumbed his temple and swiped a lock of hair behind his ear. “It’s only temporary.”

“Temporary?”

“Well sure. Just until you’re small enough for...a place of your own.”

“You mean a dollhouse!”

Ally rolled her eyes. “It’s not a dollhouse.”

“Your sister’s right. It’s an apartment designed for Premies. It’s really quite elaborate. You’ll feel like you’ve got your own place.”

“But it’ll still be in Winter’s room.”

“Maybe. Or we could move it to Ally’s room.”

Winter whimpered, a soft “noooo”.

“You mean my room.”

“Sweetie…” She touched his neck, her face with the same imploring expression Winter used when she wanted to get her way. It must be genetic.

“Fine!” He sighed. “But what about my recording booth?”

“Well, you can keep that until — ”

“Until I become a doll.”

“No.” She squeezed his shoulder. “Until you move into the apartment. We’ll make sure it comes with a sound booth.”

“Isn't all this stuff expensive?” he asked.

“Don’t you worry.” She touched his nose and rose to her feet.

But he did worry. She barely made enough to afford the house and other expenses. How could she afford all this Premie stuff? She’d have to work more overtime. It wasn’t fair to her. At the very least, he should be more thankful.

“Now who’s hungry for Chinese?” Mom dug a few steaming cartons from the bag and opened them, filling the air with smells of rice, noodle, and egg.

Meeeee!” Winter ran to the sink and grabbed four plates. Not far behind, Ally swiped some forks from the drying rack and set them beside the plates. Unable to find the words to thank his mom, Eli hugged her instead, this time from behind and with all his strength.

He’d find a way to help her out, even if it meant more embarrassing YouTube videos. Whatever it took, he’d make it happen.

***

The next day, Eli held Ally’s hand as they made their way to his homeroom class. He still didn’t need a watcher, but part of him wanted one. From his perspective, his peers had skyrocketed in height overnight. He barely qualified as a fifth grader, much less a middle school student.

No one paid him much attention until he reached homeroom. But as soon as Ally departed and he stepped inside, heads turned and grins sprouted on faces like weeds. Half the students were gathered around Kyle, hunched over his desk, eyes glued to something on his phone. As Eli made his way to his own desk, he heard whispers of ‘that’s hilarious’ and ‘send me the link’.

After he sat down, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Suyin, the class’s Japanese exchange student, dangled a black tube with gold lettering. “Want some eyeliner? It look really good on you.”

Her sarcasm carried, and most of the class erupted in laughter.

“I’ve got some blush, and I’m sure Paul will be happy to share his mascara,” With a lanky arm, Joey slapped Paul on the back. “Ain’t that right?”

“I dunno.” Paul chuckled so hard the top button of his shirt, already barely containing his round frame, shot off. “He might have to arm wrestle my baby sister for it.”

“Back off!” Kyle stood on his seat, rising above his congregation like a cult leader. “I ain’t takin the heat for this one.”

“You’re not taking the heat for what?” Zoey walked in amidst the dying laughter, and headed straight for Kyle. She snatched his phone away and stood there, absorbed, as students returned to their seats.

After several long seconds, she slammed the phone on Kyle’s desk. “You think that’s funny?”

Kyle, seated once again, leaned back, arms behind his head. “Kinda.”

“He’s doing it to raise money, ya jerk.”

“So.” He shrugged. “You’d laugh too if your panties weren't stuck so far up your ass.”

Zoey prepared to slap him, then the bell rang and Miss Velasco walked in.

“Seats!” Miss Velasco closed the door. “That includes you, Zoey.”

They didn’t have assigned seating, but most tended to sit in the same place every morning. This morning, Zoey sat directly in front of him, perhaps because the seat’s former occupant, Paul, had moved to the other side of the room. In fact, the spots to either side of him were also empty, as if he’d contracted some infectious airborne disease.

The pink ends of Zoey’s wavy hair draped over the back of her chair. He fixated on them as Miss Velasco took attendance. How did she manage to dye her hair two different colors and still look so beautiful?

When Miss Velasco wasn’t looking, Zoey deposited a folded piece of paper on his desk. He opened it.

Stop making U tube videos dummy!

She had a point. He really should stop, but according to Ally, there were over a hundred subscribers this morning — not an easy feat for a channel less than a week old. Besides, the existing videos would circulate the school like a virus. Kids would point and laugh for a while, get bored, then return to their WiFi saturated lives, spoon fed by real YouTube ‘stars’ like Leafy and Pewdiepie.

Embarrassment, while unpleasant, paled in comparison to the anxiety of shrinking itself. Words hurt more than actions? Bullshit. Those people didn’t have the shrink gene. They’d never get to watch sticks and stones grow into logs and boulders, each capable of crippling, maiming or outright killing. He’d rather deal with words any day of the week.

“Eli!” Miss Velasco rapped her pencil on her desk.

“Here!”

“Pay attention please!” After Miss Velasco finished with roll call, she addressed the class. “We have three volunteer watchers for Eli. Miss Zoey Forrester for morning, Miss Natalie Parker for lunch, and Mr. Kyle Larson for afternoon. We still looking for more volunteers in case — yes, Zoey?”

Zoey put her hand down with a thump. “Miss Velasco, I don’t think Kyle wants to be a watcher. And Parker is in seventh grade. Can’t a teacher watch him when I’m not around?”

“Of course. But students at Landon Middle look out for each other. Isn’t that right, Kyle?”

“Yes, Miss Velasco.”

“Ok. Any other volunteers?” Miss Velasco asked.

Crickets...save for a random cough near the back of the class.

“Miss Velasco,” Kyle said. “I feel it’s a shame so few choose to help those with special needs.”

“Would you like to stay after school again today, Kyle?”

“No, ma’am.” His response drew scattered laughter.

“Anyone else want detention?” Miss Velasco shot off warning glares. The laughter ceased.

Kyle wouldn’t have been Eli’s first choice of watcher, but then again, he didn’t have much to choose from. He could scarcely believe Kyle had volunteered of his own free will. Either he was planning a prank, or Miss Velasco had forced him into it.

Probably both.

***

“Sure you don’t want to sit this one out?” Mrs. Caldersmith, the gym teacher, knelt in front of him, hands on his shoulders. At nearly six feet tall, she knelt for a lot of kids, but Eli would’ve warranted it regardless of her height.

He shook his head. “I’ll be ok.”

“Alright.” She patted him on the back. “You don’t have to do twenty. Just do as many as you can.”

“Ok.” He ran out to join the other students, lining up at the edge of the basketball court. After tightening the laces on his light blue sneakers, an old pair of Winter’s running shoes, he slid beside Zoey near the back of the group.

“You shouldn’t be running.” She glanced down at him. “And you look ridiculous.”

He shrugged. His makeshift outfit, a baggy white t-shirt and yellow-blue shorts, contrasted with her matching adidas apparel. Black with a red nineteen on the shoulder, her shirt clearly identified her as a member of the girl’s volleyball team, and an outstanding one at that. He had no hopes of keeping up with her, but he intended to try.

“Go!” Mrs. Caldersmith blew her whistle.

The students took off running along the outside of the court’s painted lines. Instead of blasting ahead, Zoey jogged beside him as he ran.

“Slow down,” she said after a while. “You’re going to kill yourself.”

“You don’t have to” — he gasped — “watch me every second.”

“I’m not. I just wanted to talk. Slow down and breathe.”

He slowed. She practically had to jog in place to match his pace. “I wanted to ask you about Parker. Do you even know her?”

“Yeh. She’s my…”

“She’s your what?”

“She’s my girlfriend.”

“Oh.” Zoey fell behind for a split second, then caught up. “That’s cool.”

“You’re not upset?”

“Why would I be upset?”

They rounded a corner and continued on in silence, save for his erratic breathing. He’d never learned how to properly breath through his nose while exercising. Singing had conditioned him to inhale quickly through his mouth, filling his lungs as fast as possible.

“She knows you’re a Premie, right?” Zoey asked.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Why would she even ask a question she already knew the answer to?

“I guess...I’m just surprised,” she said.

“Why?”

This time, it was her turn to shrug. He waited for the bulk of the students to lap them before continuing.

“Premies can have relationships with normal people.”

“I know,” she said simply.

“Zoey, I’m not helpless. I don’t want your pity.”

“Chill out. I don’t feel sorry for you.”

“Then why did you defend me back in homeroom? You don’t have to —”

“Because I’m you’re friend, ok! We talked about this yesterday. Stop acting like you don’t need anyone.”

She accelerated before he could respond, zooming ahead, easily passing the group of students in front. He quickened his pace, but even running, he couldn’t catch up to the others. They continued this way for several laps. After she lapped him for the third time, she came back around and slowed to a jog beside him.

“How we doing?” If she was angry, her voice didn’t show it, nor did she sound the slightest bit winded.

He nodded, somewhat dizzy and unable to talk.

“I think that’s enough for now.” She motioned to get off the track.

He nodded again and veered toward the bleachers, nearly tripping over his left shoelace which had come partially undone.

She caught him by the shoulders. “You ok? You don’t look ok.”

“I think” — he heaved air, in and out — “I need to use the bathroom.”

“Can you hold it?”

He shook his head.

“Ok. I’ll tell Mrs. Caldersmith. Wait here.”

As soon as she walked away, he raced for the gym exit, ignoring the burning sensation in his lungs and the icy prickling on his skin. The latter didn’t come from the evaporation of sweat, and he had no intention of letting his classmates watch what came next.

***

“Mrs. Caldersmith.” Zoey jogged over to the tall woman who had her head down, jotting notes on her clipboard. “Eli needs to use the bathroom.”

“That’s fine.” She looked up. “Just make sure — oh. Looks like he really had to go.”

Zoey turned around just in time to see Eli disappear through the gym’s double doors. What the heck. Was he trying to give her a heart attack?

“I’ll keep an eye on him.” Zoey bolted toward the doors, dodging between her peers as they continued running. She spent most days after class in volleyball practice, so she had no need to finish the one mile run and whatever else Mrs. Caldersmith had planned. Eli took priority.

After bursting into the cool outdoors, she bounded across the concrete walkway and into the boy’s locker room. Once inside, she paused. It didn’t look anything like what she’d expected. Scratched benches separated rows of puke green lockers, some partly open with wrinkled clothes hanging out. A pungent smell, like that of an armpit, overpowered the scent of cheap deodorant, causing her nose to scrunch. Water dripped somewhere in the distance, followed by a low gurgling. She imagined herself venturing into the stomach of an enormous beached whale in the early stages of decomposition.

Before she could reach the shower/bathroom area and discover the ‘glories’ within, she spotted Eli between the back row of lockers. He lay curled up on the disgusting tile floor, typing away on his phone.

“Eli!” She hurried to his side and helped him sit up. “What are you doing?”

He tossed his phone back into a bottom locker and crossed his arms, shaking. “You’re not supposed to be in here.”

“Don’t worry, everyone’s in class.” She touched his arm. His skin felt colder than it should be, especially after just running a quarter of a mile. She’d read a few things about shrinking, but she hadn’t gone through the training yet. That wouldn’t happen until tomorrow afternoon. “You said you had to use the bathroom.”

He shook his head. “I — I need to be alone.” He turned his back to her. In spite of the recent exercise, his shirt didn’t appear too sweaty.

“That’s not going to happen, especially if you’re about to shrink.” She knew enough to stay with him during a shrinking episode, though she wished they were in the girl’s locker room. By law, Premies could enter the bathroom facilities of their current watcher. “Here.” She hooked her hands under his armpits. “I’m moving you to the bench.”

Expecting a struggle, she braced her back and lifted with her legs, but he didn’t resist, and he couldn’t have weighed much more than sixty pounds. After seating him on something marginally cleaner than the floor, she sat beside him and gave his leg an awkward pat. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

He shook his head again, his stringy hair concealing his eyes from the side. She’d always admired his dirty blond locks, even when they were ‘dating’. It had been part of the reason she’d dyed her own hair, to match his, even though she’d chosen a shade lighter. He really needed to take better care of it, especially since it nearly reached his shoulders.

His phone rang. She retrieved it from his locker. “It’s Parker.”

He extended a jittery hand, but if she handed him the phone at this point, he’d probably drop it.

“I’ll answer.” She slid the phone icon over. “Hello?”

“Who’s this?” Parker’s tinny voice came through the speaker. He really need a new phone. “Where’s Eli?”

“This is Zoey.” If Parker was really Eli’s girlfriend, she’d probably get jealous, but Zoey didn’t have time to worry about that. “Eli’s sitting right beside me. I think he’s getting ready to shrink.”

“Ok. Where are you guys?”

“The boy’s locker room.”

“Ok.” She spoke quickly. “I’ll be right there.”

“Wait. Is there anything I can do?”

“No. Well. Just keep him warm. Hold him if you have to.” Parker sounded conflicted. “Or don’t. It doesn’t matter, I’ll be there soon.”

She hung up.

Hold him? What did that mean? If he needed heat, maybe she should take him to the showers. He didn’t weigh a lot, but he’d certainly resist if she tried to pick him up, and moving him in his current state didn’t seem like a terrific idea.

Instead, she grabbed a lemon yellow towel from his locker and wrapped it around his upper body. His hands gripped the edges, locking the makeshift cocoon in place. Then, she scooted as close as she could and pulled the little guy into a side embrace, resting his head on her neck. He tried to lean away, but she didn’t let him.

“Parker said to keep you warm.”

“I — I’m ok.”

The poor guy. He could barely speak and he was shivering so hard, his head’s vibration against her jaw causing her own teeth to chatter.

“Shhhh.” She placed a hand on the exposed side of his face. “Try to relax.”

He took a few deep breaths, then stilled for a moment. A guttural whimper interrupted the silence and the strangest thing happened. His entire body shifted. His head dropped slightly, and his bare calves slid against hers. Only fractionally, but it wasn’t stopping.

The sound of loose change and rapid footsteps.

Parker appeared around the corner, winded and looking like she’d run a mile in a minute. Her fuschia wallet dangled from a short chain on her belt buckle. She returned it to her back pocket, at least as much as would fit.

“I can take him.” She moved toward Eli.

“It’s already started.” Zoey didn’t want to let him go now. Not because of jealousy (well, not entirely), but because of something deeper, more instinctual. As his body diminished in her arms, an overpowering sense of responsibility filled her. Nothing short of an act of God would cause her to willfully release him at this point.

Parker studied her, their willful eyes fighting a battle of sorts, one that couldn’t be seen but held every bit the meaning of a physical brawl. Unlike boys, girls didn’t always need everything to be spelled out verbally. A subtle look, a gesture, even a well placed pause communicated meaning effectively enough.

Parker sighed, and went straight for Eli’s legs.

“What are you doing?” Zoey asked.

“His legs are cold. I’m placing him on your lap.”

“Ok,” Zoey said. It was the right thing to do, of course. Why hadn’t she thought of it?

Before she knew it, Eli was seated sideways on her lap with his calves and feet extending partly onto Parker’s lap. Parker removed his dangling shoes and socks, and wrapped one hand around each of his small feet. All this time, he continued to shift against Zoey’s body, his head now resting on top of her chest. In spite of his position, she didn’t feel violated in the slightest. Quite the opposite. Her growing breasts — something she occasionally considered a nuisance, especially when playing volleyball — felt right, meeting some newly discovered purpose, and not in a sexual way.

“Hold him close.” Parker spoke softly, rubbing her thumbs on the tops of Eli’s feet, up to his shins, then back.

“Like this?” Zoey pulled him closer until his side bumped against her stomach. She hugged him tighter as he deflated like a balloon animal with a slow leak.

“That’s good.” If Parker was upset at the way she held him, she didn’t show it. In fact she seemed to be eyeing Zoey almost as much as Eli. “How does it feel?”

“It’s...” Somehow she knew the question was intended for her and not Eli. After all, he seemed almost catatonic in her arms, melting into her body as she willed her heat to transfer into his diminishing form. The sensation of his lower body reducing on her lap, his weight lessing, his entire self becoming less in her arms...

“It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?” Parker whispered.

“It’s amazing.” This was what it was like to be truly needed, truly responsible for the well being of another. This was what it was like to have a helplessly fragile person — the boy she’d once loved, still loved — getting weaker and more dependent with every passing second. Guiltily, she longed for it to continue, longed for him to shift all his burdens onto her shoulders, and she’d carry them (and him) happily for the rest of her life.

Parker’s hand touched her knee, a light touch, but enough to bring her back to reality. In Parker’s soft gray eyes, she saw a kindred spirit, one who’d shared the incredible, magical feelings Zoey was experiencing. She didn’t want to part with Eli, but if she had to, she’d feel somewhat content knowing Parker would take care of him. The sapphire haired girl had an aura of trustworthiness, of sincerity. Zoey had never noticed it before.

Parker smiled and Zoey smiled too. If they were in the same class, they’d probably have been friends by now.

Eli stirred in her arms, and she suppressed a gasp at the sensation — much like how she’d imagined being pregnant, and having a baby kick at your womb. Obviously she’d never tell him that, but she couldn’t help but think of it. After all, he’d become so much smaller. He couldn’t be much larger than a six year old, if that.

Reluctantly, she loosened her arms. “You ok?”

He nodded against her chest, causing her to bite her bottom lip. Unfortunately, she’d have to put him down soon, or else her maternal feelings would transform into something else entirely.

Perhaps sensing the situation, Parker asked, “Can you stand?”

Another nod of his small head, and Zoey closed her eyes, relishing the feeling. Then, she released a determined sigh and, with Parker’s help, gently lifted him onto the floor. As soon as he stood, his shorts fell, along with his underwear.

With his cute face turning red, he reached for his backpack, but stopped short, catching the towel before it could slide from his shoulders. His modesty charmed her more than it should.

Parker pulled his backpack from the locker and unzipped it.

“I don’t need help.”

“Yes you do,” the girls said in unison, catching each other’s eyes and laughing. They were in this together now, and he wasn’t about to weasel out of it. Besides, she’d baby sat for her cousin, a first grader roughly Eli’s size, more times than she could count. She’d bathed him, seen him naked, and even changed his diapers when he was younger.

He seemed too defeated to argue further, and he really had no grounds. They were his watchers. Even without training, she knew he must be tended to, before, during and after shrinking. So, tend to him, they would.

Zoey, lifted the towel away while Parker held his underpants out, adorable briefs with little red and blue dinosaurs. She considered removing his baggy shirt but, as tempting as it was, he’d probably throw a fit if they saw him entirely naked. With wobbly steps, he tried, but missed the opening of the briefs. Parker caught his foot and guided it in, then did the same with the other. She pulled them up and secured them with a soft pop of the elastic band. Then, she did the same with his plain gray sweat pants. When it came to the school dress code, Premies were given considerably more leeway, especially during the shrinking stages. It made sense, considering how often they needed different clothes.

Parker handed Zoey a small shirt, navy blue with a white design, something that looked like a cross between Star Wars and a country ranch. A farmer, pitchfork in hand, stood beside his wife, both wearing Stormtrooper masks. It was odd enough to rekindle the smiles on their faces. His sisters must’ve had fun picking these out.

Eli wasn’t smiling, however. He seemed to be falling asleep on his feet, even as Parker pulled blue striped socks over his little toes.

“Arms up,” Zoey said.

He raised his arms and she removed his shirt, amazed at how tiny and proportioned his body had become. Though he stood about as tall as her cousin, no higher than her upper stomach, his bone structure seemed smaller. His shape still resembled that of an adolescent, but with his youthful face, anyone unaware of his status as a Premie would easily confuse him for a small child. In fact, with his rejuvenated hair and skin (on account of the shrink gene’s restorative properties), he looked more like a little girl than a boy.

She pulled the shirt down over him just as Parker secured the last shoe on his foot. They had velcro straps and amber lights flashed on the side of the sole when he set his foot down.

“Seriously?” He blinked slowly, staring at his feet. Poor little guy could barely stay awake.

Zoey nearly fainted from the cuteness factor, especially when Parker helped him into his Jansport backpack. Though entirely too big for him now, he looked heart meltingly adorable, his little hands grasping the straps as he bent forward under the weight.

She’d carry it for him of course, and she’d make very certain Kyle carried it for him too, but she couldn’t help but snap a few quick pictures first. She didn’t plan on sharing them, but she wanted to remember this moment for the rest of her life.

 

 

Eli awoke in a plain bed to smells of soap and band aids. On the other side of the white curtains, a radio played old music. He heard a voice too, feminine like his mom. Where was his mom? He needed her.

He shimmied down the side of the squeaky bed and landed on the cold floor. It was slippery under his socks. The curtains parted to reveal a black haired girl, a blue haired girl, and someone who looked like his mom but wasn’t. She wore the same light blue uniform, but her face was different.

“Hey there little guy.” The blue haired girl knelt and smiled. “Recognize me?” She looked familiar. She wasn’t a threat, but he didn’t trust her.

“Hey Eli.” The black haired girl’s voice startled him.

“Ally!” He ran to her and wrapped his arms around her waist as far as they would go. She looked different, bigger, but she was definitely his sister.

“It’s ok.” She let him nuzzle into her soft clothes. She always smelled like flowers, and it comforted him.

But he still wanted his mom.

***

Ally couldn’t believe her eyes. Eli had become so small, the top of his head barely reaching the bottom of her chest. Furthermore, his expression had been one of bewilderment. He’d recognized her, but not Paker — not that she had any complaints about the latter.

Parker patted Eli’s back while Mrs. Agee, the school nurse, tended to a student who’d sprained an ankle playing kickball. Other than supplying a bed, she hadn’t done anything, almost appearing miffed at Eli’s presence in her office. At one point, she’d muttered something about premies and medical necessity, but Ally didn’t catch it all, nor did she probe.

When Parker had explained the effects of age dysphoria, Ally had only halfway believed her. At the time, she’d been more concerned about Eli’s comatose state. But seeing him now, she couldn’t doubt any longer. He was still her brother, but he wasn’t his normal self.

According to Parker, it was only temporary. He’d snap in and out of it (usually after resting), or fall somewhere in between, a semi-confused state. The phenomena happened to premies who experienced rapid shrinking like Eli. As their subconsciouses tried to make sense of the world, their minds regressed, relying on childhood memories. It was an adapting mechanism. Eventually, they’d return to normal, though sometimes it required shrinking to a point beyond such memories, potentially beyond infancy.

Parker took it in stride, as if she’d expected it. In spite of Ally’s reservations about the girl, she’d been a calming influence, providing Ally all kinds of information about how to properly care for a premie, both during and after the shrinking phase. Ally couldn't help but feel thankful. Her official training wasn’t until the weekend and Eli needed help now. Most premies didn’t shrink as fast as he had.

“I’ve gotta go,” Parker said. “When he remembers me, tell him to check his phone.”

“I will,” Ally said.

“Give me a call if you need anything. I’m just a couple blocks down so I can drop by in a jiffy. Oh and if he feels good enough for dinner tonight, let me know. You’re all invited.”

Ally decided to save her concerns about the whole girlfriend thing for another day. “Thanks, Parker.”

After Parker left, Ally helped Eli with his shoes and placed his backpack on his shoulders. Since his collapse in the hallway, the girls had moved the majority of his books into his locker, making the backpack lighter. It hadn’t been the cause of the fainting spell (Zoey was carrying it for him at the time), but they didn’t want to increase his stress.

“All set tiger?” she asked.

He nodded, then rubbed his drooping eyelids with his fists. He’d slept through lunch and all of his afternoon classes. If they didn’t start moving, they’d miss the bus and have to call an Uber to pick them up.

He grasped a few of her fingers and they headed out, walking together through the empty hallway. Students had lined up outside, preparing for the buses’ arrival. By the time they made it out, their bus had just pulled into the drop off circle.

No one gawked at them while boarding, perhaps because he looked nothing like his former self. So fresh faced and petite, he resembled a little sister riding home with big sis, not uncommon given the proximity of the private elementary school across the street. Too bad Winter didn’t go there. She’d die to ride home with them, especially since he’d started shrinking.

They took a seat at the front. Instead of looking out the window, he leaned his head against her shoulder. His stomach growled. After digging for a moment, she retrieved a granola bar from his backpack.

“Here.” She unwrapped it and handed it to him. He sniffed then nibbled, chewing slowly as if tasting a foreign food. A scowl formed on his face. He picked out the raises, letting them fall onto the floor.

“You need to eat those.” Had his taste buds changed too? Maybe he’d always picked them out and she’d never noticed.

“I don’t wanna.” He continued picking, his fingers scratching the oats and making a mess on his pants and shirt.

“If you’re not going to eat the raisins.” She stole the crumbly mess away from him and wrapped it in tissue, then swept the food particles onto the floor.

He looked stunned for a moment, then his scowl deepened and he started crying! What! Just because she’d taken away a granola bar he didn’t even want to eat.

The bus driver glared at them from the wide rectangular mirror above his seat, his hawkish eyes like smouldering coals behind the bronze lenses of his sunglasses.

“Shhhh.” She patted his leg, but he pushed her arm away. He cries softened, thank goodness, but he leaned away from her, crossing his arms.

“I want mommy.” He cast a forlorn stare out the window, little sobs causing his breathing to hitch.

“We’re almost home. Mommy will be there soon.” She had no idea what to say or do. Their mom wouldn’t be home for hours. Maybe she should call Parker. She seemed to know exactly how to handle him.

***

Ally unlocked their front door and stepped inside, dragging her petulant brother behind her.

“Is that...” Winter stood at the top of the stairs, slightly behind the rail post, mouth agape.

Ally shut the door and released Eli’s arm. He crumpled into the corner of the entryway, hugging his backpack to his chest.

“That’s your brother.” Ally ascended the stairs and walked into the kitchen. “He’s got age dysphoria.”

“I watched a video about that!” Winter followed her. “He thinks he’s a kid or something, right?”

“Yeh. Kinda.” She opened the fridge and looked for something to eat. Leftover Chinese, string cheese, yogurt. She opted for the string cheese. Surely he wouldn’t complain about cheese.

“Here.” She handed it to Winter. “He’s hungry.”

Winter took the cheese and ran off. By the time Ally returned to the living room, Winter was crouched by the front door with Eli, stuffed bear in one hand, cheese in the other.

Good. Maybe she could get through to him, or at least get him to eat something. In the meantime, Ally would begin moving Eli’s things into Winter’s room. She’d been through enough today and looked forward to having her own room for once. Besides, he seemed to be getting along with Winter and he certainly couldn’t be left alone at this point.

***

“Who are you?” Eli asked. The blond haired girl danced a teddy bear in front of him. She wore a pink shirt and black pajamas with boxy pink letters.

“Winter.” She smiled a nice smile. “Your sister.”

“No your not. Winter’s little. She’s smaller than me.”

“Um.” She crunched her eyebrows for a moment. “I grew up. I’m big now, but I’m still your sister.”

“My mommy says if you drink a lot of milk, you’ll grow big and strong. Did you drink a lot of milk?”

“I did!” Her smile widened and she nodded her head. “I drank all my milk and got really big. You wanna get big too right?”

He nodded.

“Cheese has milk in it. If you eat this and drink milk every day, you’ll get big like me.” She opened the plastic packaging and handed the long piece of cheese to him.

“I’m going to get big like my sisters.” He took a bite from the cheese and chewed it up. It tasted weird, not like the yellow square kind, but it was still good. It was a lot, but he’d have to eat it all to grow big like Winter.

***

Winter’s emotions popped like corn in a microwave. On one hand, she’d never seen anyone so cute in her life. On the other, she’d just lied to her brother, all to get him to eat a silly piece of cheese. He’d never grow big, and she knew it. His true self knew it too, but guilt still pinched her heart.

“Where’s Mommy?” he asked between bites.

“Um. She’s at work.”

“My mommy’s a nurse.”

“I know, silly. She’s my mommy too.” She hadn’t called her ‘mommy’ in a long time, but with Eli, it felt right.

He swallowed a big bite (for him), then asked, “D-do you wanna go play outside?”

“Yes!” She couldn’t remember the last time one of her siblings asked her to play anything, especially Eli.

“Only until mommy gets back. Ok?”

“Ok.” She nodded.

Before she could process everything, he grabbed her hand and tore up the stairs, leaving the half-eaten cheese and teddy on the floor. He apparently remembered his way around the house because he headed straight for the back door in the kitchen.

“We’re going outside to play!” she said.

“Keep an eye on him.” Ally called from the hallway.

“I will!”

They ran onto the deck, then down the rickety stairs which swayed as they descended. Once in the back yard, he released her hand and bolted toward a discolored beach ball. Though barefoot and still wearing her gymnastics leggings, she followed, ignoring the prickly grass and sticks.

“Don’t touch that, Eli!”

He stopped, peering at the ball with curiosity. “Why not?”

“It’s gross.” She didn’t know where it had come from, but mold was growing on one side.

He spun around, then took off again, this time toward the fence opening. In spite of being a full head shorter than her, he ran fast. She chased him through the neighbor’s yard and into Mallory’s yard. Of course he headed straight for the trampoline. After attempting to pull himself up a few times, he stuck out his arms.

“Lift.” He turned to her with an expecting look.

“Um, I don’t think we can.”

“Why not?”

She looked at Mallory’s house. The lights appeared to be off.

“Well,” she said. “Maybe for a little while.”

She lifted him by the armpits until he was able to pull himself onto the trampoline and through the netting surrounding the inner part. She followed, vaulting herself over and into the bouncy center.

Eli jumped, twirled, and landed on his butt, then back to his feet, over and over again. She did the same, following his lead until she had an idea. She would demonstrate some of her gymnastics moves.

“Watch, Eli!” She waited for him to clear the center, then did a back handspring followed by a front flip. A trampoline made everything easier.

“Wow!” He clapped his hands. “How’d you do that?”

“Practice.” She couldn’t stop smiling. He’d never complimented her gymnastics so earnestly.

“Can you teach me?” He bounced onto his hands, but fell over.

“Yes!”

She spent the next half hour teaching him how to do some of the basics, starting with the handstand, something definitively easier on solid ground. But it was ok. She just held his feet. Eventually, he completed a forward flip, landing on bent knees. She couldn’t recall a recent time when she’d had this much fun with him.

“Hey!” Mallory marched toward them, hands on her hips. She was a big girl, not fat, just thick. In spite of being a year younger than Winter, she was nearly as tall as Ally. “Why are you on my trampoline?”

“Hi Mallory.” Winter motioned for Eli to stop bouncing. “We’re just playing.”

“Who’s she?” Mallory pointed at Eli. “Your friend?”

“That’s my brother.”

“Hi.” He clung to the net. “My name’s Eli.”

Mallory climbed onto the trampoline, her weight causing them to dip. She took a bouncy step toward Eli and narrowed her eyes. “You’re not a boy.”

“Yes he is.” Winter loved trampolines, but she didn’t get along with Mallory.

“You’re lying.” Mallory loomed over Winter. “You’re always telling lies. My mom said not to play with you.”

“I’m not lying!” She’d had enough of this girl. “C’mon Eli, let’s get out of here.”

“Wait.” Mallory blocked the opening in the net. “If you’re not lying, then prove it.”

“I’m a boy. See.” Eli flexed his arms.

“You don’t have any muscles,” Mallory said. “How old are you?”

Eli held up five fingers, paused a moment, then added a sixth.

“You don’t even know how old you are. Are you retarded?”

He looked at Winter.

“He’s not retarded!” Winter placed her arm around him. “We’re leaving.”

“You’re not going anywhere until you prove she’s a boy.”

“I’m a boy, right Winter?” he asked.

“Yes, of course you’re a boy.” She kissed his temple. “Ignore her.”

“I said prove it.” Mallory jumped into the center and pushed Winter away, then took hold of Eli. She lifted the tail of his shirt. Then, she screeched and fell backwards, clutching her arm. “She bit me!”

“Eli, run!” Winter scrambled after him, through the netting and into the yard. He tripped and fell, but she helped him back to his feet and they sprinted.

“I’m telling my mom!” Mallory ran toward her own house, wailing.

By the time they made it back inside and locked the door, they were both out of breath and his eyes were filled to the brim with tears.

“It’s ok.” She held him fast, rocking from side to side. “You’re safe now.”

“What happened?” Ally rushed in from the hallway.

“Mallory pushed me and called Eli a girl, so he bit her.”

“What?” Ally tossed the green pillowcase in her hand to the floor. “Eli, you can’t bite people!”

“But, she was being mean,” Winter said. “She deserved it.”

“It doesn’t matter. You can’t just — ”

A loud knock at the door. Ally went downstairs to answer it while Winter took Eli back into their room. Amazingly, Ally’s bed had all of Eli’s sheets on it. Some of his things were neatly parked on his side of the room.

“Hey Eli, look!” She walked him to his bed. “We’re roommates!”

“We are?” He’d stopped crying, but his voice still cracked.

She nodded. “How’s that make you feel?”

He paused. “Happy.”

He looked around, then went straight to the table with her toys. He sat at the chair, mesmerized by her shopkins.

“Sissy, are these mine?”

Sissy? He’d never called her that before. Mom said he used to call Ally that when they were very young. She liked the sound of it.

“They’re mine, but you can play with them as much as you want.”

She sat down with him and started explaining the various names of season three, or at least those she could remember. He listened intently, asking all kinds of questions, mostly about why they were named a certain way. She created elaborate backstories on the fly and he ate it up. His smiles energized her. She would’ve played with him all night had Ally not interrupted.

“Winter, I need to speak with Eli alone for a minute.” Ally held the door to their bedroom open.

“Why?”

“That was Mallory’s Mom at the door. She’s really upset.”

“So. We didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I need to speak with Eli.” Ally tapped her foot.

“Ok.” Then, she whispered to Eli. “Just ignore whatever she says. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

As soon as she’d left the room, Ally locked the door and her stomach sank. Why did she need to lock the door? She pressed her ear to the cool wood, attempting to hear something. Anything.

SMACK!

Eli cried out, screaming at the top of his lungs.

SMACK!

“Stop it!” Winter banged on the door. “He didn’t do anything wrong. Stop!”

SMACK!

Eli’s cries of pain drowned out her shouts. She wrenched the knob, but it wouldn’t budge. After banging on the door several more times, it flew open and Ally glared at her.

“I asked you to keep an eye on him.”

“I did!”

“Next time, do a better job.”

Ally went to the kitchen and Winter rushed to her wailing brother where he lay curled up on his bed. She draped herself beside him, holding him as close.

“I’m sorry, Eli. I’m so sorry.” Maybe Ally was right. Maybe she never should’ve let him get on the trampoline in the first place. Now he suffered because of her. He’d probably never trust her again.

To her relief, he turned around and pressed his wet face into her shirt, his little hands clutching.

“S — Sissy.” Hiccup sobs poured from him, shaking the bed.

“It’s ok.” She kissed him on the top of his head. “Sissy’s here.”

***

Eli awoke in his bed, comfortable, except for his butt which stung for some reason. He rolled over and dropped to the floor. Three questions sprang to mind. Why was he wearing flannel pajamas? Why was he in his sisters’ room? And why was everything so big?

His brain furnished answers, but they slipped through his consciousness like sand through fingers. Try as he might, he couldn’t remember the answers for more than a second, like unearthing buried treasure only to have it immediately reinterred, over and over again.

He gave up the hopeless mental exercise and snatched his phone from the nightstand. The messages icon indicated five, two from Ally, two from Zoey and one from someone named Parker. He read them all, but they were junk. They were probably trying to play tricks on him.

After discarding the phone, he left the bedroom and went straight for the kitchen, casting a quick glance toward his sisters, who were splayed out on the couch. He tugged at the refrigerator door until it finally opened with a cold swoosh. The Chinese food looked promising. He nabbed it, closed the door and stood on his tiptoes to open the microwave.

“Eli?” Winter asked.

Frustrated with the height of everything in the kitchen, he turned to face his sister. “What?”

“Are you...ok?” she asked.

“Uh, yeh. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Ally appeared from around the corner, her new iPhone in hand. “Eli, how old are you?”

“What’s with the weird questions?” he asked. “And why is everything so huge?” Shouldn’t he be taller than Ally, or at least taller than Winter?

“Just answer it.” Ally glided over to him, plucking the Chinese from his hands.

“Um.” He considered the question. Maybe it was a trick. “I’m fourteen.”

Ally’s face relaxed. “Good. I think you’re finally back to normal.”

“Whatever. Leave me alone. I’m starving.”

“Awww.” Winter whined. “I liked young Eli better.”

“Did you read your messages?” Ally asked.

“Yes.” He jumped for the Chinese carton, but she lifted it out of his reach.

“So...what about Parker’s for dinner tonight? She invited everyone.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

He thought back to Parker’s message — something about a kiss and feelings and dating. None of it made any sense. Probably a joke. It wouldn’t be the first time a girl teased him after Zoey dumped him.

“I don’t wanna go. Ok?” He looked around. Maybe he could find something else to eat.

“Ok,” Ally said after a pause. Then, she placed the Chinese in the microwave, set the timer for two minutes, and hit start.

He grabbed a plate and a fork, his stomach rumbling while the food cooked. Why were they watching him like creepers? They had to be up to something.

“Where did these come from?” He plucked the front of his green and blue pajamas.

“You like um’?” Winter’s face lit up. “We dressed y —”

“You put them on before taking a nap,” Ally said to Eli. “Don’t you remember?”

Winter’s expression slackened briefly before brightening again. “Remember Eli? You said you were tired and needed a nap.”

“I remember.” He didn’t, at least not entirely, but the food would help clear his brain fog. Chinese wasn’t his favorite, but it had been a long time since he’d had it.

After the buzzer went off Ally said, “Go sit at the table.”

“Can I eat with Eli?” Without waiting for a response, Winter grabbed a plate and set it beside his, on the long edge of the table. She dragged a chair around, placing it inches from his.

“I suppose there’s enough for two.” Ally opened the steaming carton, then scooped a couple of large spoonfuls on each of their plates. “But let Eli eat as much as he wants. He needs it.”

“I will,” Winter said.

After Ally filled Winter’s glass with water, Eli asked, “Can I have milk?”

“You want milk with Chinese food?” Ally said.

Winter giggled.

“What’s so funny? Yes, I want milk with Chinese food.” He sighed. “I’ll get it.”

“No. Go sit down.” Ally shooed him back to his seat, then grabbed the half empty gallon of milk from the fridge. “I just thought it was a little strange, that’s all.”

“Well I think you’re a little strange,” Eli said. “You’ve been staring at me all day and it’s creeping me out.”

Ally rolled her eyes. After she poured the milk, she went back to the living room. “Call me if you need anything.”

“What the heck? She’s acting like we’re kids.”

Winter giggled again. “She’s crazy.”

He dug into his food like a starving animal, wolfing large forkfuls and washing it down with milk. Winter did the same, matching his pace, bite for bite. After cleaning his plate, he patted his stuffed stomach.

She poured the remainder of the food on their plates, dividing it evenly between them..

“I’m full.”

“I thought you said you were starving. I had a snack and I’m still eating.” She took a big bite of fried rice and egg, then swallowed. How could she eat so much?

“C’mon, just one more bite.” Winter grabbed his fork, loaded it and moved it slowly toward his mouth. “Airplane, coming in for landing.”

Something seemed wrong about the situation, but he couldn’t wrap his head around it. However the facts were simple. The fork was an airplane, and his mouth the landing pad. So, he opened his mouth and let the food pour in.

“See, I knew you could do it.”

Of course he could. He wasn’t stupid, just full. Why couldn’t she understand?

She reloaded the ‘plane’ with cargo, but he shook his head and stood up before it could approach for another ‘landing’.

“Aww, ok.” She finished off both plates while he took his utensils and glass to the sink. He reached the faucet, but cleaning on his tiptoes proved awkward at best. Eventually she appeared behind him and took over the washing chore. She let him dry the plates and set them in the rack.

“What next?” Winter asked, a bit too excited.

“What do you mean?”

“Um. Wanna do gymnastics with me downstairs?”

“Why would I want to do that?”

She scratched at her cheek. “Can you help me with my homework?”

“I don’t know. I’ve gotta — ”

“Pleeeeeease. It’ll be quick.”

He knew he should be working on other things, but none came immediately to mind. “Fine.”

“Yay!” She took his hand and they zoomed into Winter’s bedroom. Well, he supposed it was his bedroom too now.

She set up shop on her bed, fishing out the school supplied tablet and navigating to the math exercises website. After answering a few of the questions, she paused on one, scratching her head. “Sometimes variables confuse me,” she said.

He examined the question.

Use the equation y=m+9 to find the value of y when m=7.

The letters and words made no sense. Math meant numbers, not letters. This site must be using some new training technique for kids.

“This is stupid,” he said. Switch to eighth grade.”

“Why?”

“If I teach you eighth grade math, fifth grade will be easy for you.”

“Ok.” She clicked a link. “Oops.”

“Wait.” He pushed her hand away from the screen. “Here we go.” Finally, something that looked normal.

7 + 8 =

“Um,” she said.

“Go ahead. Solve it.”

“But, this is addition.” She looked at him strangely, probably trying to figure it out in her head.

“I’ll get paper and pencil,” he said.

She touched his arm, stopping him. “The answer is fifteen.”

He scrutinized it for a few seconds. “No, I think it’s something else.”

She typed in 15 and pressed submit.

Correct!

“Oh yeh,” he said. “Fifteen. That’s right.” She’d gotten lucky, but she couldn’t rely on luck forever. The next question appeared.

9 + 2 =

She glanced at the question, then stared at him, obviously perplexed.

“Are you sure you don’t need paper?” he asked.

“Um.” She chewed on her bottom lip, still looking at him. “Yeh. I do.” She reached over, opened the drawer on the nightstand and pulled out a little pad of paper with hearts on the edges, along with a pencil. She wrote the numbers down vertically and drew a line under them.

“Can you show me how to solve it?” She placed the pad in front of him.

“Well yeh. But you should try to solve it yourself first.” He felt a little guilty, making her do eighth grade math. But she’d only improve if she pushed herself. Unlike other subjects, he excelled at math. He didn’t want to show off and make her feel worse.

She nodded, then made a bunch of line marks with her pencil, several on the first row and two on the bottom with the cross symbol.

|||||||||

+ ||

———

“I’m stuck, Eli.” she said. “What do I do next?” She handed him the pencil.

“Hmm.” He set to work on the calculation himself. She seemed to be on the right track with all of those lines, but she was missing something. He’d done this type of problem often enough. He didn’t really need paper, but it would be difficult to explain the answer to her if he didn’t show his work. Still, it was one of those where he just knew the answer, but not the best explanation.

He set the tip of the pencil under the line and hesitated. Eventually he wrote ‘29’.

“See, the two is smaller so you have to put it first, then you put the nine after it.” Something about it felt off, but again, some math things couldn’t be explained easily.

“Are you sure it’s not eleven?” she asked.

He typed the number ‘29’ into the screen and pressed submit.

Sorry, Incorrect…

The correct answer is 11.

“Oh...yeh," he said. "Eleven.”

She bit her lip again then smiled. “I think I like eighth grade math. Can we do more?”

“Uh, sure. Just don’t go too fast, or you’ll make a mistake.”

She proceeded to click through the ‘addition’ problems. She’d write the answer on paper, then proceed to show him how to solve it, once again using those tick marks. It started making sense after she’d gone through several questions, getting each one right.

“You’re doing all these in your head first?” he asked.

She beamed at him, nodding. Ally usually helped Winter with homework. Perhaps he’d never noticed how good she was in math.

They went through several more examples. This time, she let him solve each one, correcting him if he drew the wrong number of marks on the paper. She really had developed a cool technique for solving them. He still couldn’t do it in his head like her, but he’d stopped getting incorrect answers.

She cheered when he answered the final question of the unit, making him feel an odd sense of accomplishment. He should do his homework with her more often. She’d get ahead of others in her class and he’d probably learn something knew. She seemed to have a different way of approaching problems.

“You’re a really cool brother.” She gave him a quick peck on the forehead.

“Yuck.” He wiped it off. “What was that for?”

She giggled, then asked. “Wanna go do gymnastics now?”

“No. Why would I want to do gymnastics?”

She scrunched her face, then asked, “Wanna go watch Frozen?”

“What’s that?” It sounded familiar but he couldn’t place it.

“You’ve never seen Frozen?!”

“Uh, I don’t think so.”

“Ohmigosh, we’ve got to watch it right now.” She took his hand and dragged him into the living room. She turned on the TV and fiddled with the controls of the gaming system.

“What are you doing?” Ally looked up from her phone.

“We’re watching Frozen!” Winter opened Amazon streaming services.

“Again? Haven’t you seen it enough already.”

“Eli’s never watched it.”

“So,” Ally turned off her phone. “It’s a kids movie.”

“Is not! Don’t listen to her, Eli.”

“Eli, do you actually want to watch this?” Ally asked.

“Um.” He couldn’t think of anything better to be doing right now. The food hadn’t helped as much with his brain fog as he’d expected. “I guess.”

Ally rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll be in my room.”

***

Ally lay on the bed in her room. Her room. Finally, a place to call her own. She’d wanted a separate room for so long, ever since she’d outgrown toys and dolls and all the stuff Winter still enjoyed. She’d achieved her goal but, unfortunately, she couldn’t enjoy it properly.

She still felt terrible about spanking Eli. Each of his screams shredded her heart, and the image of his tear drenched face interrupted her thoughts. Worst of all, he didn’t seem to remember it, so even if she wanted to apologize, she couldn’t.

She blamed Parker. The girl had said spanking was sometimes necessary to discipline premies suffering from age dysphoria. Ally had spent the last hour researching it, and though Parker hadn’t lied, she’d neglected to mention other (non-corporeal) forms of punishment. Just as with real children, the internet was highly divided on the topic of spanking.

She got to her feet and paced. She’d been so distressed, she’d forgotten entirely about filming a new episode. She sat down at Eli’s desk (her desk now), and checked YouTube on his laptop. At least she could review the comments and —

Holy shit. He had over a thousand subscribers and nine thousand views. What the hell happened? She scrolled to the comment sections.

Definitely the same kid.

aww, look at the way they’re treating him. i just want to cuddle him.

does ne one know if he has a gf

There were also several mean or disgusting comments which spawned long threads of back and forth arguing. She deleted a few of the most sickening ones, then browsed over the positive ones. Almost everyone requested the same thing: they wanted him to sing.

Again.

She clicked on a link in a recent comment and it jumped her to a different channel: Old Skool Mayhem — Eli and Carter’s band name last year. She pressed play. It was the recording session from last Saturday!

She dialed Carter. While the phone rang, she and flipped through the other videos on the channel. They were just Carter by himself, each with only a few dozen views. The one with Eli, titled Come As You Are, had over forty thousand views and it was only two days old.

“Who’s this?” Carter asked.

“You fucking asshole! I can’t believe you posted my brother’s video!”

“Ally, is that you?”

“Delete it.” Her vision blurred. “Delete it right now!”

“Hold up. What are you  — holy crap, it already has forty-two thousand views.” He drew some quick, fast breaths. “Ok. Calm down. I promise whatever money this brings in will get donated to Eli’s fund. I’m not about to —”

“Listen to me you little prick.” She squeezed the edge of the desk so hard her tan fingers turned white. “If he finds out about this, he’ll kill both of us.”

“He’s a little small for that don’t you think? I mean I’m pretty sure we can defend —”

“This isn’t a joke! He’ll hate me for the rest of my life. He’ll hate you too.”

Carter sighed. “How about I just talk to him first. I’ll take the heat. I’ll tell him I stole it while you weren’t watching. It’s the truth.”

“He’ll still hate me for it. I can’t believe you did this to him, Carter. He said from day one he doesn’t want his music on the internet. You betrayed him. You're supposed to be his friend.”

“I am his friend!” It sounded like Carter punched something. “Friends don’t let friends feel sorry for themselves for the rest of their life. I did it to prove to him how talented he is. I mean, look at these comments. They fucking love him.”

“I’ll say this one last time.” She struggled to keep her voice under control. “Delete it.”

“I guaran-fucking-tee it’s already been downloaded a hundred times. If I delete it, it’ll just pop up on some other channel, and Eli won’t get any of the revenue. Is that what you want? If he’s going to become famous for a day, he might as well get paid.”

He did have a good point. It was a shitty situation, but she’d seen the same thing happen a million times on YouTube. Someone else would post content from an artist without permission and take credit. At least Carter would give Eli the money. She’d make sure of that.

“What if — what if he’s not just famous for a day?” she asked. “What if this puts him in danger?”

“Relax. It’s forty thousand, not forty million. Most of these comments are from gen X’ers, older folks in their thirties and forties. He’s not fucking Justin Bieber or Harry Styles. I doubt anyone at Landon Middle even knows who Nirvana is — a shame, really, but true.”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Some of the color returned to her hand. Maybe she’d overreacted a bit. Still, she didn’t want to let him off the hook.

“Fine. Leave it. But you’re breaking the news to him this weekend. And if you don’t send him the ad revenue — ”

“Hey, I’m a member of the band too. We should split it. But I’ll give him all of it if that’s what he wants. I’m not a complete douche bag.”

“Fine. Just...don’t ever do this again.”

“I won’t, unless he’s ok with it.” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“Tell it to Eli.” She hung up.

 

 

 

Eli couldn’t ask for a worse day. No sooner had the movie ended than he’d begun to shrink again. Luckily his mom had just arrived home, and had comforted him through the worst of it.

“It’s happening too fast, Mom. I can’t do this. I can’t — “ He hiccup-cried against his mom’s scrubs, not caring if they smelled like antiseptic.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Sitting on her bed, she held him tight against her chest and ran a warm hand up his back. “I’ll speak with your pediatrician. Maybe there’s something she can do.”

“Really?” Sniffling, he looked up into her sympathetic face.

“Honestly honey”—she hesitated as if preparing to deliver bad news—“there’s not a way to stop it. But, she might be able to slow it down, or give you something to help with the dysphoria.”

“I — I feel like I’m losing my mind.” His entire hand didn’t even fill his mom’s palm. She closed her fingers over top and rubbed his little forearm with her thumb.

“It’s temporary. You know that right? Once you get below a certain height, the dysphoria will go away.”

He wiped his face on her uniform. “I know, but at school, they’ll tease me.”

“I spoke with the principle today. While you’re transitioning, you’re allowed to skip as many days as you want. If you don’t feel like going, I’ll find someone to keep an eye on you at home.”

“I don’t want a babysitter!”

“Did I say babysitter?”

He shook his head.

“She’d be a caregiver. A nurse like me. That wouldn’t be so bad now would it?”

“I guess not. I don’t know. It’s just — “

A knock at the door and Winter’s insistent voice rang out. “Can I come in now?”

“In a minute.” Mom turned back to him. “How have your sisters been treating you?”

“Ok I guess. We watched Frozen, and it was pretty good. But I’m not sure if I liked it for real, or because I feel like a kid again.”

Mom chuckled. “Well, I liked it. Being an adult doesn’t always mean forgetting your childhood. I remember when you were three. You got an Etch A Sketch for your birthday, and I ended up playing with it more than you. I revisited that part of my youth. Having children is a blessing in so many ways. You’ll see one day.”

“Will I?” he asked.

“Yes. You will. Premies can have children, and let me tell you, they’re some of the cutest people on the planet.”

“What if”—he couldn’t put his finger on why, but knew this question was important—“what if I marry a normal person?”

“Well, you’re a bit young to be thinking about marriage. But even if you married a normal person, you can adopt. There are plenty of children out there in need of a home.”

“What about nowwww?” Winter whined.

“He needs a change of clothes,” Mom said.

“I know!” Winter burst in. She mouthed, “Oh my”, letting her jaw hang open.

“Stop gawking and help your brother get dressed.” Mom ruffled Winter’s hair. “I‘ve gotta go heat dinner.”

Before he could protest, his mom left the room, leaving him alone with his awestruck sister. She approached, one step at a time, with a small stack of brightly colored fabric in her hand.

“I don’t need help.” He pulled down the bottom edge of his t-shirt, dismayed at how one shoulder stuck through the neck hole.

“Oh. My. Gosh. You’re just — ”

“I know. I’m cute. Just give me the clothes and leave so I can change please.”

“Mom said to help.” After depositing the clothing at the bed’s corner, she pulled off his socks and pinched his toes, wiggling them one by one. “Such little toes!”

He jerked his foot away. “Leave so I can get dressed.”

Her squee face melted into a pout. “Why can’t I help? I never get to watch you shrink or do anything. I’ve been nice all day, and you won't even — ”

“Fine.” She had been nice to him. Heaven knew why this meant so much to her but he’d toss her a bone. “You can help with my socks.”

“And your shirt and pants.”

“Socks and shirt. Final offer. Take it or leave it.”

“Or what?” Her big face loomed in front of him, smirk sneaking across her lips.

“Or”—he hesitated, then said with finality—“I won’t play with you anymore.”

She considered the offer. It wasn’t really a barter situation, was it? After all, she had to obey him, didn’t she?

“Fiiiiine,” she said. “But only if I get to carry you to dinner.”

“Ok. Whatever. Just leave so I can get my pants on.” He still wore his gray sweats, but they’d likely fall as soon as he stood up.

“Nope. Socks first.” She took hold of his leg, easily enclosing his entire calf in her hand, and swiveled him toward her. “So cute I could just eat them.” She lifted his foot higher and chomped her teeth, lowering her mouth to his toes for added effect. He jerked his foot, but she held it fast.

“Hurry up,” he said.

“Ok, ok.” Still smiling, she pulled the socks over his feet. Little brown footballs adorned them. Apparently everything for kids needed a repeating image of some sort, but at least it wasn’t hearts or flowers or something equally girlish.

“Now leave please.”

“Here.” She armpit lifted from the bed to the floor as if he weighed no more than a small dog, then handed him monster truck briefs and pajama bottoms decorated with cartoonish sheriff badges.

“Turn around.” He didn’t dare look up, opting instead to stare at the sailboat logo on her purple shirt.

“I can’t see anything,” she said. “You’re shirt goes down to your knees.”

He took the clothes and moved to the other side of the bed, stepping out of his fallen pants as he walked. Winter huffed but didn't follow. Rising to his chest, the bed itself offered ample privacy.

“I picked them from the three foot pile. If they’re too small, just let me know.” She rounded the corner just as he snapped the pajama bottoms in place.

“They’re fine.” They were perhaps an inch too short, but they were comfy.

“Now for your shirt. Arms up.”

He rolled his eyes, and lifted his arms. The new shirt rivaled his old one in childishness. More colorful than a rainbow, it sported a Paw Patrol logo with all four canine members, one in each quadrant of the shirt’s front.

“This was all you could find?”

“It looks adorable on you.” She dropped to her knees and straightened it out. “Plus it’s got long sleeves, so you won’t get cold.”

“I’m not cold.”

“Oh?” Her eyes narrowed. “Is that why you were under the blanket for the entire movie?”

“Well, that’s because — “

“Ohmigosh, you’re just so cute I can’t stand it.” She lifted him into the air, then tackled him onto the bed. Her fingers tickled him, alternately attacking stomach, armpits and feet — a rotation of torture he was helpless to stop.

“Stop it, Winter!” He batted her hands, but she retaliated by grabbing both of his in one of hers and pinning them over his head. She continued her assault with her free hand.

“Or what?” she asked through her giggles. “You’re going to pee? Just like you did to me the other day.”

“Ok, I’m sorry!” “Please stop. I do —.” He could barely get any words out through his own agonizing laughter.

“You’ll do?” Her fingers twitched in the air like a spider hanging from a thread, waiting to descend once more upon its prey.

He tugged at his fleshy bindings to no avail. “I’ll do whatever you want for the rest of the day.”

“Hmm, the day’s almost over.”

“Fine. Tomorrow too. When you get home from school.”

“Even gymnastics?”

“Yes, gymnastics. Whatever. Just don’t expect me to be any good at it.”

“I just want you to watch, silly.”

“Oh. I can do that.”

“Pinkie swear?”

“I’m kinda tied up here.”

“Oh yeh.” She released his hands, giggling.

They completed a pinky swear, an odd sensation with her large digit overshadowing his. She noticed it too and held on as long as possible, forcing him to wring his finger from her grip.

“Dinner!” Mom yelled from the kitchen.

***

As promised, Winter carried Eli piggyback all the way to the kitchen. He weighed less than her backpack, his little thighs no bigger than Pringles cans. She’d always been the smallest in class and at home. Having someone else less capable than her, her own brother no less, was turning out to be fantastic.

The way she’d overpowered him had filled her stomach with cheerful butterflies. Not because she wanted revenge for all the times he’d tickled her (though it was a nice bonus), but for another reason she couldn’t quite identify. She simply liked this smaller version of Eli. It reminded her of the old Eli, the one who used to play with her every day, the brother she’d somehow lost when he’d become a teenager.

Even as they pinky swore, she realized it wasn’t necessary. Tomorrow, if he refused or forgot about his promise, she’d simply tickle him into submission again. Eventually, as his condition progressed, she’d just carry him wherever she wanted. The thought appealed to her even though she knew it to be wrong. Hopefully, she’d never do that. After all, if he went to Premoria, he might never let her visit if she mistreated him.

Why did Premoria have to exist? She hated the idea of him leaving and would rather he’d not shrink at all if it meant he’d stay at home.

“He has two legs ya know.” Seated at the kitchen table, Ally pointed her meatloaf-laden fork accusingly.

“He said I could carry him, right Eli?”

“Just put me down, please,” he said.

“Oh, ok.” Reluctantly, she bent her knees and allowed him to disembark. He climbed into the chair and faced off with a steaming tray of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Literally, his face was level with his food.

“Mom, can Eli sit in my lap?” Winter asked. “He’s way too short.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Mom pulled the final tray from the microwave and delivered it to the table. “You are going to need something, now aren’t you?”

“I’m fine,” Eli said. He made an awkward stab at his food.

“Easy.” Ally unzipped her backpack, and produced a couple of thick textbooks. “Lift him up.” Winter lifted him while Ally slid the books underneath, giving him another few inches above the table’s edge.

“Good idea,” Mom said. “I’ll get some steps and booster seats on the way home tomorrow. You kids eat up. I’m going to take a shower.” She departed for the bathroom.

They ate in silence. Ally cast glances at Eli, but he didn’t notice. He seemed intent on moving food into his mouth without dropping it. It would be so much easier if Winter fed him. The urge to do so nearly overwhelmed her. Had Negative Nancy not been seated at the opposite end of the table, she would’ve done just that.

“YouTube tomorrow, Eli.” Ally finished her last bite and tossed the tray into the trash.

“What if he doesn’t want to,” Winter said.

“We already skipped an entire day. He shrank twice since the last episode. Fans need an update.”

“Oh yeh? Like how you got mad and sp — “

“Winter!” Ally grabbed Winter’s arm and dragged her into the hallway. “Don’t remind him of the spanking please.”

“Why not? Afraid he’ll tell Mom?”

“I already told Mom. I just don’t want him to remember, at least not yet. It would be hard on him.”

“Hmmm. What do I get in exchange for keeping quiet?”

“Nothing.” Ally halted Winter’s defiant march back to the kitchen with a tug on her arm. “What do you want?”

“How about...you don’t stop me when I play with Eli. That includes piggyback rides or anything else.”

“Deal,” Ally said. “So long as you have his permission.”

“Deal!”

They returned to the kitchen to find Eli climbing down from his elevated chair.

“You didn’t even eat half your food,” Winter said.

“I’m full. And tired.” He squeezed between them and padded off to his bedroom.

“You can’t expect him to eat a full sized portion anymore.” Ally covered the top of the tray with plastic wrap and placed it in the fridge.

“I know.” Winter dug a sugar cookie from the Ziplock bag on the counter. “I just figured he’d eat more.” He would’ve eaten more if she were feeding him.

They headed to their separate rooms. Winter plopped onto her bed and finished off the cookie, attention drawn to her closed bathroom door. What was he doing in there?

Something clattered. She ventured to the door and knocked. “You ok?”

The toilet flushed. Well, at least she knew what he was doing. She remained at the door, waiting for him to exit. When he didn’t she repeated her question. “Eli, you ok?”

“I can’t find my toothbrush,” he said.

“I’m coming in, ok?” After getting no response, she peeked in. He stood on the closed toilet lid, his body spanning the distance between it and the vanity countertop.

“Oh my goodness.” She rushed in and lifted him to the floor. “Just ask if you need help. I’m right here.”

“I don't need help in the bathroom.” He twisted away from her.

“Clearly you do. You can’t climb everywhere. What if you’d fallen?” She opened the medicine cabinet and retrieved the toothbrushes and toothpaste. She handed him his toothbrush.

He snatched it away. “If you guys would put stuff a bit lower, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“And then what? Put it lower when you shrink again? And lower and — ”

Leaning over the counter, he reached for the faucet, coming a little short. She smirked, then turned it on for him. She put toothpaste on the ends of both their brushes, and got to the business of cleaning her teeth. He did the same, but glared at her in the mirror, chipmunk cheeks poking out with the movements of his brush.

Feeling a giggle, she choked on some toothpaste and snapped her lips shut to avoid spewing it everywhere. Some of it did escape, however, and landed on his head. She wiped it off and he ducked away, glaring even harder now. She spit in the sink and let her laughter erupt.

“I’m sorry.” She rinsed her brush. “We need to get you a smaller toothbrush.”

She lifted him so he could spit and held him while he rinsed his own brush. She then set him on the counter and gave her best stern expression. “Now promise me you’ll ask for help in the future.”

“I’m not a kid, Winter.” He tried to squirm away. “And I’m tired.”

“I know,” she said, confused. He should be acting younger since he just shrank, but if anything, he seemed back to his old grumpy self. “I’m just trying to help.”

“And I appreciate it.” He hopped down and went to his bed, then climbed in.

She turned off the bathroom light and slid under the covers of her own bed.

“Eli, will you read me a bedtime story?” She looked directly across at him.

“No.” He rolled over, facing the other side. “Goodnight, Winter.”

“You always used to read to me before bed,” she said, wistfully.

After a few seconds, he sat up. “One chapter, and it has to be short.”

She plucked her latest book from the nightstand, then positioned her pillow upright. “Over here.” She patted her bed. Within moments they were sitting together, using her pillow as a backrest.

“Zombie Diaries?” he said, turning the book over in his hands.

“It’s really good. Let’s jump to chapter five.”

He flipped the pages to the fifth chapter and began reading. “Hilm slid the h — heavy lid of the s — s — “

“Sarcophagus.” She’d had to look up the word herself yesterday.

“Sarcophagus,” he continued. “To the side, rev — rev — “

“Revealing,” she said.

Eli stumbled along, reading slower and slower. Increasingly simple words like ‘torch’ and ‘blood’, required her assistance. Toward the end of the first page, he struggled with every word, including ‘the’ and ‘she’.

“This book is too…” He closed it on her fingers.

“How about I read, and you listen?” She reopened it to the proper page.

“Fine.” He crossed his arms.

She read aloud, paragraph after paragraph, but her mind was elsewhere. Easy tasks had become so difficult for him, and it would only get worse. He needed her, and his need fueled those blazing butterflies in her stomach. This was the feeling — to be needed by her brother.

She reveled in it.

He leaned against her, and her attention returned to reality. He didn’t appear to be sleepy, but rather...scared. She changed the tempo of her voice, making it sound spookier as the protagonist descended into the tomb. She was rewarded when she felt his little hand wrap around her thumb. She freed herself from his grip in order to pull him into a cuddle. He gripped her thumb again, and she continued reading.

By the time she finished the chapter, his hold on her thumb had all but cut off circulation.

“Wanna read another?” she asked.

“No.” His head shook against her chest.

“Ok. Bedtime then.” In addition to frightening him, storytime appeared to regress him. “Wanna sleep in my bed?”

“No.” He released her thumb and hopped to the ground.

Shoot. She’d pushed him too far. Still, even after he climbed under his own covers, he looked positively terrified, his eyes blinking, fixed on the light. It wouldn’t take much…

“Ok.” She put her pillow back in place and lay down facing him. “But if you hear the zombie under your bed, remember to stay very still and quiet. It won’t bother you if you don't make a sound.”

“W — whatever.”

She reached over and turned off the light, scraping her fingernails once across the nightstand. Then, she waited.

Within seconds, she heard his feet hit the floor and felt a tug at her sheets. She smiled and lifted the covers to let him in. They could easily sleep side by side in her twin bed, neither taking up much space.

“There’s no such thing as zombies,” he whispered. “Right?”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” she whispered back, creepily. Then she gave him a light kiss on the side of his head. “But you’ll be safe here.”

 

 

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Eli shuffled into the living room and froze. A barefoot woman reclined on the couch. There wasn’t anything remarkable about her, except the rose tattoo adorning her shoulder, the half naked baby latched to her breast, and the fact that he had no idea who she was.

“You’re finally awake.” Her pink-nailed hands shifted the baby’s position, causing it to dislodge from her nipple. She rectified the situation, or rather it did, reattaching its toothless mouth to the mammary like a vaccuum hose.

“Who are you?” Eli took a step backwards, suddenly self conscious of his clothing. Before she’d left for school, Winter had exchanged his shirt for one with less drool and more ‘cuteness’. However, the latter came at a price — he was now a walking advertisement for a yellow sea creature with boxy pants and a tie.

“Cecilia, but yew kin call me Aunt Cece,” she said, her Southern drawl disturbingly heavy. “Good thing yews finally woke up. Was ‘bout to hafta go in dar and pour water on ya.” She winked, something she did often, judging by the crow’s feet on her otherwise unwrinkled and plump face.

“You’re my babysitter?”

“Dat depends. Is yews a baby?”

“No.”

“Den I guess I ain’t yews sitter, now is I? Reckon I’m your friend, wachin’ out fer ya during da day. So long as yews behave, we get along like peas in da pod.” She lifted the baby to her shoulder and burped it. “How ‘bout yews run and grab Aunt Cece a towel. Jaxon here ‘bout ready to spit somethin’ up, and I ain’t in the mood to be washin’ clothes.”

Eli darted to the hall closet, then back to the couch, small towel in hand. Cece swiped it from him just in time to catch the off white emission from Jaxon’s mouth. It wasn’t much, but it would’ve made a mess on her brown tank top.

“How old is he?” Eli asked.

“Just turn eight months. How about yews keep an eye on ‘em while I go git lunch ready.”

“Um...”

Cece placed the baby on the carpet and plodded off into the kitchen. She left an unusual scent in her wake, strawberry lotion and fresh bread. “Just keep da gate closed. He’s a crawler.”

And he was. Jaxon crawled straight to Eli’s feet and clutched a handful of pajama bottoms. Eli had to pry the little dude’s fingers off, not an easy task considering the strength of the grip. Frighteningly, if Eli shrunk any further, which he would, he’d be at the mercy of this kid’s curiosity, and who knows how that would turn out. Perhaps he should let the kid exhaust his curiosity now, rather than later.

Eli plucked a stuffed giraffe, its spotted neck extending from between the couch cushions, and danced it in front of Jaxon. The baby squealed and reached for it, but Eli pranced it further away. Jaxon chased, a wobbly pursuit at best, his body careening from side to side as his limbs bent like Jell-O. Eli was about to surrender the animal when the doorbell rang.

“Git dat fer me, Eli.” Cece hollered over the beep of the microwave.

“Sure.”

Eli swung open the stair gate, then scrambled downstairs. After a few leaping attempts, he unlocked the deadbolt to the front door, but couldn’t pry it open. Using both hands, he could twist the doorknob, but the midday heat had sealed it shut.

“Eli!” Cece stomped down the stairs, closing the gate behind her. “I told yews to keep that shut.”

“I know, but — “

“What yew doin’ dawdlin’ out here?” She flung open the door, imprisoning Eli on the other side of it. “Sorry, we ain’t buyin’ no gurl scout cookies.”

“Is — is Eli here?” a soft voice asked. “I’m his friend.”

“Ain’t you posed’ to be in school?”

“I got out early today to come check on him. I’m his watcher at school.”

“Well, come on in den. I kin use da help. Got ‘nuff to keep track of wid own lil’ un. Eli, yer frien’ is here! Now where dat boy run off?”

He squeezed out from behind the door.

“There yew is. Go grab a hot dog with yer frien’ — what’s yer name?”

“Parker.” The blue haired girl stepped inside and leaned her skateboard against the wall. “Hi, Eli.” She gave a little wave, more of a one handed clap, bending over to peer at him.

Cece shut the door and turned to Eli. “Now what yew waitin’ fer. Ain’t yew know it impolite to stare. Say hi to yer frien’.”

“Uh, hi.” Did he know this girl? She seemed familiar. Wearing a Green Lantern t-shirt and shredded jeans, she dressed like a boy, but her pretty (albeit scratched) face and exotic hair placed her firmly in the girl category — a category he had no business interacting with in his current state.

Eager to escape the situation, Eli followed Cece up the stairs and into the kitchen. He reached for a plate, but it was at the back of the dryer rack. Parker’s arm extended over his head, grabbed the plate, and deposited a hot dog on it. She handed it to him and he accepted, both hands clasping the edges.

“See, already helpin’ out.” Cece patted Parker’s head. “Y’all go play while I try to put my lil’ un to sleep.”

“C’mon.” Already at the hallway, Parker motioned for Eli to follow. He did, admiring the blue, almost purple, hue of her hair. How did she get it that color? Did kids make fun of her for being different?

They entered Ally’s room, and she plopped down in the larger bean bag. “Neat room. I like the Nirvana posters.”

“It’s not my room anymore. My sister and I switched yesterday.”

“Oh.” She patted the yellow bean bag. “Have a seat. I don’t bite. Usually.” She smirked, provoking fear and excitement to war in his stomach. Where had her shyness gone? As soon as Cece had left the picture, Parker had transferred it to him.

He gulped, then sat in the bean-filled chair, careful to prevent his hot dog from rolling off the plate. No condiments adorned the tube of meat, and it looked like it could feed him twice over, but at least it gave him something to do besides talk. He bit into it, filling his mouth with bun.

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

He chewed the dry morsel and swallowed before responding. “Sorry. I don’t.”

“It’s ok. You’ll remember me once you get smaller.” She scratched her lower leg, a patch of skin that peeked through a rip in her pants. “Must be pretty frustrating. Forgetting stuff.”

He shifted his eyes to meet hers, gray metal orbs — probing, yet kind. “It is...”

“You can talk about it if you want. I’ll listen.”

He filled his lungs. Finally, someone who didn’t treat him like a child. “I — I feel like I’m trapped in this body. Even now, it’s hard to...talk. My body wants to do kid stuff, but I just want to be normal again. To think normally. To remember things that I should remember. I know I’m getting smaller, and that’s ok I guess, but I’m afraid I’m losing my mind too. It’s scary.”

“Well, I’m sure everyone’s already told you it’s temporary. So”—she shrugged, expression earnest—”why not just be a kid?”

“What?” He was expecting silence, or commiseration with his situation. Not this. “I don’t understand.”

“Just enjoy it. Be a kid. Do what your body is telling you to do. At the rate your shrinking, it’ll only be for a few days at most, so why not enjoy it? Not everyone gets a chance to relive their childhood.”

“Um.” Something about hearing it spoken freed something in his brain. If he just gave in to the impulses, he would be happier, not fighting them all the time. “I guess you’re right.”

“So...what’s your body telling you right now? What do you want to do?”

“Uhhh…” He wasn’t going to give complete control to his kid brain, but it couldn’t hurt to listen to it, could it? “I’d rather be eating cookies, but they’re too high.”

Parker grinned. “Wait here.”

She left, then returned with a small plate of sugar cookies, closing the door behind her. “How about you take two more big bites, then you can have a cookie.”

“Ok.” Big bites were his only option anyway, given the size of the hot dog. If he wanted any meat, he practically had to dislocate his jaw. After downing the two mouthfuls, she delivered a cookie into his hands as promised. He ate three-fourths of it before rubbing his stuffed tummy.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything?” he asked.

“I had lunch before skipping — er, before coming here.” She popped the rest of his cookie into her mouth and ate it, which was fine. He didn’t want the rest anyway, and there were two more on the plate. “So, what next?” she asked.

“Wanna play Mario Kart?”

“Ab — so — lutely.”

He turned on the Nintendo 64, his favorite game already slotted for play. She choose Yoshi and he picked Toad. The first race didn’t go as expected. She killed him, as did nearly all of the computer players. The double-sized controller fumbled in his hands, and the track itself surprised him with twists and turns he didn’t recall.

“Again!” He propped the underside of the controller with his knees.

“Ok, but if I win, you have to come sit with me.”

“Fine!” he said. She wouldn’t win this time.

He led the second race until he attempted the powerslide maneuver. Instead of hugging the corner, his cart veered off the track and into the water. Things went from bad to worse. In spite of getting the star three times in a row, he fell further behind and finished dead last.

“Hmph.”

“Come on over.” She patted the spot between her knees.

“Okaaaayyy.” He got up and sat between her legs. She wrapped solid arms around him, locking him in place with the controller spanning between her hands. Her chest hugged his back and her chin brushed his hair.

“Another round?” she asked, her cinnamon breath tickling his ear.

“Yep!”

“Ok, but if I win this time, I get to give you a kiss.”

“Ewwww, gross.” The words flew from his mouth without warning. His mind didn’t see it as gross, but his body’s brain did. And, as was quickly becoming apparent, his body’s brain had won the right to speak first.

“Just a little peck on the cheek.” Her strong arms gave him a brief squeeze of reassurance.

“Fiine.”

She didn’t just win the third race, she destroyed him. He could see her victory approaching like a shark in the ocean. Before he even passed the finish line, he dropped his controller and dipped out of her embrace, running to Ally’s bed.

“Oh no you don’t.” She giggled, crawl-chasing after him. “Get back here.”

He buried himself under the comforter and waited. Nothing happened for several seconds. Then the world collapsed around him, shaking him to and fro, causing him to laugh and gasp for breath.

Light flooded his eyes as the cover ripped away. Before he could react, she had him pinned, her hands stapling his wrists to the mattress. She leaned over as he squirmed.

“Just for that, I get to kiss you more than once.”

“Nuh uh!” He twisted his head to the side, wincing.

“Kiss attack!” Her head dove downward, and she pecked at his cheek and temple, bobbing up slightly between each smooch like a bird searching for food in the ground. He laughed, but she continued kissing all of his exposed skin: nose, hair, jaw, and neck included. When she finally stopped, he turned to face her, his eyes peeking open.

The way she looked at him, it wasn’t gross, but...hypnotizing. Her top two teeth chewed ever so slightly on her bottom lip, and her gray eyes shone with mischief and something else. Something that made his heart turn inside out with fear and longing.

It happened so slow, he hadn’t realized it until her lips were touching his. Touching wasn’t the right word. More like the barest of grazes, a lingering caress, eradicating both his fear and his childishness at once.

“Parker.” Her name emerged from his lips, a mere whisper, yet full of  meaning. “I remember.”

“I knew you would.” Her eyes, locked on his now, glistened with liquid joy.

“Can we kiss ag— ”

Her lips met his before he even completed the question. She bit his upper lip, gently, then his lower, sucking it into her mouth before releasing it with a snap. He opened his mouth to return the gesture, but she used the opportunity to invade, her sizeable tongue dipping into his much smaller orifice, filling it and retreating with a healthy portion of his saliva.

She was in control now. Any attempt he made to explore her mouth was met with staunch resistance. She practically ate his chin with her kiss at one point, her mouth opening so wide, it covered his with room to spare.

Then she dove lower, kissing his neck. Her hands had moved from his wrists to underneath his t-shirt, short nailed fingers scraping harmlessly across his skin. Before he knew it, she had his shirt lifted up to his armpits, her nose against his chest. She alternated between short licks and soft kisses, progressing lower and lower until she reached his upper abdomen, his navel, and the waistband of his pants.

“Uh” —he said between breaths — “I think we should stop.”

She raised up, her face a curious mix of concern and desire. “Are you sure? I — I really like you Eli.”

“But...I’ve never…”

“It’s ok. I haven’t either.” Her hands masaged his chest, making it difficult to think. “If you shrink anymore, we can still do things, but we’ll never be able to…”

To what? What exactly did she want to do? His younger brain protested, as did his older one, though for different reasons. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

She paused, hanging there as if deciding something important. Then she sighed, the hint of her characteristic smirk returning. “You’re probably right. Sorry, I got kinda carried away there.”

“It’s ok. I liked it. I just — can I ask you a question about your family?”

Her smirk took a downward turn and she slid off him, sitting with her legs hanging over the edge of the bed. “You want to know about my dad. Right?”

“Well…yeh. I heard he’s a premie.”

“Who told you?”

“My sister.”

She combed her fingers through her hair, eyes focused on the far wall. “She probably said some other things about me, didn’t she?”

He sat up, pulled his shirt down, and scooted next to her, their legs nearly touching. “She said you had a ‘thing’ for premies.”

“Do you believe her?” She faced me now, her heart exposed in the gray pools of her irises.

“Believe what? That you only like me because I’m a premie? I don’t think that’s true.”

“Why not? We’ve only known each other a few days. And here I am, all over you. Maybe the fact you’re a premie, maybe that’s exactly what I like about you.”

He placed a hand on her leg, careful to avoid her skin. “If it’s true, I wouldn’t mind.”

“You — you wouldn’t?”

“When I first saw you at school, I was attracted to you, physically. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. We’re human, right?”

She chewed on the side of her bottom lip, head dipping in a half nod.

“Then, I got to know you better and I like you even more now. You’re different than most girls. You’re braver than me, and it doesn’t seem to bother you.”

She leaned in and landed a quick kiss on his cheek. Then she layered her hand on top of his. “I’d say you’re pretty brave for saying all that.”

He shrugged, satisfied she seemed in better spirits.

“My dad’s a premie.” She began, slowly. “So is my cousin. I’ve grown up around premies. I don’t know if that makes me a premie-lover or whatever, but I can’t help how I feel.” Her cheeks reddened a bit. “When we met, my heart skipped, but I hid it. That was before you told me you had the shrink gene. Admittedly when you told me that, my heart raced. I can’t explain it. I just knew I wanted to see you again. And when you showed up to skate after school — ”

The door swung open and Cece’s head peeked in. “Jaxon sleepin’ so yews keep it down in here.”

They nodded, Eli sliding his hand back onto his own lap. If Cece noticed, she said nothing, closing the door as she left. They turned to each other, stifling laughter.

“Hey, if you’re up for it, you’re welcome to have dinner at my place. My mom can pick you up. My dad’s really interested in meeting you.”

“He is? You’re mom didn’t seem too certain.”

“Well, he’s not crazy about the idea of me having a boyfriend, let alone a premie boyfriend, but he realizes he can’t control me. I think if he meets you, he’ll change his mind a little. Plus he can show you his house.”

“I am kinda curious about premie houses, especially since I’ll be in one soon enough.”

“Great. Then it’s a date.” She stood and bent over, pointing to her back. “Now how about we go outside and skate?”

He hopped on, wrapping his arms around her neck, not caring about the childishness of the situation. She said he could be a kid, and as long as she still liked him, he’d give in to the dysphoria. Things would get better, his mind would go back to normal soon, so why not enjoy it?

What the fuck?

Eli bolted upright. “Moooom!” He paused. “Ally? Winter?”

He rolled out of bed, his bare feet landing on wood, oddly warm and distinctly foreign. The bed itself, its thick navy sheets crumpled into a pile at the end, resembled no furniture he’d ever seen. In fact, nothing in the bedroom looked anything remotely familiar. Not the dark curtains, not the beige wallpaper, and certainly not the huge closet mirror —

His hair was gone!

It wasn’t gone, but it was significantly shorter. Even more concerning, he wore a diaper, and from the sensation of moisture in his pelvic area, he imagined it to be less than clean.

He had to be dreaming. He pinched his arm, mimicked by the half naked individual in the mirror. When that failed, he ran into the adjoining room and spun.

A sea of beige walls and plastic furniture, an overly tidy kitchen, and a door leading to a bathroom. He bolted toward the latter, stripped off the wet diaper and wrapped his lower half in a towel that felt more like cheesecloth than terry cloth. He searched for a trashcan, and when finding none, deposited the wadded material in the empty bathtub. At least he hadn’t done the second number in it.

“Mom!!!”

He rushed into the living room and threw open the curtains. What he saw made no sense. It wasn’t grass or trees or sky or anything like the outdoors. It was…impossible.

After finding no means of opening the window, he pressed his face against it. The shades of pink and red reminded him of his sisters’ bedroom, his bedroom since Ally had switched with him, but the scale made no sense. The red bedsheets below stretched for yards in all directions, the walls like enormous feats of architecture in the distance.

Fuck.

What the hell had happened? The last thing he remembered — he was with Parker and they were skating. Well, she was skating and he was riding...piggyback. The tingling sensation had returned, he’d lost his grip around her neck, and…

He couldn’t remember anything past that. He didn’t appear to be injured, lacking nothing other than his hair, but he couldn’t have possibly shrunk so much. Could he? And why the hell was he wearing a diaper?

The ceiling shifted. An enormous hand and a giant face filled the sky.

“Time for you to eat little guy.” The voice sounded like Winter, but it’s resonated with a quality and power that stopped his heart. “Hey, where -- “

He screamed and dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door before realizing the roof no longer existed.

“Oh my god!” The titanic head swiveled on it’s perch, waves of hair whipping across the sky, creating a tangible wind. “Ally, Eli’s walking!”

He cowered beside the toilet in the corner of the bathroom, burying his head in his knees. Maybe if he didn’t see his surroundings, they would disappear, and he’d awaken from this surreal nightmare.

“Eli?” Ally’s voice, soft yet powerful like her sister, reverberated. “Eli, are you back?”

He looked up to see his sisters staring at him like a newly discovered species. He recognized them as his sisters, sure, but like through a telescope at high magnification. Even from the distance, he could make out the fine hairs on their skin, the fibers in their clothing, and Winter’s newly missing bottom tooth as her smile formed.

Winter’s ridiculously huge hand blocked his view and floated towards him. He screamed again, throwing up his own hands in what would likely be a fruitless effort to ward off the menacing digits.

Somehow it worked, her fingers retreating below and out of view.

“What’s wrong with him?” Winter asked.

“He’s terrified of us.” Ally said. They spoke to each other as if he wasn’t even present.

“Why?”

“Put the top back on. We need to call Mom.”

“But he needs — “

“Just do it, Winter. Right now he needs to be left alone until we call Mom.”

“Okaaay.” She moved the roof of the house back into position, her one arm lifting the flat structure as if it were a mere textbook. “Don’t worry, Eli. We’ll explain everything. You’re going to be fine.” She flashed a pitying smile before the roof returned to its moorings, shaking the floors and walls.

He wasn’t going to be fine. He’d known this day would arrive, but it had happened entirely too soon. His sisters were not just big, they were gargantuan, and the fear...the fear was real. They wouldn’t hurt him of course, but his heart stammered and his chest tightened nonetheless. He simply couldn’t control it. The fear spread like chilled ink in his veins.

He made himself smaller, sinking into the corner until the stucco wallpaper dug grooves into his back and his stomach rumbled. Eventually, a tap on the ceiling and a voice.

“Eli, you’re probably hungry,” Winter said. “Can I come in?”

“No!”

At first nothing. Then, she said, “Ok, I’ll leave some food and clothes at the front door. It’s unlocked.”

Another pause.

“The doctor said it’s normal, because you got so small so fast. You’re confused and afraid. If you just — ”

“Winter.” Ally’s voice cut in. “Not now. Let’s give him some space.”

Winter let out an exaggerated sigh. “The soup is hot, so don’t wait too long. I promise you’ll like it. If you need anything, just turn on the TV. It’s hooked up to Ally’s phone and...hey!” Her voice strayed further away. “Ok bye for now Eli. I really missed you. I’m so glad you’re back!”

He wasn’t glad to be back, whatever back meant. The inability to remember the recent past (because surely time had passed) ranked a distant third on his current list of concerns. His diminutive stature and physical appearance (diaper, haircut, what else had they done?) tied for first and second.

Eventually, he made his way to the front door, but couldn’t bring himself to turn the handle. Outside would be a world of which he wanted no part. A world he’d feared even before he’d begun to shrink. A world he’d been thrust into as a fully reduced premie, likely shrinking faster than the ninety-ninth percentile, enough to leave him utterly bewildered and deathly afraid.

His dry throat constricted in a sad attempt to swallow and his stomach rumbled yet again. The doorknob, a warm metallic material against his skin, twisted easily enough. The door itself opened outward and —

***

Winter watched from above, careful not to enter Eli’s field of view. Against Ally’s orders, she’d snuck back into her bedroom, unable to keep her thoughts off her little brother. Whoops — her ‘big’ brother. Though really, she wasn’t sure she’d ever see him that way again, especially not after the last month. She’d just have to be careful to avoid telling him that.

Her heart pressed against her ribs, filling with anticipation — he took his first step outside his premie apartment. She’d cleaned the room, made the beds, and even removed the partial collection of shopkins from his nightstand as Ally had demanded. Something about the size disparity being too much for him too soon, and the...what was the word again...dysphoria potentially returning. She preferred the phrase ‘baby Eli’, and if she were being entirely honest, she hadn’t minded it one bit. True, she’d missed her brother, especially at first, but in a way he’d become her baby (after all, she’d been his primary caregiver), and the throbbing muscle in her chest wouldn’t let her part with him so easily.

Eli stood there, wrapped in a premie towel, head turning slightly in either direction. This continued for a while, for minutes at least, several agonizing minutes. All the while her fingers twitched, itching to sweep in and gather his little body into the safety of her palm where she’d hug him and layer him with kisses until the look of fear she’d seen in his eyes vanished, never to be seen again. But Ally had warned her not to touch him for the rest of the day, and she’d promised to obey, at least for now.

Finally he unfroze and knelt, sniffing the contents of the makeshift bowl. More of a thimble than a bowl, it would have to do until his dinnerware arrived. Unfortunately, steam no longer rose from the soup — a delicious mix of vegetables and spices, the latter intended to mask the faint flavor of premie powder. She’d cooked it herself, having become somewhat of an expert in premie nutrition. The powder aided in the digestion of human food molecules, a fact she could attest to as it certainly made him easier to...clean...after an ‘accident’.

Eat the soup.

She opened her mouth but bit her lip instead of speaking. To her dismay, he skipped the food and grabbed the pile of clothes, then disappeared into the apartment.

He needs a bath!

She usually gave him several quick baths a day, essentially anytime he needed a diaper change. He loved the warm water and she loved keeping him happy, healthy and spotless. Besides, it was much faster and more hygienic than trying to clean him with those tiny wipes.

If he’d truly emerged from his dysphoria, he’d almost certainly insist on bathing himself, feeding himself, and entertaining himself. Unless...unless she could prove to him how much easier and more enjoyable his life would be with her assistance. After all, she’d practically been his nurse for the last month. She knew far more about caring for premies than anyone else in the house, and certainly more than him.

But none of her knowledge would do any good if she couldn’t remove this darn roof. Why did these apartments come with a roof anyway? It wasn’t as if he needed protection from rain or snow. She’d attended the premie training, including the advanced session, and she understood the lessons on premie independence and privacy, but she’d never taken them to heart. The instructors didn’t know her brother like she did. Deep inside, he longed to be cared for. One learned a lot about someone's deepest desires after regression to infancy. All ‘pretense’ washed away. Emotions laid bare, raw, and immediate.

She knew Eli better than he knew himself.

After donning the yellow pajamas (seriously, did everything have to be pajamas?), Eli returned to the outside world. He focused not on the vast landscape of fabric, wood, and wallpaper, but rather on the bowl of soup resting at his doorstep.

Doorstep?

The words he used to describe things no longer seemed appropriate. The doorstep was merely an extension of the interior wood flooring, as if the house’s structure had been glued to it. As for the bowl of soup, it more closely resembled a tall bucket, without a handle of course, because that would be too easy. The spoon looked like a plastic ladle, perhaps a utensil more appropriate for a Barbie, or some other doll that dwarfed him.

Winter probably didn’t have any dolls his size. Probably too easy for kids to lose. Or break.

He bent, latched his fingers under the bottom edge of the bucket, and lifted with his legs.

Nope.

It might as well be a block of concrete. Even if he managed to lift it, he’d certainly spill it before getting —

“Eli.”

The simultaneous whisper and appearance of Winter’s tarp-like dress caused him to stumble backwards, landing on his butt just inside the front door. As the wall of flowery fabric descended to reveal the landscape of her face, his legs kicked, scooting him the remainder of the way indoors.

“Eli, wait,” she whispered, giant fingers closing in far too quickly.

He rose to his knees, grabbed the knob, and slammed the door shut. Unfortunately it lacked a lock of any sort. Not that it would matter. As already proven, if she wanted to reach him, she needed only to remove the entire roof!

“Eli.” A tap on the door. “Come out, please. I know you’re hungry. It’s been hours since I last fed you.”

“Leave me alone.” His voice echoed outside, as if repeated through a loudspeaker.

“Shhh,” Winter said. A series of soft clicks before she spoke again. “I’m not supposed to be in here. Ally doesn’t want me around you today, but I knew you’d need help. I’ll just open the roof for a moment and —  ”

“No!” His voice echoed again, but significantly softer than before. She must’ve reduced the volume of the speakers.

“Why not?” The pitch of her voice increased, even through her whisper. “I promise I won’t touch you. I’ll just move the bowl to your kitchen table.”

“You’re not supposed to be here, so leave,” he said, using her own words against her. “I’m going to turn on the TV.”

“Ok. Ok. I’ll leave. Please don’t tell Ally. I really hope you’ll try the soup though. I cooked it myself. It’s got — “

“Winter.”

“Alright, I’m leaving.” Soft clicks again. “Just call out if you need anything, or turn the TV to channel 3. We’ll hear you.” Feet shuffled against carpet. “I — I — oh I missed you so much! Ok, bye bye.”

The bedroom door closed in the distance, the faint sound of the doorknob turning, the muffled clank of massive gears. His sister meant him no harm, and he’d been somewhat rude. But, he couldn’t handle the anxiety her presence caused, as irrational as it may be. Nor could he explain it. But he could feel it.

After her departure, his nervousness dropped to a far more manageable level. Low enough to venture back outside and taste the soup with the oversized spoon. It wasn’t hot, but it was warm enough. And it didn’t taste particularly bad.

In fact, it tasted quite good — hearty, filling, and somehow meaty in spite of there being no visible meat. The more he ate, the more relaxed he became until a yawn escaped, quickly followed by an unintentional burp.

With heavy lids, he headed back inside, barely making it to the bed. Drained of adrenaline, it didn’t take long for the sleep to arrive. His only means of escape.

***

He didn’t sleep long. Drinking a liter of soup had the effect of a natural alarm clock — the pain in his bladder awakening him far more effectively than his phone ever had.

Groggily, he stumbled into the living room, remembered the living nightmare of his existence, and trudged into the bathroom. He lifted both lids, marveling at how real the toilet appeared. Did the plumbing really work? It had better. He didn’t have many options and he wasn’t about to wear a diaper for the rest of his life.

He peed clear. Not particularly unusual, except that he usually peed yellow, or yellowish. Why was he thinking about the hue of his piss? Carter would have some smartass comment to say about it. The right side of Eli’s mouth smirked upward.

He flushed the toilet, then hesitated. The water didn’t swirl, but dropped downward all at once, instantly replaced by clean water. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Perhaps for it to rotate in the opposite direction, as if in Australia.

He reached for the seat, then stopped. No point in lowering it. Not like he’d ever live with a girl again.

A singsong beep emanated from the living room. He arrived to find the television on, the image of an old fashioned telephone, the kind with a rotary thing for numbers, blinking in red.

“Hello,” he said. The telephone picture continued to blink.

He picked up the remote, noting its heft, practically an aerobics dumbbell. After pressing the On button, Ally’s face appeared on the screen. Though she wore an expression of mock annoyance, she appeared normal, not giant as before. Even on the wide screen television, it was as if he were interacting with someone the same size as himself, and thus, his apprehension didn’t return.

“Took you long enough,” she said.

“Good morning to you too.” He walked back to the couch and plopped down, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

“You mean good evening. You slept through the afternoon.”

“Kinda hard to tell time when you’re stuck in a dollhouse.”

Ally rolled her eyes. “You’re not stuck in there and you’re free to come out at any time. Winter went with Mom to pick up a few things at the store, but I’m sure she’d love to see you. We all would.” She paused, studying him. “At least you’re not trembling in fear anymore.”

“Fuck you.” He lifted the remote.

“Wait. I’m sorry.” She sighed. “I just — I’m trying to treat you the same as always, but it was insensitive of me to say.”

“Yeh. It was.”

“Forgive me?” She gave him her own version of puppy-dog eyes. Not nearly as effective as Winter’s, but at least it showed a modicum of remorse.

“Yeh. Fine.”

“It’s going to take time for us to adjust to you, and vice versa. In a way, we’ve had a head start because we’ve taken care of you for the last month. But now that you’re back to being yourself — “

“Wait, a month?” He sat up straight.

“Well yeh.” Her eyes darted to the side, then back. “You don’t remember anything, do you?”

“I remember...falling off Parker’s back and — shit I need to call Parker. Does this TV let me call out?”

“It’s got the standard apps you’d find on a smartphone. But hold off on calling her.”

“Why? She’s my girlfriend. She — ”

“And I’m you’re sister. I may not chase you around like Winter, but I’d still like to talk to you, especially now that you’re back, mentally speaking. Besides, she…”

“She what?”

“Well.” Ally hesitated. “Parker knows you’re ok. We’ve been keeping her informed.”

“Informed of what? What the hell happened to me? Obviously I shrunk. A lot. And ya’ll decided to have a field day with my hair. Thanks by the way. Always wanted to look like Justin Bieber before puberty. Oh and can’t forget the diaper. Great idea that one. Let’s see how much we can humiliate him to get the most views on YouTube.”

“Would you just shut up!” Ally glared at him, her face darkening progressively during his rant. “We haven’t done a single episode since you regressed a month ago.”

“Well — ”

“I’m not finished. Yes, I said you regressed. To an infant, mentally at least.

“Ever think about how hard that’s been on us? Mom’s been worried sick, in spite of the doctor’s assurances. I’m going to summer school because I missed so much class trying to help out the last few weeks. And Winter, the sister you love to ignore, has spent every waking moment thinking of ways to help you by cooking, cleaning, and everything else imaginable. In spite of what you think, we’re not evil. We’re your family, we love you, and we’re trying as hard as we can.”

The knot in his chest rose to his throat and he blinked away water in his eyes. “I — I didn’t know…”

“No you didn’t. It’s why I’m telling you now, as calmly as I can, instead of hanging up on you.” He rarely saw her cry, but he could see hints of moisture in her eyes.

“Hey. Um. I’m sorry. Can we just start over?” he asked.

She let out a deep sigh, wiping her eyes. After a moment, she said, “Yeh.”

“I guess...thank you. I didn’t realize you flunked school — “

“No, I passed, just with the caveat I’d attend a summer school class. Faculty were very understanding. Tons of kids at school signed a get well card for you by the way.”

“Wow. Um... What what about me? Did I pass?”

“There’s good news and there’s bad news. Which do you want first?”

“The bad news.”

“Always the pessimist.” She smirked, then straightened her face. “So it looks like you’ll be repeating the eighth grade. Apparently your grades sucked even before the regression.”

“And the good news?”

She blinked. “I’m a bit surprised you handled that so well.”

He shrugged. “There are worse things.”

“Well, the good news is that I’ll get to be your watcher...if you want. We’ll be in the same classes. It’s up to you though. You’ll probably have your pick of girls…”

He’d be in the same grade as Parker. He’d of course choose her as his watcher, but he didn’t want to disappoint Ally at the moment. “Thanks, I’ll think about it. I doubt there will be that many girls, or guys for that matter, who’d want to watch me.”

“You’d be surprised how many Nirvana fans...um, oh yeh. More bad news.” She took a deep breath and spoke fast. “Carter put your Nirvana cover on the internet, even though I told him not to. It got thousands of views and you even got invited to Ellen, but of course you couldn’t go. Now you have a few hardcore fans at school, not to mention around the world. And I know you’re really pissed, but it totally wasn’t my fault!”

He sat there in stunned silence. He should be pissed. That asshole. But, somehow, the trickle of anger he felt paled in comparison to the tempest of emotion he’d experienced so far. In fact, something she said piqued his interest. “Thousands of views?”

She gave a nervous smile. “Well yeh, like seven hundred thousand. Your fund has earned over fifteen hundred dollars from advertisements and donations.”

“What did people say about the music? Did they like it?”

“Heck yeh. But we’ve been telling you that for years. You just never believed us.”

He rubbed his temples. “It’s a lot to think about.” Eager to change the subject, he asked, “By the way, where’s the trash can in this place?”

“Just leave it on your front doorstep. Oh, and don’t use the toilet. It’s fake. If you flush it, it spills onto the carpet.”

“Wait, what!” He stood up, tempted to go to the bathroom, though unsure of what he’d do upon arriving.

“Got ya.” Ally smiled.

“What the fuck, Ally.” Then, he smiled too. “You asshole. I’d just used the bathroom too.”

“I know. I could hear it. It’s how I knew you were awake. Might want to turn down the microphone in the bathroom.”

“Uhh...I’ll turn off all the microphones, as soon as I figure out how.”

“You can’t. Only the one in the bathroom. I’ve locked the others. And before you complain, think it through. Remember we’ve been through the premie training sessions and you haven’t. We’re not evil sisters attempting to control your life.”

“I — I wasn’t going to say that.” But he was thinking it.

“No, but you were thinking it.”

“Maybe.”

“Anyway,” she said. “Want to come out here and wait until Mom and Winter get home?”

“No.”

She shook her head. “Ok, but you can’t stay in there forever ya know.”

“Why not?” Legitimate question. Seemed like the apartment had everything he needed, so long as they brought him food.

“Eli, I thought we’d agreed to start over. No more evil sister assumption.”

“Yeh, well it has nothing to do with that.” How could he make her see… “When you guys lifted the roof earlier and reached for me, I felt like I was going to die or faint or something. Obviously you don’t want to hurt me, but my body just reacts. It’s fucking terrifying. I know you think I’m a coward.”

She looked away for a moment, chewed on her lip, then back at him. “No, it makes sense. The training sessions and the doctor warned us. They said it’s an irrational fear, like a fear of heights, but worse. It’s something you don’t have control over. It’s...hard for us to imagine how we look to you.”

She raised an instructional finger. “The good news is that if you work at it every day, you’ll get better, just like someone facing their fear of heights.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m also afraid of heights and that’s never gone away. Just promise me you’ll never grab me or take off the roof without my permission.”

“Eli, I can’t promise that. We’re responsible for you. But unless it’s an emergency, I’ll try to avoid it if you promise to make an effort to face your fears a little more each day. If you stay isolated, you’ll get depressed, and so will we, especially Winter.”

“I’ll do what I can, but — “

The front door of the house opened and footsteps stomping up the stairs could be heard through the phone. “Is he awake? Is he awake? Let me see.” Winter’s face filled the screen. “Hi, Eli! When did you wake up? Was the soup good? You figured out how to use the phone. I wanted to be here for that. We got you some premie utensils. They’re so cute — wait till you see them. Actually, I’ll just come show them to you.”

“Winter.” Ally’s voice chimed in. “Remember the rules for today.”

“Awww.” The picture jolted around, showing ceiling and part of the couch. “Mom, can I go see Eli?”

“You have to ask him, honey.” His mom’s face appeared. “Hey sweetie. I’m so glad you’re back to normal. I know this is all really tough for you right now, but we love you so much. And we’ve missed you.”

“I missed you guys too. I just, I’m not…”

“I know, you’re not ready yet. We can wait. And I have an idea for a way we might be able to enjoy dinner together tomorrow. It’s entirely up to you though. Honestly, I want to see you as bad as Winter, but you’re in control here sweetie. We’ll go as fast or as slow as you want.”

“Thanks. I love you, Mom.”

***

Eli stared at the ceiling as he lay in his bed, replaying the conversation in his head. Parker had been happy to receive his call, overjoyed even, but she couldn’t talk for long and promised to come see him tomorrow. Though nervous about ‘seeing’ anyone, including Parker, something else bothered him. She hadn’t looked him in the eyes, or if she had, it hadn’t been for long.

She liked premies. She’d said so herself and he believed her. Was it his hair? Did she find him unattractive now? Maybe his regression over the last month had turned her off. God, he had such a hard time with girls before shrinking. Now it seemed he’d be destined for rejection no matter what.

Maybe it was for the best. What would they actually do together anyway? And long term…she couldn’t possibly want a future with someone entirely dependent on her for everything.

The door to the bathroom, the normal-sized one, closed and the light behind his curtains dimmed. Then, the springs of the human mattress squeaked, covers shifting.

“Goodnight, Eli,” Winter whispered.

He didn’t respond. Ally was right. He did ignore Winter, but in his defense, he didn’t have a choice. If allowed, the girl would cling to him like Saran wrap, suffocating him with unwanted attention and affection.

“Eli, are you asleep?” she asked.

Still, it made him feel bad. Just a bit. How could he expect Parker or anyone to like him if he was an asshole?

“Ok,” she said after several seconds. “Night. Love you.”

Aaaaaaaahhhh fuck it.

“Night...and thanks for the soup today,” he said. Hopefully it would be too quiet for her to hear, but loud enough to assuage his guilt.

“Ohmigosh, you’re still awake.” Her bed springs squeaked. “Did you like the new utensils? I promise you won’t have to eat soup every day, but the doctor said to ease you back into a solid diet...or something like that. I’ve already got your breakfast planned for tomorrow. It’s a surprise. You’re going to love it.”

“That’s cool. And yeh, the utensils were the right size. You don’t have to worry about breakfast. I’ve got plenty of leftovers.”

“No way. You’re not eating leftovers for breakfast, silly. Besides, I like making it. I feel like we’re playing house, except it’s real, and you’re really my brother. And before you say it, I know we’re not playing house. I’m too old for that. But it’s still fun to...help. Does that make sense?”

He sighed. “Yeh, I guess. You don’t have to make such huge portions though.”

“Well I make enough for everyone, and just add the powder to yours. Trust me”—she giggled—“to me it’s a very tiny portion. Like a teaspoon or less.”

Just what he needed. Another reminder of his insignificance. She didn’t mean to, but she had no  filter on her brain. Thoughts poured out, raw and honest.

Yet, maybe it was better. Others surely thought the same things, but didn’t say them aloud. He kinda wished Parker had a bit of Winter’s honesty during their conversation today, even though he might not have liked her words.

“Hey Eli. I know It’s not the next day yet, but can I give you a hug goodnight?”

“Uh, no. And not tomorrow either. I appreciate your cooking and everything, but I can’t do that.”

“But...but Ally said I could touch you again tomorrow.”

“It’s not her choice, Winter. It’s mine. I’m not ready.”

She mewled softly. “When are you going to be ready?”

“I don’t know. But don’t get your hopes up.” He rubbed his temples. “I really need to get some sleep. Goodnight.”

The clock in his head ticked the seconds away. The longer it ticked, the less likely Winter would —

“Eli, do you not like me anymore?” her voice, slightly choked, broke the silence.

He sighed, loudly this time. “I still like you. Now please, can we go to sleep?”

“When I said love you, you never said it back. You hate me now, don’t you? Is it because I bother you? Even though I let you sleep all day today and...and I’ve been trying so hard to leave you alone.”

If she started crying now, something she hadn’t done much recently, he’d never get to sleep. “Of course I love you. You’re my little sister...even though you’re kinda huge to me now. Listen, I told this to Ally...but it’s not your fault. It’s like”—he considered for a moment—“name something you’re afraid of. I mean really afraid of.”

“Spiders?” she said.

“Ok. Imagine a huge spider, fangs dripping with poison, hairy legs crawling up your bed sheets. It’s inching toward your face as you sleep — “

“Stop, you’re scaring me.”

“Exactly. It’s not real. The spider can’t hurt you. Even if there was a real spider, chances are it would never bite you or do any damage even if it did. It’s an irrational fear. Your body reacts. Kinda like being afraid of heights. You can’t stop it. Now imagine that feeling, but ten times worse. That’s how I feel when I see you so...gigantic. I can’t help it. I know you won’t hurt me, but my adrenaline spikes and I can hardly breathe. I’ll work on it, but it has to be at my own pace. And it may take time.”

“Oh.” She paused for a bit, sniffing, then continued. “They mentioned something about...Gigantiphobia...in our training sessions. I was hoping it wouldn’t affect you.”

“Well, it did. Gigantiphobia. I’m impressed you remembered that.” He’d never heard the word before, but it certainly sounded appropriate.

“I remembered everything.” Her voice sounded closer now. “Hey, I have an idea. How about I just stick my finger in your window. And you can just touch it, and that will count as our hug.”

“Winter. It’s late. And I’m —”

“Pleeeeease. I won’t even move it. If you get too afraid, I’ll stop. I promise.”

“Ahh, ok fine.” She was never going to stop begging him, and he was slightly curious if his body would react the same way with just a finger. “But after this, go to sleep!”

“I promise.” Her whisper came from the roof. “Ok, I’ll open the window and poke my finger in. Here goes.”

The headboard of his bed shook as the window slid open. Something tapped the floor. He rolled out of bed and turned on the light. His breath caught in his lungs at the surreal sight reflected in the mirror. Without even turning around, he wanted to call off the ‘hug’, but resisted. Just barely.

“Can you see it?”

He turned around and faced the monstrous digit head on. Though still on the other side of the bedroom, it loomed like a creature from another planet, nearly as big as his entire body. He forced the fear from his voice.

“You painted it.”

“You noticed! You were sleeping all day and I got bored. Ally let me borrow some of her blue nail polish. She never uses it anymore. I thought mom would get mad, but she didn’t even notice.”

He stepped closer until his feet would no longer propel himself. Still a couple of yards to go.

“Take your time,” Winter said. “I can see you a little through the curtains. You really are afraid. I promise I’ll keep still.”

He hated this fear. It was his little sister, practically the most harmless person on the planet. Well, she wasn’t a vegetarian and she stood up for herself, but at four-foot six, she didn’t inspire fear. Sure, she towered over him now, but she was still the same little girl.

He got an idea and closed his eyes. After a moment, his legs responded and he inched forward, fingertips gliding along the wall. Luckily the room was mostly empty, so he didn’t trip over anything.

After finding the corner, he continued until his fingertips reached the edge of the window and the curtains. A strawberry scent grew more powerful. Going by memory, if he reached just a bit further…

His hand brushed against warm flesh, and lots of it.

“You did it!” Winter said. “I’m so proud of you. Are your eyes closed?”

“Yeh, they are.” He reached again, this time laying his palm flat on the expansive surface of skin. Fine details, pores and hairs, tangible as he explored the tissue. He knelt. On the underside of her finger, he could even feel a faint pulse.

She giggled. “It tickles.”

“Sorry.”

“No, don’t stop. You’re doing so good. Wanna open your eyes?”

He did. One eye, a slow squint, then both wide. His stomach constricted and breathing became labored, but he forced his hand to remain on her second knuckle. After what seemed like a minute of frozen fear, he said, “Looks like you’ve been biting your nails.”

“You can tell? Wow. I only bite when I’m bored at school.”

He let his fingertips explore her fingernail. The polish itself had a dry, grainy consistency. He’d been expecting smooth. A large, red heart adorned the center of the nail, sloppily painted as if with a cotton ball.

“Kinda got outside the lines a bit,” he said.

“What? I did not. Did I? You can probably see a lot better than me because you're so small now. Hey, you can even paint my nails. Wouldn’t that be fun? I bet you could paint some really cool designs and everyone at school would be jealous. I’d have to hold really still, like this”—

Her finger extended straight and he jumped back. It was the speed with which she moved. An object so large shouldn’t be able to accelerate so fast. Watching it happen in real time was like watching a horror flick where the possessed creature at the end of a far hallway suddenly appears right in front of you.

“Ooops. Forgot I wasn’t supposed to move. Are you ok?”

He closed his eyes. “Yeh, but I think I’m done for the night.”

“You did awesome! Here, I’ll close the window.” The window slid and clicked shut. “Now that you’re used to it, we can practice all day tomorrow. Soon I’ll be able to carry you around again, and you’ll actually be able to tell me how fun it is. Imagine Eli, we can pretend you’re flying. You’ll be able to get into places like the movies for free. You can even ride my shoulder once you get comfortable. They have safety gear for it. Aren’t you excited?”

“Thrilled.” He finally managed to turn off the light and get back into his bed.

“Night, Eli. For real this time. I love you so much.”

Sigh. “Love you too. Night.” He said it this time to keep her from brooding. It worked. She finally went to sleep. He knew because of the change in the rhythm of her breaths, as he stayed awake — listening.

And brooding.

 

“Can’t we talk like this?” Eli asked. While the question seemed silly — Parker sat on a bed right outside his apartment — it would be the only way for him to maintain any semblance of normal conversation.

Her expression fell. Her face, pretty as ever (was she wearing makeup?), filled the TV screen with a look of rejection. “I haven’t seen you in weeks…”

He cast a side glance at nothing in particular, making every effort to stifle the panic building in his chest. “I suppose it’s ok, but I’ll have to look away. I can’t — ”

All at once, the roof of the apartment lifted, creating a mild vacuum that tousled his hair. He gulped and focused on the beige wall of his livingroom, head pointed downward.

After several seconds, Parker spoke first. “I like your haircut. They must’ve cut it after my last visit.”

At least he didn’t need to worry about his hair anymore. If she liked it, he didn’t care what others thought. “I’m still not sure why they cut it.”

“Ally said it was because you kept getting soap in your eyes during bath time. You’d cry something fierce, even using the baby shampoo.”

“Oh. Great.” Just what he needed — another reminder of his regression.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about you know. It’s quite normal for premies who shrink as fast as you. When I was here a couple weeks ago, you were like a newborn. A couple feet tall, seven pounds at most, and cute as a button. Of course now that you’ve reached your final size…”

“I know. You’re not interested in me ‘that way’ anymore. You don’t have to say it. I can tell.”

“Actually, I was afraid you wouldn’t be interested in me.”

“That’s impossible.” He blurted without thinking. “You’re beautiful, and smart, and every time I look at you, I wish I was normal so I could…” He trailed off into an awkward silence.

“Go ahead. Finish the sentence.”

“So...I could kiss you.”

“Is that all?” she asked playfully. “We can still kiss you know. And we can do...other things. I’m just relieved you still like me after what I did. I promise it’ll never happen again unless — ”

“Wait. What did you do?”

“Ally didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“She...didn’t tell you.” Parker’s exhale filled the room with warm, cinnamon air. “Ok. Promise you’ll listen and not get upset until I finish.”

“Why would I get upset?” The thought of her enormous presence instilled plenty of anxiety, but he couldn’t imagine himself getting angry at her.

“I kissed someone. A girl.”

“Oh.” Not what he’d expected. But not entirely surprising either. “When?”

“A couple weeks ago, after my last visit. It was a complete accident. We just got to talking...sharing our feelings. About you. But in a good way, no jealousy. And then, before I knew it, we kissed. It was just a little kiss, but someone saw it and rumors started. Ally wasn’t happy. She said you’d never speak to me again. Eli, you have to believe me. I’m so sorry. It was a complete mistake.”

“Who was it?” He already knew the answer. Only one other person at his school would feel similarly. Still, he wanted to hear it.

“Zoey. She still likes you, Eli. And when we talked...it was so strange. I wanted to be angry, but —”

“But you kissed instead.”

“Well, we kissed each other.”

“So I was right. You don’t like me anymore. You came here to say you want to be friends.”

“Eli, will you please turn around? It’s so hard talking to your back about this.”

“The answer is yes. We can be friends. I don’t care anymore. Just leave.”

“Eli,  it’s not like that. Please. Just face me.”

“No!” There it was. The anger he hadn’t expected to feel. “I’m tired and I want to be left alone. Put my roof back and — ”

Long, thick fingers wrapped around his body. His heart leapt but the spike in terror abated nearly as fast as it had arrived. Her digits clamped his arms tight against his body, wrapping everything in a warm cocoon of softness. A tingling calm spread from the base of his skull all the way down to the soles of his feet, nearly the only patch of skin exposed to the cool air above his apartment.

What?! He hovered above his apartment, so high in the air, entrapped in Parker’s grasp — yet he wasn’t afraid. Not in the least. Her massive countenance loomed before him, her straight lined mouth easily twice the length of his torso, yet not an iota of fear.

“Calm down and listen to me. Can you do that?”

He nodded, amazed at how his body reached an even deeper level of tranquility. It was completely the opposite of how he should be feeling. And, while the alien sensations made no sense, they weren’t entirely unwelcome. Not at all.

“Alright, I’m going to set you down. Have a seat and listen. Don’t be afraid.”

She did, placing him gently, right back in his apartment. As soon as her hand released him, he sat on the couch as requested. She hadn’t specified the couch, but it met the requirements. The tingling (a feeling of serenity, of near tangible contentment) rewarded him. And the reward continued as he chose to listen and resist his fear.

“What did you do to me?”

“It’s called binding. You’ll learn about it in your premie training. It’s kind of like hypnosis, but not really. It’ll wear off soon enough.”

“You hypnotized me?” he asked, wondering where his anger had gone.

“Not really. You can resist if you want. You just have to try.”

She was right. He could resist. But it would be like stepping out of a hot tub in the wintertime. He’d be leaving the warmest, coziest, most incredible feeling for...for what? Fear, anger, and discouragement? No thank you.

“I don’t want to resist. It feels good. It’s like...I don’t know. But I’m not afraid.”

She smirked. “You’re probably more susceptible than most due to your prior experience with regression.”

“Will it last? I mean...will my fear stay away?” He could explore the outside world now. With ease! Heck, he could walk outside and run through the grass, likely well over his head in some areas. He could run down the hallway at school, dodging between feet. He could —

“Unfortunately no. It’s temporary. But with practice, your sisters can bind you whenever you want. Some premies like it. Others detest it. They say it’s like mind control, which it isn’t. There’s a lot of debate right now regarding it’s use in Premoria. Regardless, I shouldn’t have done it without asking for your permission, but it was an impulse. Probably another thing you’ll hate me for once it wears off.”

“I’d never hate you.” How could he hate her? She’d given him such a wonderful gift. Even if temporary, the peace in his soul at the moment transcended all wrongs she may have committed.

“I hope so. Because I came here to tell you that I still like you.” She lowered her head so that her chin touched the top of the wall. “A lot.”

“I like you too, but you like Zoey.” So easy to speak the truth in this state. No need to hide anything. Nothing she could say would dishearten him, so why not be honest and...listen. Listening to her was the right thing.

“I do like Zoey. And she likes me. And you too of course. That’s what I wanted to talk with you about. Have you ever heard of polyamory?”

“It’s like polygamy right?”

She laughed, sending a breeze of cinnamon his direction. “Not really. It’s just being in love with more than one person, especially when everyone consents.”

“Zoey’s bisexual?” he asked. It would be news to him.

“She’s not sure, but she likes me. And she still loves you. She wants a relationship with both of us, and so do I. But she said you’d never go for it.”

“So I’d have two girlfriends?”

Parker smiled broadly. “We’ll yes, that’s one way to look at it. If you want. Society teaches us that anything other than monogamy, generally hetersexual monogamy, is wrong. But why are other types of relationships wrong? Why is love wrong? I don’t believe it’s wrong to love, intimately, more than one person at a time. Zoey isn’t sure, but she’s open to explore the possibilities. We just need you to decide.”

“Oh.” He wanted to please her, to say ‘yes’ and kiss her. But was it just the hypnosis thing talking? The binding, or whatever she’d called it? She hadn’t instructed him to agree, so the compulsion to please her in this regard wasn’t strong. She wanted him to make up his own mind. “I need some time to think about it.”

“I figured you would. But, Eli. My preference is still to be with you. If you want to be monogamous, I’d rather be with you than Zoey. I like a lot of things about her, but I’m in love with you. So if you don’t want to try polyamory — if you still want to be my boyfriend — I truly want to be your girlfriend.”

“Ok.” Her words made sense, he admired her honesty, and… he marveled at how even his breathing was. Was he high? He’d never been high before. Maybe it felt like this. It had felt even better a moment earlier when she’d held him. “Um…”

“You want me to pick you up again, don’t you?”

Before she’d even finished her sentence, he was standing, arms at his sides. “Yes, please.”

She smiled and tilted her head slightly. “Ok, but you’re really going to hate me after it wears off. Are you sure?”

“I won’t hate you. I promise.” Just please...one last time.

Her fingers surrounded him again, then enclosed him in a blanket of happiness. Again, not the right word. He didn’t have a word to describe the sensation. Numbness perhaps? No, too negative. It was right, safe, and unifying all at once — her hand a faultless protector, an impenetrable barrier to both physical and emotional harm.

“They say it’s like when a mother carries it’s kittens by the back of the neck.” The light glinted from her shiny lips. “Or like swaddling a baby, tightly restricting it’s movement. It has a calming psychological effect.”

“I do feel calm.”

“I can tell. Unfortunately, I have to be careful speaking to you when holding you like this. You’re more...open to suggestions. After it wears off, remember that piece. You never want to let someone bind you if you don’t trust them. While premies are able to resist and ignore suggestions, it’ll be more difficult for you, at least until you’ve had practice.”

“Ok. I’ll remember.”

She smiled, rolling her eyes. “Of course you will, since I just told you to.” She sighed, drowning him in a cinnamon aphrodisiac. “Oh god, I wish I could just kiss you right now.”

“You can.” He leaned his head forward, chin on the skin of her forefinger.

“Not like this. It wouldn’t be right. Once the binding wears off, once you’ve had time to think about everything, if you still want to be with me, you won’t be able to stop me from kissing you to death.” She giggled.

He smiled broadly. Death by kissing Parker. He couldn’t think of a better way to go.

***

He hated her. No. He hated himself. How could he let himself be hypnotized (or whatever) so easily? Just what he needed — another weakness.

God, his head hurt. Must be what a hangover felt like. He’d taken a nap after Parker left and awoken to a text message from Ally on his television: With Wntr at the pool. txt when ur up.

Of course they were at the pool. It was the first week without school, and Winter loved to swim (not as much as gymnastics, but a close second). They hadn’t even bothered to wake him. Even at his normal size, he wouldn’t have wanted to go, but it wasn’t relevant. They’d gone without asking him, leaving him trapped in his premie apartment like a pet hamster.

Fuck it.

He went to the front door and opened it. Well, he tried to open it, but the knob wouldn’t budge. If there was a lock, it wasn’t visible to him, and if he had any advantage at his current size, it was his eyesight. No lock, no switch, no deadbolt.

After returning to the television, he lifted the heavy remote and typed on it’s rubbery keypad: How do i unlock the front door?

After a moment: Afternoon sleepy head. hang tight. We’ll head home in a minute.

He rolled his eyes and set the remote on the coffee table.

Fine. But how do i open the door?

He waited, but no response.

Ally?!

You can’t. It’s a safety thing. We’ll b home soon.

What the fuck! He really was a pet hamster. All he needed was some litter to shit in and a running wheel to complete to picture.

He stomped back to the door and kicked it. Though it didn’t sound like wood, it did resound with a satisfying thump. He kicked again. And again, until his heel connected with the frame.

Ouch.

He hobbled back into the living room and threw open the curtains, revealing the wall-window. Though large, it too wouldn't open. He couldn’t even find where it would open if possible. That’s when he remembered.

He flew into his bedroom and tugged upward at the base of the window.

Bingo!

Though more stubborn than any window had a right to be, it opened, inundating his bedroom with a draft of cool, fresh air. Invigorating!

He crawled over and through the window sill, letting his bare feet come to rest on the faux wood extending from the base of his apartment. He was free!This simple act of rebellion, as childish as it seemed, did something for his ego. He’d regained control over a part of his life, and it meant he could regain more if he tried.

His gaze wandered to the right — an enormous stuffed animal, the one Winter slept with on most nights. Or at least she’d used to sleep with it. She’d abandoned it along with many of her toys over the last year. What did she call this one? Patches? Whatever the name, it resembled something between a cat and a Winnie the Pooh bear, pink with white polka dots, and black dots, and...really the name Patches described it quite well.

He walked over to it, feet crossing onto the significantly cooler nightstand surface. It loomed over him — his baby sister’s stuffed animal now many times his size. His head would reach it’s bellybutton if it had one, and it was sitting!

It reminded him of two things: his own insignificance and why he didn’t like leaving the apartment even when given the chance. Still, he’d ventured this far. Perhaps he’d prove himself even more capable. He’d surprised himself already, so why not take the next step?

He’d climb the thing!

It seemed perfectly rational. He’d prove he could get around and become taller than the beast in one fell swoop — two birds with one stone. If his sisters returned and found him sitting atop its head...oh they’d be surprised! They’d be upset, but that’s exactly what he wanted. He’d prove he had no intention of being their prisoner, their toy brother who they could lock away in a fancy box.

He began his ascent on the animal’s leg, throwing the front of his body over the cushiony surface and pulling himself on top. Next, the arm. It sloped downward, resting its weight on the leg. He hugged and climbed it as one might climb a wide fireman’s pole. Upon reaching its neck, he rested, catching the sweet scent of strawberries and oil; it smelled like Winter after school, not entirely clean but not outright disgusting, though it had likely been years since she’d washed the thing.

Next came the hardest part. He grasped a handful of fabric. Even though the stuffed creature dwarfed him, it didn’t offer much in the way of loose fabric, so his grip didn’t come easy. Luckily, he found a spot on it’s cheek, an opening between the stitching just large enough to permit the entrance of his fingers.

He leapt and pulled upward, then grabbed the thing’s button eye. It too had seen better days, but it’s slight dangle in it’s socket helped his grip.

He latched his other hand to the eye’s thread and swung his body back and forth until his right hand caught the floppy left ear. Another lucky hole! He moved his left hand to join his right —

And that’s when it happened. Somehow, his movement, the angle of his weight, or something caused the stuffed creature to tilt. In slow motion, it fell onto it’s side and he collided with the nightstand hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs.

Worse, the thing’s head rested on top of his chest, or more accurately, on top of his entire body. He could breathe — he sucked in hair, coughing — but he couldn’t push the animal off. His ribcage ached, as did his tailbone, his back and backside having taken the brunt of the blow.

Worse, than his physical pain, his pride — all the ego he’d built in the last few minutes — toppled to dust in his mind. What if they found him here, like this, trapped helplessly under his sister’s stuffed animal. Could there be a worse humiliation?

Yes. He knew the answer from his experiences over the last couple months. But this particular humiliation he’d brought on himself, no two ways about it. If he could just budge the thing a slight amount —

The front door to the house, the real house (not his fake one), opened and Winter’s voice rang out.

“Eli, we’re home!”

“Miss Kincaid, welcome back.” The feminine voice sounded excited, almost too cheerful to be professional. “And help me remember…”

“Winter.” Eli’s room swayed as his sister shook hands with the therapist.

“Ah yes, Winter. Cute as ever. And your sister...Ally was it?”

“She couldn’t be here today.” Winter said. “She’s got a lot of homework.”

“Over the summer?” the therapist asked.

“She’s in summer school,” Mom said. “Will it be a problem?”

“No, no of course not. Most of this would just be review for her, as it will be for you two. This session is primarily for Eli. I assume he’s in your carrier?”

“Yup,” Winter said.

Gravity increased, and the view outside Eli’s window dropped downward as his room ascended. In moments, he was greeted by a middle aged woman with gray streaks in her brown hair, and lipstick so dark it appeared purple.

“Welcome, Eli. It’s great to finally meet you. My name’s Dr. Amelia Webb.” She poked her finger through the open window, her dark red fingernail gliding toward him like a harpoon.

Eli flinched, turning his head away. If he could turn his body away, he would, but he was held fast by a special chair designed for transporting premies.

“Ooops, I forgot you’re still experiencing symptoms.” She withdrew her finger. “Though from what I’ve heard, you had quite the adventure yesterday. Got yourself trapped under a stuffed toy. You’re very lucky, you know.”

“His window, it was unlocked,” Mom said. “We’ve fixed the problem. But...he’s not happy with the arrangement.”

“Of course not.” Dr. Webb winked at Eli, then rose back to her full height. Winter lowered him to waist level. “No one wants to feel trapped. But at the same time, you shouldn’t have to worry about him trying to escape. That’s why we’re here today. Have a seat.”

The world swayed once more, ending with a mild jolt. He’d obviously been placed on some flat surface — the natural movements of Winter’s arm, likely imperceptible to her, had disappeared.

A triple beep preceded the release of Eli’s straps. He stood and stretched, then glanced at the door which opened before him.

“Come on out,” Winter said.

“Not leaving.” He sat right back down in the chair. They could make him come to this therapist, but they couldn’t make him leave his portable room. At least not by his own free will.

“It’s ok,” Dr. Webb said. “Here, we’ll just open the front wall so he can see better.”

The entire wall ahead of him, the one with the window, dropped away, rotating outward on it’s hinges. He leapt to his feet and backed into the corner.

“My, he is a timid one,” Dr. Webb said. “I’m amazed he was able to leave his apartment yesterday.” Her head dipped down into view. “Eli, can you see the monitor?”

He nodded, pressing his body harder into the corner.

“Can you make him less afraid?” Winter asked. “Even after we found him outside, he wouldn’t let me touch him. We didn’t get a chance to properly discipline him. He was freaking out.”

“Winter, remember what I said about using that word,” Mom said.

“But, they taught us — ”

“Winter’s right.” The therapist, who he disliked more and more, spoke matter of factly. “We do teach that discipline is necessary. Even though Eli no longer suffers from regression, he’s not an adult. And he’s still particularly vulnerable. The word ‘discipline’ may cause him some degree of embarrassment, but it’s better than the alternative.”

“She’s my little sister. She’s not going to discipline me. I’m not a fucking child.”

“Language!” Mom said.

“Eli, you’re fourteen.” The therapist spoke with maddening composure. “You’re still a child in the eyes of the state. Furthermore, as a premie, you must submit to any watcher in matters concerning your safety. Winter has had the appropriate training, so in spite of her age, she qualifies as a watcher. As such, she has the right to discipline you.”

“Dr. Webb, he really is a good kid. This was his first big mistake. I’m sure he’ll do much better after the training session today.” At least Mom was defending him.

“Miss Kincaid, while I respect your concern for your son’s feelings, we all have to recognize the dangers of a premie living in a human environment. Fatalities are up this year. Nearly all were caused by preventable accidents. Eli, do you know what the most common cause of death is for a premie?”

“Suicide.” He spoke before his brain filtered the thought.

“No. Actually that’s not even in the top five for premies dwelling with humans.” She made a notation on the black pad in her hands. “It’s falling. Proportionately, premies can fall further, perhaps twice as far as humans, before death becomes certain. However, much of it depends on factors such as the landing surface. A fall from human waist height onto concrete has been known to cause death. Almost certainly it would cause injury of some sort.

“From our last inspection, most of your house is carpeted. This is a good thing. It means you could’ve fallen from the nightstand and survived. However, you could’ve also broken your neck. I’m not going to sugar coat it. Do you know the second most common cause of premie fatalities?”

“Dr. Webb, is this really necessary?” Mom asked. “I’m sure he’s learned his lesson.”

“It’s ok Mom,” Eli said. He was actually a bit curious.

“This year it’s actually a tie between human interaction and outdoor exposure. Of the fatalities due to human interaction, less than two percent were caused by humans with proper training. That’s why I’m so glad you took the time to get your entire family trained, Miss Kincaid. You’d be surprised how many families fail to see the importance of it. Soon it will become a national mandate for anyone caring for a premie, but unfortunately, we’re not there yet.”

“I’d never hurt Eli.” Winter chimed in. “He knows that, but he’s still afraid. He says he can’t control his fear.” She seemed insistent on the whole fear thing. While true, Eli didn’t like hearing it repeated over and over.

“Part of his fear is instinctual. After all, humans do cause many premie deaths, and many, many more non-fatal injuries. Fear is his body’s natural way of protecting itself, of recognizing potential danger and withdrawing. For example, take a look at the screen. Can anyone tell me what’s showing?”

“It looks like a hand with the skin peeled off,” Winter said.

“Correct, in a way. It’s the musculature of the human hand. And what about this?”

“Oh. It’s like somebody pulled all his skin off. I know! It’s the muscul--ture of a person?”

“Very good! Looks like we’ve got a future doctor here.”

“She wants to be a nurse,” Mom said.

“Maybe I’ll be a doctor,” Winter said. “I’ve already learned everything there is to know about premie nursing.”

The therapist chuckled, tapping her pen in an irritating way against the leather of her pad. “Well, we could certainly use another physician, especially one who specializes in premie medicine. Anyway, you’re correct: it is a person...a premie to be more specific, drawn to scale. Did you know that if you add up the force exerted by all the muscles in a premie's body, it’s less than that of a human child’s forefinger? And that’s assuming a premie would be able to exert all muscles at once, in a single direction, which is impossible.”

“Whoa,” Winter said. “I didn’t know that.”

“It means if someone accidentally squeezed Eli too hard, they’d easily bruise him. Worse case, his bones would break or his organs would be punctured, leading to death. I know it sounds harsh, but it’s important for everyone to face reality. Premies are quite fragile.”

“Dr. Webb, we realize that,” Mom said. “But I’m not sure how this is going to help him get over his fear of us. If anything, you’re just making him more afraid.”

“That’s exactly what I want. His fear is healthy, and he needs to accept it, embrace it, and not be embarrassed by it. Does that make sense, Eli?”

“Yeh,” he said. “Whatever.”

“The good news is that when we’re done with our session today, you’ll still be afraid, but for the right reasons. You’ll be afraid of random humans, but not your watchers. And that, ultimately, is a good thing. It’ll keep you alive and healthy. And, eventually, happy. Because as bad as it seems now Eli, being a premie isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it’s the beginning of a whole new life which you can enjoy if you allow it, and if you practice good safety habits.”

“You saying I won’t be afraid is one thing,” he said. “But if you think I’m going to watch some video and be cured, you’re wrong. Go ahead and try, but it’s a waste of time.”

“Oh, I agree,” Dr. Webb said. “But I don’t plan on showing any videos. This will be a hands on session. I’m going to teach your family how to bind, and when we’re done, you’ll feel like a whole new person.”

“Fuck that.”

“Eli!” His mom slapped the table, and he felt the vibration.

“Eli, are you familiar with binding?” Dr. Webb asked. “Do you know what it is?”

He couldn’t tell her about his experience with Parker. He didn’t want his girlfriend to get in trouble. Was she still his girlfriend? He hadn’t decided, but he refused to rat her out. “I watched a video about it, and I’m not interested.”

“Oh?” Dr. Webb leaned back in her chair to get a better view of him. “And what about the video made you disinterested?”

“Let’s see. Oh, now I remember. The part about being grabbed by a giant!”

“I’m sorry Dr. Webb. He’s not normally this rude,” Mom said. “Eli, the sooner you cooperate, the sooner we’ll get home. We’re all here to help you. Please give Dr. Webb a chance.”

“Not coming out,” he said.

“How about I make you a deal, Eli,” Dr. Webb said. “Let me hold you for five seconds. If you don’t like it, say so, and you’ll get to go home early. Otherwise you can choose to stay in there, and we’ll discuss safety topics for the next two hours.”

“Two hours! What the — ”

“Eli!” Mom’s fingers thrummed on the table.

“Two hours, and there’s a quiz for you at the end.” She paused, presumably to let it sink in, which it did. “I can see that’s the route you’d like to take, which is fine.” Dr. Webb leaned toward the monitor. “I’ll start the first video segment and — ”

“Wait.” He took a tentative step forward. “Only five seconds? Promise?”

“Five seconds. You have my word. After five seconds, simply say you want to leave and we’ll call an early end to the session.”

He could resist for five seconds, couldn’t he? Parker had only affected him that way because, well, because she was Parker — beautiful, witty, and irresistible. This dried up old woman wouldn’t have the same effect.

“Fine.” He walked toward the open wall and stepped onto the warm table. His portable room was heated, and thankfully, so was the table’s surface. “After I count to five, I’m leaving.”

“Close your eyes if you want.” Dr. Webb stretched her arm in his direction, slowly. “Sometimes it helps. You won’t feel any pain.”

He gritted his teeth and squinted, determined to keep his eyes open, even if only just a little. As soon as her fingers wrapped around his body, he began his count.

“One.”

Similar to his experience with Parker, her fingers clamped his arms to his sides. However, the therapist was much faster, so fast he coughed out the word: “Two.”

The pads of her fingers pressed down on his shin, thigh, lower abdomen, and chest, in that order. The blood rushed to his head.

“Thr…” His arms pressed even tighter against his sides, and he inhaled as the tingling erupted at the base of his skull.

Then the calm, the same peace he’d experienced yesterday if not stronger. What was the next number? Three? Just a few more integers and he could leave early.

He opened his mouth to speak, but instead released a sigh.

***

Winter watched, amazed as her brother went limp in Dr. Webb’s hand. She’d watched the videos of course. She’d spent hours practicing with the premie pressure simulator, but nothing had prepared her for Eli’s reaction. He’d gone from determined to compliant in less than a few seconds.

“Do you still want to leave?” Dr. Webb asked, holding Eli in front of her face.

He took a deep breath before speaking. “You — you knew this would happen.”

“And what’s that?” she asked.

“You hypnotized me,” Eli said.

“Oh, I can assure you this isn’t hypnosis. You can finish your count at any time. But you’re choosing not to. Do you know why that is?”

He shook his head.

“Think about it,” Dr. Webb said. “You wanted to leave a few seconds ago. Why did you change your mind?”

“I guess because you’re trying to help me. You’re not a bad person. You want to...protect me...to keep me safe.”

“Very good.” Dr. Webb turned toward Mom. “You see, binding isn’t hypnosis at all. Rather, it is the satisfaction of premie id, the simultaneous fulfillment of their base instinctual drives. With proper technique, the watcher becomes elevated in the mind of the premie. Among other things, he or she becomes the ultimate source of sustenance and protection, more critical to survival than air itself. As such, the watcher also becomes deeply trusted.”

“You’re sure he’s not hurting?” Mom asked.

“Eli, how do you feel?” Dr. Webb addressed her voluntary captive. “Are you in any pain?”

He shook his head. “I feel...good. I — I’m sorry I was rude earlier.”

“It’s ok.” Dr. Webb said. “You were afraid. But you’re not anymore, are you?”

“No,” he said. “I’m relaxed. I know you won’t hurt me.”

“You see”—Dr. Webb placed Eli on the table before continuing—”premies need human contact. They instinctually crave it. For this reason and others, I believe Premoria is destined for failure. I’m not alone in my opinion. We don’t know what activates or suppresses the premie mutation, but we do know premies are not intended to live apart from humans. They need us, and perhaps on some level, we need them.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Winter dropped to the floor, lowering herself to get a better view of her brother. “I don’t want him to go to Premoria.” Poor Eli looked like he wanted to be held again. It took everything she had not to reach for him.

“It’s his decision to make.” Mom placed a hand on Winter’s shoulder. “It’s expensive, but if we can find a way, we’ll make it happen. I won’t strip my son of choosing what path he wants to take in life.”

“I agree,” Dr. Webb said. “The choice is his and his alone. If he decides to go to Premoria, he can always change his mind later. I’ll admit, there is some hope for the city. They’ve recently hired dedicated binders, watchers who specialize in binding premies of various shapes, sizes and genders. They currently only monitor a very small section of the city, but it’s something at least. If the program is successful, I imagine they’ll roll it out to more areas.”

“Can I hold him now?” Winter asked. “Will he let me?”

“Of course.” Dr. Webb said. “But first let your mother bind him, to get a feel for what it’s like. It’s quite an experience, even for the watcher. Eli, go to your mother.”

“Ok.” Eli walked toward his mom. No signs of nervousness.

“He certainly seems like he’s hypnotized,” Mom said.

“He’s not,” Dr. Webb said. “He just trusts me. The effect reduces as time passes, and once you bind him, his trust will transfer to you instead.” Once Eli reached Mom’s outstretched hand, Dr. Webb said, “Ok, now just wrap your fingers around him as you did in training.”

Mom did so, holding Eli so that her thumb crossed just under his neck.

“Good,” Dr. Webb said. “Now squeeze until you feel it. You’ll know when you’re squeezing hard enough. Listen to his body.”

“I felt it.” His mom seemed stunned. “He went limp.”

“Perfect. When you feel his body like that, it’s important to maintain the same pressure. Too much and you’ll hurt him. Too little, and the binding won’t work. If you need help, you can always ask him how it feels.”

“Do you feel ok, honey?” Mom asked.

“Yes. It feels...really good.”

Winter giggled. “He looks so happy. Oh, I can’t wait to try. Is it my turn?”

“It’s funny, I almost don’t want to release him. It reminds me of when he was just a baby. I know I’m embarrassing you sweetheart, but it does.”

“Oh you’re not embarrassing him,” Dr. Webb said. “He trusts you completely at the moment. You’re his mother. On some level he’s always trusted you, but binding brings it to the forefront. If you wish, you can let Winter try. I assume she’s completed the practice exercises?”

“Yes!” Winter interrupted before her mom could speak. “I get the right pressure on the first attempt every time.” Her mom set Eli down and not a second passed before Winter’s hand had wrapped around her brother.

“Just remember every premie is unique. While the simulation device is a close approximation, it’s impossible to anticipate every shape, size, temperament and gender.”

“I felt it!” Winter said. “He relaxed in my hand, kind of like putty. It’s so easy. I thought it would be more difficult.”

“Good,” Dr. Webb said. “Now remember to check with Eli, at least the first few times you do it. Always best to make certain.”

“Are you ok, Eli?” Winter asked, concern in her voice.

“Yeh.” His little lungs expanded and relaxed. “You’re grip is a bit loose, but it’s good.”

“Is that better?” she asked after tightening her hold. His body went utterly limp in her hand.

“Y—yeh.” His head lolled back a bit, resting on her forefinger.

“This is so cool!” Winter said. “He’s not afraid of me anymore. I can’t believe it!”

“Correct,” Dr. Webb said. “He’s not afraid of you at all. You’re his protector now. You’re the one in control, the one with all the power. At your size, you’re always the one with the power, but binding imparts that awareness onto him. He sees reality for what it is, and simultaneously feels comforted, safe, and loved.”

“So I can bind him whenever I want to play with him?” Winter asked before realizing her mistake. “I mean see him?”

Dr. Webb laughed. “Well, binding generally isn’t allowed unless you have the premie’s permission. An exception is for safety, and for the sake of safety, binding can also be used as a means of discipline. For example, now that Eli is proper bound, go ahead and discipline him for his actions yesterday. Do you remember how?”

“I just tell him, right?” Winter asked. She’d never understood this part of her training. It seemed unlikely to be effective.

“Correct. Just tell him what he did wrong and how it affected you. Be honest.”

Winter recalled the incident in her mind. “Eli, yesterday you broke out of your apartment. That’s against the rules. You could’ve hurt yourself badly. Ally was very upset, and I was a little upset. If you’d gotten hurt...he’s crying...why’s he crying?”

“When bound, he’s highly receptive to your feelings. He can feel your heartbeat and you can feel his. The pain you felt, the concern, the anger — he experiences it in a magnified form. As long as you’re honest about how it made you feel, he’ll sense that, and he’ll regret his actions.”

“How do I make him stop?” Winter’s own eyes welled with tears. “I don’t want him to cry.”

“Just tell him you forgive him, and mean it,” Dr. Webb said. “When he senses you’re not upset, he’ll stop crying.”

“I forgive you, Eli.” Winter sniffled, hugging her brother against her moist cheek. “You didn’t mean to do it. You’ll never do it again, right?”

“I’m sorry.” Eli’s voice choked. “I wasn’t thinking. I was mad...you didn’t invite me to the pool. I’m really sorry.”

Winter continued cheek-hugging her brother. It was the first time in her life she could remember him being this open with her, and it was the first time she’d held him since he’d awakened from his regressed state. The combination of it all overwhelmed her and filled her heart to bursting, but it did nothing to stifle the stream of water coming from her eyes.

“Oh my,” Mom wiped her eyes. “I’ve never seen them so close. It’s incredible.”

“It really is,” Dr. Webb said. “It’s why I think that humans may need premies as much as they need us. Perhaps not for physical survival, but for something deeper, more crucial to our souls. Discipline is really an unfortunately word for the process, because it has a negative connotation. When done properly, as Winter demonstrated, the watcher feels nearly as much emotion as the premie. Even after the effects of binding wear off, the memories of the emotions will remain, and if true, they’ll help change behavior for the better.”

Mom and the therapist continued their conversation, but Winter wasn’t listening. Several minutes passed before she and Eli were able to dry their faces. Since his arms were bound, she helped clean his face with a finger on her free hand. As her joy returned, so did his, as if he fed off her improvements in mood. She could see why her mother didn’t want to release thim. Holding him like this, he felt almost a part of herself, an extension of her mind and body.

“Alright, now that everyone’s happy again, how about we try an experiment?” Dr. Webb asked rhetorically. “Just to prove this isn’t hypnosis, Winter go ahead and set your brother down. Then, give him a silly command, something he’d never do.”

“Um, ok.” She reluctantly released her brother on the table and returned to her seat on the couch. “Like what?”

“I don’t know,” Dr. Webb said. “Use your imagination.”

“Hmmm.” A devious smile formed on her face. “How about kiss my foot?”

“Winter — ” Mom started before getting interrupted.

“No, it’s fine,” Dr. Webb said. “Go ahead, give him the instruction.”

Winter placed her foot, pink shoe and all, on the table. “Eli, please kiss my foot.”

He looked up at her, something between expectation and dismay written on his little face. He looked her shoe, and surprisingly took a step towards it.

“Is he really going to do it?” Winter asked. Some part of her wanted him to, but she wasn’t sure why.

“Just wait,” Dr. Webb said.

Eli reached the shoe and placed his hands on her laces. “Gross,” he said, looking up at Winter. “Why do you want me to kiss it?”

“Umm, just because,” Winter said.

He leaned toward the shoe, then sniffed it, but stopped short. “No. I won’t do it.”

“Wow, you’re right,” Winter said. “But he almost did kiss it.”

“Well, you’re still the most trusted person in his life at the moment,” Dr. Webb said. “But, at the same time, he can sense you’re not entirely serious. Even when you’re not binding him, the empathic connection remains in a reduced form, diminishing over time. Now, give him a command, something more reasonable.”

“Okaaaay…” She dropped back down to the floor, resting her chin on the table near him. “Eli, give me a kiss on the cheek.”

He stared into her eyes, something he could do more easily now that she was nearly on his level. After a few seconds, he said, “Fine.” Then, he walked over. She strained her eyes, shifting them left and downward to keep him in view. She felt his little nose, quickly followed by his lips as he gave her a brief peck on her cheek. Her face warmed considerably, and her heart thumped in her chest.

“That’s adorable.” Mom said. “I should’ve taken a picture.”

“You see it’s not hypnosis,” Dr. Webb said. “It’s something Eli would have done naturally on request, if freed of negative inhibitions. Binding frees him to act in a pure manner, without worrying about embarrassment, fear, what others may think, or anything like that. Isn’t that right, Eli?”

“Well yeh,” Eli said. “I know I’ll probably be embarrassed in a little while, but right now, I feel good. Winter’s my sister, and I trust her..”

“Ohmigosh!” Winter’s eyes felt moist again. “I wish Ally were here. She’d never believe this.”

“I’m sure Eli will let you demonstrate how to perform a proper binding when you get home,” Dr. Webb said. “But now that we’ve finished with the fun part of our session, we need to continue by covering the safety pieces. As useful as binding may be for discipline, it doesn’t help if no one is trained on the dangers that exist for premies. Today we’ll cover the topics of falling and exposure. Eli, if at any point you want your binding refreshed, simply ask, as I know these topics will seem frightening to you otherwise.”

“Ok,” Eli said, sitting cross legged, facing the monitor.

After the exposure topic, which covered everything from premie heat retention to the damage a single drop of rain could do, he did indeed ask to be bound again. He specifically asked for Winter, and she couldn’t have been more enthused. Dr. Webb explained a premie, if given a choice, would be far more likely to request a binding from the one who performed it last.

She didn’t release him through the entire topic of falling and fought to stop her free hand from shielding his eyes when Dr. Webb showed some of the more graphic images. Premies really were quite fragile. She’d have to work hard to ensure her brother never got injured.

And she would work hard. She’d protect him. No matter what.

“I’m dying.” Eli didn’t raise his voice. He shouldn’t need to.

“I’m not going to make it there in time.” The feminine voice resounding from his stereo system sounded apologetic. “Run away.”

“I can’t. I’m slowed.” Frost venom didn’t just slow, it periodically rooted in place.  “There goes my last defensive.”

“Ok,” Lara said. “I see you. Just a few more seconds.”

“Hurry!” He pounded the number three on the remote, as if applying more pressure at a higher frequency would make his cooldowns available. “Fuck! I’m dead.”

“Sorry!” She began the incantation for a resurrection spell.

“It’s not your fault.” He exhaled, forcing himself to relax. “If I hadn’t let you die, I’d still be alive right now. Didn’t mean to yell.”

“You do seem a bit tense today. Something happen?”

“My sister’s been on my case all morning,” he said. “She’s driving me nuts.”

“Was that her a minute ago? She sounded really...loud.”

“Oh, that’s nothing. You should hear when she takes the roof...I mean when she raises the roof with her voice.” Almost blew it. He’d been playing Sublime Conquest for a couple of days now. No one knew he was a premie and he intended to keep it that way.

“Is she older than you?”

“No but she acts like it.” He glanced at the shadow moving past the part in his curtains. “Great, she’s back. Can you give me a minute?”

“Sure,” Lara said. “I’ll keep watch.”

He muted the microphone, and not a moment too soon. The roof lifted and Ally’s no-nonsense face filled sky.

“Alright, an hour’s up,” she said, bringing her hand into view. “Let’s go.”

“Hands off! Mom said you can’t pick me up without my permission unless it’s a safety thing. Same goes for binding.”

Her hand paused in the air like a falcon denied it’s prey. “You’ve been holed up in here for two days, so it is a ‘safety thing’. You need regular exercise. It’s part of our training to ensure you get it.”

“That’s bullshit. And you know it too. I’m not going to die from playing video games.”

Her eyes narrowed, but her hand didn’t budge. He was right and she knew it.

“Eli, you’re going to get some exercise, or I’m going to turn off your television.”

“What the fuck, Ally! First y’all send me to some insane therapist for leaving my apartment. I finally find something slightly fun to do inside the apartment and now it’s not good enough.”

“You know that’s a lie. You can leave your apartment whenever we’re around. We invited you to the pool yesterday, and you hurt Winter’s feelings by choosing to stay inside and play that silly game.”

“She’ll get over it,” he said, batting away a strand of her dark hair dangling from above.

Ally rolled her eyes, then focused on him, inching her hand forward. “You know what I think? I think you just need a good binding — “

“No!” He pulled a cushion from the couch to use as a shield. “Fuck no!” Giant fingers plucked the cushion from him and tossed it aside, then lowered closer. “Ok! Ok! Fuck. Just give me a second to get off the game.”

“Fine.” She withdrew the monstrous red-nailed appendage. “You have two minutes. Oh and you’re up to five curse words for the day. Three more and I’ll have to discipline you. Your language has gotten out of control. Especially around Winter.”

He enabled the microphone. “Hey Lara. Sorry, I have to go. The b-i-t-c-h is back and she’s having a meltdown.”

“That counts for two,” Ally said. “One more and it’s discipline time.”

“Oh. Ok,” Lara said. “I’ll see you later then. Tell your sister I said hi.”

“Later.” He turned off the game and the television, then faced his oppressor. “Ok, what does your precious training say I need to do? Jumping jacks? Situps? How about running laps around the house. Oh that’s right. It’s a fall hazard, so I can’t.”

“You can blame me all you want for what happened at the therapist, but it’s not going to change anything. You’re still going to exercise for thirty minutes.”

“So tell me what to do already!”

She didn’t even flinch. “First I’m going to put you on the floor, so either hop on or I’ll pick you up.” She lowered her hand into the living room, fingers angled like a J.

He took a deep breath and stepped onto her fingers, closing his eyes and holding onto her thumb. After a moment of tilting and near vertigo, he heard her voice. “Ok, hop off.”

He opened his eyes and surveyed the surroundings. Although he’d lived here for several days now, he hadn’t once stood on the bedroom floor. Curious, he stepped onto the carpet. His feet sank as if into six ‘inches’ of snow. In spite of its texture, it was cool, as was the surrounding air. He’d never admit it, but he actually liked his apartment better.

He crossed his arms, suppressing a shiver.

“You’ll be fine once you start moving.” Her hand pointed to areas nearby. “You’re job is to clean up this mess. Bring all the clothes and stuff into a central pile at the flag.” She pointed to a toy blue flag in the distance.

“What!?” He spun around slowly, analyzing the debris. Socks, shoes, papers, toys, and things he couldn’t even identify. “That’s ridiculous. This stuff is huge.”

“That’s why it’s called exercise. If you can’t move something, just leave it. Carry or drag whatever you can. No cheating though. I can easily find out what each item weighs.”

“I’m not touching your socks. I’m certainly not touching your...underwear. That’s disgusting.”

“We clean up after you a few times every week. That includes your dirty water. You don’t hear us complaining.”

“Not doing it!” He gave her the sternest look he could muster.

“Fine.” Her eyes shifted to the side and her hand rose to the bedspread. Suddenly, a few pencils and some paper fell to the floor. She smirked, eyes sparkling. “Oops.

“You b — “

“Ah ah ah.” She motioned, a mock grab with her hand. “Now get to work. One neat pile. I’ll return in half an hour and if it’s not to my liking, I’ll be forced to bind you. Which, by the way, you should be asking for. You’d enjoy this exercise a lot more if you did.”

“Ain’t gonna happen. As long as I do this stupid exercise, you can’t bind me and you know it.”

“Suit yourself.” She rose, taking a volume of surrounding air with her. He looked to the floor, still unable to grasp the enormity of her presence. As she walked away, her socked feet thrummed the surrounding area with a deep trembling.

As soon as she’d departed, he got to work, targeting the smaller items as she would certainly cite him for leaving those behind. He pulled a sheet of paper in each hand, dragging them behind his body like enormous tarps, then slid them on top of each other beside the flag. He repeated the process until all of the paper in the room had been gathered in a single pile.

Thankfully, the effort helped keep him warm. It wasn’t so bad, really, half an hour of exercise a day. He gave her more shit for it than she deserved, but at least it would keep her from increasing the requirement. Hopefully.

He moved on to the heavier items: the coins and clothing. Both required him to treck under the beds. He didn’t need to duck or anything, but he worried about what he’d encounter. They’d fumigated the house a few weeks ago, but the thought of running into a spider made his blood run cold.

He carried the pennies, even though they must’ve weighed forty pounds each. As for the quarters, he thankfully didn’t encounter many. For those he did, he rolled them to their destination. The more speed he used, the less they would tilt or wobble, making his job easier.

The clothing was a pain in the ass. Most clothing weighed more than a quarter. Some weighed more than he did. He dragged the socks first, the thin ones, the ones Winter wore to special occasions and not much else. They didn’t smell as they were covered in dust, but he didn’t exactly put his nose to the fabric either.

He did find a couple panties, and in spite of his earlier tirade, he decided to gather them as well. He wouldn’t give Ally, nor anyone else for that matter, any reason to bind him ever again. Besides, he was working up a sweat and the movement (though he’d never admit it to Ally) was starting to feel good.

Surprisingly, the undergarments were quite heavy. He hauled them across the floor, one at a time, stopping a few times to catch his breath. They, like the socks, had been discarded a while back so no unpleasant smells (thank god), but they were cotton, not silk. So the friction created as they pulled across the floor almost made him call it quits.

He didn’t quit though. Instead he ‘stacked’ the fabric as much as possible, on top of the socks and near the flag. His pile was really becoming quite impressive, if he did say so himself.

Unfortunately, only heavy things remained. He made an attempt at a pair of denim shorts, but they wouldn’t budge. He checked the pockets. Empty. No way to reduce the weight. He’d have to skip them.

He gathered a few dust balls. Through gross and tangled with dirty blond hair, he could carry them easily and did so, placing them in his trash pile near the papers.

Finally, he made his way to the writing implements, the ones Ally had intentionally spilled on the floor before her exit. By this time, he’d worked up a sweat, drenching his cotton sports suit, but he really wanted to finish the job. Somehow, this task had become personal. Aside from getting exercise, he was proving himself useful, and that meant more to him than he could explain. Plus it kept his mind off the therapy session...and off Parker (he hadn’t responded to her texts and calls, and he wasn’t sure if he would anytime soon).

He hefted the eraser end of a pencil. Holy shit. It weighed a ton. Sure, he could lift the end, but certainly not the entire thing at once. He heaved backward, throwing all of his weight into it, and it barely moved. But it had moved! Just a little.

“I’m impressed,” Ally said, her voice coming from above.

He looked up to find both Ally and Winter perched atop the bed nearest the door, flat on their stomachs, staring down at him. Winter, of course, grinned from ear to ear. If he’d upset her by refusing to go to the pool, it didn’t show. And Ally had her phone pointed at him, likely recording, and who knew how much she’d witnessed.

“You realize you’ve been at it for an hour now, and I admit, you did a pretty good job,” Ally said.

“How”—he struggled to catch his breath—“how long have you been watching?”

“For like the last thirty minutes,” Winter said. “We thought you heard the bed squeak, but you just kept right on going.”

Surprisingly, he couldn't remember hearing them approach. “Well, I’m almost done. And you can forget about those shorts and shirts. They’re way too heavy. Pick them up yourself.”

Ally smiled, sitting up on the bed and swinging her legs over the edge. “You did well. Want a ride back to your apartment?”

“Sure when I’m done with these pencils,” he said.

She squinted. “I think they’re a bit much for you. They’re my fault anyway.”

“They’re pencils.” He maneuvered so that the pencil rested on his back, over his shoulder. His arms gripped it like a Santa bag. “They’re not too much. Come back in thirty minutes and I’ll be done.”

He trudged forward, one leg in front of the other, pulling the yellow log behind him. It strained every muscle in his body, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t about to give in to a pencil.

“Have it your way.” She stood and turned toward the door. “Winter, keep an eye on him. When he collapses, which he probably will, put him back in the apartment. But don’t help him. You’d only be injuring his silly pride.”

“Just leave already.” Eli mumbled as his front foot buried into the carpet, inching him forward.

“Oh, and he only has one more strike on the language limit.” Ally left the room. Finally.

Winter hopped down, knees thudding to the floor behind him. “Want help? I won’t tell Ally.”

“No.” One leg in front of the other. Pull. “I don’t want.” One leg in front of the other. Pull. “Help.”

“I’ve got a surprise for when you finish.” She thumped around behind him, likely sitting down.

He ignored the disturbance and continued tugging. The situation would’ve seemed odd had his exhaustion not overtaken his brain. A pencil, a mere writing implement of his childhood, requiring a sisyphean feat of endurance to move a few human feet away.

By the time he finished with the first one and headed back for the last two, his legs wanted to crumple underneath. He passed Winter’s knees. She danced a doll in front of him, pom poms in each of it’s plastic hands.

The second pencil caused his body to cry in pain but he kept silent, intoning the heave-ho mantra in his head. The dancing dolls, there were two of them now, visible in the periphery of his vision did nothing to ease the acidic pain in his thighs.

The third and final pencil felt at least twice as heavy. Unlike the others, it hadn’t been sharpened, so perhaps it did weigh a little more. He groaned as he hefted it, but he didn’t stop, not after he’d come this far.

At some point in the daze of sweat dripping from his eyebrows, a cool breeze hit his back, followed by a strong gust of wind. He looked over his shoulder to find Winter, down on her chest, blowing sandwich air in his direction. Peanut butter and jelly? It whipped his wet hair about his head, but he didn’t have the oxygen to tell her to stop.

His legs gave out a few yards (or was it inches?) from the pile. He collapsed into the carpet, face down, breathing whatever dust existed between the fibers. He rolled over, onto his back, staring at the concerned face of his little sister, peering at him between the dangling strands of her hair.

She reached for the pencil, his nemesis, and lifted it between two painted fingers as easily as one might lift a feather. In that simple movement, she made his actions seem entirely insignificant. And they had been. But they were his actions and it was his job.

“No.” He managed to get the word out, somehow. “Don’t touch it. Just give me a second.”

“Eli.” She whined. “You’re exhausted. Ally doesn’t have to know. We’ll say you finished.”

“No.” He got to his knees. Then his feet. Winter set the pencil back down and he lifted the eraser end onto his shoulder. His body had nothing left to give, but he forced it forward nonetheless, drawing strength from some unknown reserves.

He reached the pile, dropped the pencil, and watched as his vision swam black for a moment. It cleared but his stomach turned on him. He dropped to all fours on a sheet of paper and threw up. Nothing. He continued dry heaving, then fell onto his side, letting his sweaty clothing soak into the notebook sheet.

Winter’s finger strayed closer, but he shook his head, holding it at bay. Still nauseated, he lay there until the cool air combined with his sweat, causing him to shiver. He couldn’t hold Winter back any longer. She gathered his body into her palm and cradled him against her warm shirt.

“You did really good, Eli.” She said, speaking in a soft voice. “I can’t believe you cleaned up our whole room. You’re so strong. I could never do that at your size. I’m so proud of you, big bro.”

She didn’t know how little her words made him feel, but her intentions were good and honest. She sincerely wanted to make him feel better, and she really did love him. He’d been upset with her for the last two days after the binding experience, but he did at least gain one positive thing from the experience. He no longer feared her.

Whether due to their mind sharing or the lingering effects of the binding, he found he could keep his eyes open in her hands without the terrors. He couldn’t even do that with Ally or his mom yet. Still, he never wanted to experience binding again. It had left a bad taste in his mouth and was one of the many reasons he refused to speak with Parker.

Winter’s fingertip stroked him along the side of his body, starting from his shoulder and traveling down to his ankles. “I’m so glad you’re letting me hold you again. I really missed it.”

A chill ran through his body and he curled up tighter in her palm.

“We need to get you out of those clothes and into something warm. You need a bath too.”

“I’m fine,” he mumbled, attempting to sit up. “Take me back to my apartment.”

“No, please,” she said. “Let me hold you for just a little while longer.”

He sighed. “Ok but no binding. No undressing, and no bath.” He had to be explicit with her. She’d shared some of her ‘duties’ during his period of regression and, needless to say, they were all strictly forbidden by him from now on.

“Okaaay.” she raised him closer to her mouth. “But I’m at least going to keep you warm.” She exhaled hot, too sweet smelling breath over his body a few times, then layered her other hand on top of him, sealing in the warmth. He had to admit, it did feel good to his aching muscles.

“I wish you’d let me take care of you again,” she said.

“If you were my size, would you want Ally giving you baths and dressing you every day?” he asked.

“Sure!” she said. “Why not?”

“I don’t think you would. You’re not a baby and neither am I. Besides, you do take care of me. You make almost all my meals.”

“Oh, that reminds me. I almost forgot about your surprise.”

“Not right now.” He turned onto his side, drawing his knees toward his chest. “I’m comfortable.”

She giggled. “Warm enough?”

“Yeh.” His eyelids drooped as he inhaled the sweaty lotion smell of her hands. It didn’t smell bad, just a bit clammy, and with a hint of bread.

She whispered something to him as his eyes closed. Something about not wanting him to go to Premoria. Something about how she’d do everything she could to change his mind.

What would life be like when he got there?

Because he would get there, one way or another. Winter may hold his life in her hands at the moment, but she didn’t hold his future. No one did but himself.

 

“Seriously? This was all you could find?” Eli faced his bedroom mirror. He wore black swim trunks with flames going up the side of one leg. “I look like I’m in third grade.”

“They look cute.” Winter’s face hovered above, her voice bouncing off the walls since she’d removed the apartment's roof to inspect him. “At least they’re not girly.”

“Why am I doing this again?” He slid his feet into matching flops, flames licking the straps. “You know I can’t swim, right.”

“Because you already promised.” She brushed his hair with a fingertip. “And I can teach you how to swim. It’s easy.”

He’d promised he’d go swimming if she left him alone for the day — a promise he didn’t expect to have to keep. Amazingly, she didn't bother him all day yesterday. He relaxed in his living room, playing Sublime Conquest without interruption, reaching level thirty nine. One more level and he could start tanking five player dungeons.

He also owed her one for a surprise she’d delivered a couple days ago. She’d allowed him to gorge himself on a rainbow-sprinkled donut, something she’d provided in secret, without Ally’s approval. Except for special occasions, premies were not permitted to eat refined sugar. Something about interference with premie powder, the stuff he ate with every meal to repel animals and insects. He hadn’t minded the restriction — premie powder itself was quite sweet — but he’d enjoyed the opportunity to indulge in one of his past favorite foods, especially at such a mouth watering scale.

He stepped onto her hand and reclined against her fingers. His aching muscles thanked the softness of her skin. “I’m still sore from the other day. You won’t be getting me near the water.”

“Hold still.” The forefinger from her other hand speared him in the chest, smearing a sizeable glob of cold lotion.

“What the heck!” He batted at the invading digit to no avail.

“Sunscreen.” Her other fingers joined in, rubbing the cool stuff all over his skin. “And it looks like the binding worked. You’re not cursing.” She flashed a dimpled grin at him.

“No.” He continued the impossible battle with her gentle but overpower fingertips. “I just don’t want another binding.”

“Well, whatever the reason, it’s working. Now on your stomach.” She pinched him on the sides and flipped him over without waiting, then set into massaging the cream into his back and legs.

He’d exceeded Ally’s language limit shortly after the forced exercise program a couple days ago. Ally was more than happy to do the honors of binding him. He figured she was just looking for an excuse, since she hadn’t been permitted the opportunity yet. Thankfully, she’d only instructed him not to curse. She could’ve just as easily told him to stop playing video games. Not that it would’ve worked (he still cursed when they weren’t listening), but he didn’t want to take any chances.

The back of his shorts dropped down, and the fingertip coated his rear cheeks.

“Hey!” He tried to turn over, but she pressed his spine, expelling the air from his lungs with the force. “Stop it!” He pounded his fist into her palm, but they bounced harmlessly.

“It’s hot outside.” His trunks were back in place and she flipped him over, her eyes glinting blue mischief. “Just making sure you don’t get a sunburn.”

“Next time, I’ll put it on!”

“Here, you can get your face.” She dabbed his forehead with the stuff that remained on her finger.

He rubbed it in as they walked from the bedroom into the living room. Well, she walked. He was merely along for the ride. At least it wasn’t an uncomfortable ride. She’d learned to hold her arm steady, somehow cushioning her own movements as she bounded forward.

“About time.” Ally turned off the tv and grabbed a couple towels from the coffee table. “I told Mrs. Rose we’d be there by one and it’s already one-fifteen. Get Eli strapped in his chair and let’s go.”

Mrs. Rose, a friendly woman in her sixties, lived a few houses down. In the neighborhood, she was commonly referred to as the pool lady. As long as she was home, kids were allowed to use her pool, an inground monstrosity that filled her own back yard and part of her neighbor’s. She was always home and her pool was always occupied. Parents saw it as a free babysitting service, and kids from other neighborhoods had been known to visit. Needless to say, Eli had avoided it since his earliest memories, attending only a single event there, a birthday party for one of his childhood friends.

But, like everything else, he was learning his past lifestyle would need to change, or at least he would need to be more flexible. His family liked the pool, and so he’d have to learn to like it too. He didn’t have to, but life would be easier if he did.

***

“We’re here!” Winter’s cheerful tone was followed by the mechanical sound of his harness releasing. The intense sunlight streaming through Eli’s window became even more intense as the wall to his carrier fell away.

He squinted. He hadn’t been outside since awakening in his final state and his eyes struggled to adjust.

“Put the screen back,” Ally said.

“Fiiiine,” Winter said.

Eli stepped outside as a massive screen structure, like a dome but square in shape, lowered around him. Winter did the lowering, but even for a giant like her, the structure seemed unwieldy. Her arms stretched to accommodate its edges, but she managed. The sides of the structure appeared to be literal window screens, so it couldn’t have been too heavy for her. But, as usual, for him it would be inescapable. His portable apartment, a large red container, and a few reclining chairs were trapped inside the area with him.

“It’s to keep the bugs out,” Winter said. “But if you want to swim in the big pool with us, just let me know.” She waved and jogged off.

“No running!” The voice of an older woman, likely Mrs. Rose, came from behind. Eli turned. The white haired woman reclined in her chair, too large sunglasses occluding her eyes and too tanned skin forming a landscape of wrinkles. Apparently she wasn’t afraid of skin cancer. Or perhaps she’d lived long enough to where it really didn’t matter to her anymore.

Eli walked along the edge of the confinement, dragging his fingers along the screen while taking in the broad expanse of the surrounding area. From what he could tell, the human pool had two sections: a larger one for swimming and a smaller one like a conjoined hot tub. Both had slides, though the one attached to the larger pool was significantly larger. A ‘small’ diving board extended over the lip of one end of the larger pool. Kids of varying ages, he’d counted at least three (not including his siblings) took turns jumping into the water.

“Better not let them see you.” A female voice, confident and relaxed, came from his side.

Eli turned to find a scantily clad girl, not much older than him if at all, lying on a makeshift beach chair. Her skin shone as if dipped in oil and her hair, brown and sporting a single braid, layered her back and sides. How had he not seen her? Probably because she was so...small. Come to think of it, she was the first premie he’d ever seen, aside from himself. And something else about her — she looked familiar.

“Hi.” He stepped closer. If she watched him, he couldn’t tell. Her mirrored sunglasses offered no hints as to the focus of her eyes. “Uh...my name’s Eli.”

“I’m serious,” she said. “They’ll be over here like sharks in a feeding frenzy if they see you.”

“Who?” he asked, having trouble following the conversation. “Why?”

“The kids. They’re bored of me, but you...you’re new. And you’re a boy. So — ”

“Hey look!” Large feet splashed against the concrete in the background. “Haley’s talking to a boy premie. Come see!”

“Too late.” Haley said, crossing one leg over the other as she moved her hands behind her head.

Haley — no wonder she looked familiar. This was the girl Carter had tried to hook him up with, and Parker’s cousin. He hadn’t expected to see another premie, much less a girl that used to go to his school, but here she was.

“Cool!” Another voice chimed in from high above. “Is that Haley’s boyfriend? He looks cute.”

And another, this one clearly from a boy. “Haley’s my girlfriend. She told me so yesterday. She likes big people, not premies.”

The screen dome slid against the concrete, and Eli stepped back.

“No touching the screen, kids!” Mrs. Rose said. “Look but don’t touch!”

“And I thought I’d get a chance to do some sunbathing today,” Haley said, yawning.

“Hey you.” The boy — dark skinned, dripping wet, and scowling — pointed at Eli. “What’s your name.”

“His name is Eli.” Winter stepped into view, clearing space between the younger kids and the dome. “He’s my brother, so stop bothering him. Go back to swimming.”

“We’re not bothering him.” A brown ponytail girl, this one couldn’t have been more than six years old, stomped her foot. “And Sissy’s my sister. I can stay here as long as I want.”

Winter put her hands on her hips. “Well, Eli’s my brother and — “

“Winter, it’s ok.” Ally, wet from the neck down, padded up and placed a hand on Winter’s shoulder. “Everyone can stay, just be nice. Don’t touch the screen and no one’s allowed to remove the screen without a watcher. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.” They sung in unison. Apparently Ally commanded respect among the kids. They’d learned, as Eli was learning, not to mess with her.

“Tag. You’re it!” A black haired girl with a yellow swimsuit touched the boy on the shoulder and ran off. The boy, Haley’s ‘boyfriend’, chased after her.

“No running!” Mrs. Rose said before splashes drowned out her words.

Unfortunately, other kids remained, one standing, another sitting cross legged to inspect the new premie visitor. Water from their enormous bodies fanned out in growing puddles across the concrete, much of which seeped past the screen’s edges until it pooled around Eli’s feet. He didn’t mind. The concrete was getting a bit hot.

“Might as well take a seat,” Haley said. “They’ll probably be here for another half hour. The less you do to entertain them, the faster they’ll get bored and leave.”

He selected the nearest chair. This one didn’t recline like Haley’s, but it was comfortable nonetheless. True to her word, the kids remained, pointing and arguing about whether Eli was Haley’s boyfriend. Oddly, they didn’t speak much directly to Eli, if at all, referring to him in the third person as if he wasn’t even present. And thankfully, Winter remained nearby, doing handstands in the smaller pool while keeping an eye on the curious children.

“Haven’t been a premie long, have you?” Haley asked.

“Um, only a few days.” Eli considered his answer. “Maybe a week or two. I had memory problems at first.”

“I saw your YouTube stuff,” she said. “Pretty impressive.”

“Oh...which stuff?”

She smiled to one side of her mouth. “The singing. As for the other stuff...well, I assume you don’t normally go around wearing makeup.”

“No.” He turned his head to give her less of a view of his reddening face. “Not usually.”

“All that just to get into Premoria?” she asked. “You really want to go that badly?”

“Well, yeh. Don’t you?”

“Nope.” She answered decisively, as if it were the end of the conversation.

“Why not?”

“Gotta stay and take care of my little sis. Besides, I haven’t seen anything in Premoria that I can’t get here.”

“Take care of her?” Eli couldn’t believe his ears. “She’s a giant. She can take care of herself. And in Premoria you can get a normal life. Good luck finding that here.”

“You keep thinking that, and let me know how it works out,” she said. “Here I’ve got regular meals, a comfortable lifestyle, people to take care of my every need, including binding, whenever I want. Good luck finding all of that in Premoria.”

“I could care less about binding,” he said. “I’d rather have freedom. Obviously you’re brainwashed. You probably didn’t think that way when you first became a premie.”

“How the hell would you know?” Her chair slid against the ground as she rose to her feet. Whoa. She was tall. Very tall. “And who are you to judge me?”

“Hey.” Eli got up and backpedaled, hands out front in the universal signal to calm down. Even though she was skinny, she towered a full head over him. “I’m not judging. I’m just — I’ve never met another premie before.”

“Obviously.” She stepped forward, crossing her arms.

“They’re fighting!” One of the kids said. “Look!”

“Haley’s bigger. See. I told you. Eli doesn’t stand a chance.”

“He’s a boy. Boy’s are stronger than girls.”

“Nuh uh. Premie girls are stronger than premie boys. My mom said so.”

“We’re not fighting!” Eli tried to get the kids attention by waving his arms. “Calm down!”

Winter arrived, hair dripping water through the screen roof. “You ok, Eli?”

Finally someone who’d pay attention. “Yes. We were just talking and I said something stupid.” He looked at Haley, who’s smirk had lengthened. “Sorry.”

“Wanna come swimming?” Winter asked.

“Uh, not yet,” he said. “Maybe later.”

“Ok.” She skipped away, splashing back into the main pool. Apparently her concern for his safety had diminished — not necessarily reassuring.

While the kids argued about whether premie girls were bigger/better/smarter than premie boys, Eli returned to his seat, sufficiently mortified.

Haley chuckled. “Just messin’ with ya.”

“That was a joke?” he asked.

“Mostly,” she said, returning to her own chair. “I’m a bit surprised though. You really don’t know much about premies.”

“Are they all...like you?” he asked. “I mean…”

“Tall?”

“Yeh.” He could’ve said pretty too, since Haley wasn’t hard on the eyes.

“Generally, yes. Girls don’t shrink as much as boys. End result — on average we end up taller.”

“Oh.”

“Disappointed?”

“No,” he said quickly. He was perhaps a little disappointed, but he wasn’t about to offend her again. “Are you?”

“Well, I do like tall guys.” she said. “But you get used to it. Soon shorter guys, like you, start looking attractive too. And there are side benefits. We don’t need to worry about things like physical abuse or rape nearly as much.”

“You...think I’m attractive.”

She laughed. “Is that all you heard. Typical guy. But yeh. You’re cute...in a helpless puppy kind of way.”

“I’m not helpless.”

“I’m kidding.” she said. “About the helpless part. Not the cute part.” She rolled over to face him. “You need to lighten up a bit. Wanna take a dip?” She gestured toward the red container. “The water’s warm.”

“I can’t swim.”

“Bummer. Afraid of the water?”

“No.” This girl was getting on his nerves. “I just never bothered to learn.”

They sat there for a while, absorbing the sun’s rays, listening to the prattle of the giant children. The kids rotated in and out, jumping in the pool for a while before returning to see if anything had changed in the premie cage. At one point, the boy dropped an ice pop over the screen roof, sending freezing sugar water down on Eli. At least until Winter put a stop to it. Other than the occasional comment about the dangers of running, Mrs. Rose might as well have been a asleep.

“Sissy, let’s do the slide now. K?” The ponytail girl, apparently Haley’s little sister, lifted the edge of the dome, tilting it backward.

“Careful, Amber” Haley rose and stretched her long, limber body. “Don’t tip it over.”

“I’m not.” The little girl held the dome at an angle. “Come on out.”

“I’d invite you, but I’m sure you’re afraid of heights too, right?” She winked at him.

“Nope.” He was deathly afraid of heights, but he couldn’t stand her superior attitude. “Was just thinking it’s about time for a dip.” At least he’d get the sticky sugar water off his stomach.

“Oh really?” Her eyebrows raised.

Winter pulled herself out of the pool and confronted Haley’s sister. “No touching the screen.”

“I’m allowed,” Amber said. “Sissy wants to do the slide.”

“And so do I.” Eli followed Haley out of the screen. Grubby fingers approached from all angles but Winter scooped him up before they could poke and prod.

“You sure?” Winter asked. “I thought you were afraid of —”

“Can’t wait to try the slide,” he said, narrowing his eyes meaningfully at her. “Just once, like we talked about.”

“Oh.” She seemed baffled, but played along.

“Bind me please, Amber.”

“Ok.” Though her hands were comparatively small, they were still large enough to grip Haley in a binding that sent the female premie into an immediate and visibly relaxed state. “My sister’s not afraid of anything. Right, Sissy?”

Haley lazily opened her eyes and smiled, nodding. “Right.”

“Want me to bind you, Eli?”

“Nope. Let’s just do this already.”

“No binding?” Haley asked. “Even I’d probably be too afraid to do it without one.”

“I don’t need bindings,” Eli said, simply. He chose not to remark on her essential dependence on Amber.

“Ok, Mr. Hot Shot. You go first then.”

They made their way to the slide. Amber climbed the ladder and perched at one end of the top, setting Haley down underneath her knees. Winter, significantly taller than the little girl, simply set Eli directly on the slide, in front of Haley. After she withdrew her hand, he caught a glimpse of the descent, and immediately regretted his decision.

“Get down,” Winter said to Amber.

“Sissy doesn’t mind, do you sissy?” Amber said.

“She’s fine.” Haley said. “There’s enough room for everyone. She’ll wait until we’re done before she slides down.”

Ally’s head came into view and dipped down as she splashed into the small pool, the one where the slide ended. Eli inched his way toward the slope. Peering down, he noticed Ally bouncing on her tip toes at the base, arms extended as if to gather him should the need arise. The need would, of course, arise. She knew he couldn’t swim.

“Any day now, braveheart,” Haley said. He could hear her foot tapping against the plastic surface.

His ‘brave heart’ pounded in his chest, making his stomach queasy and his head light. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

Something brushed his hair.

He turned to find Winter’s finger poking him. “Stop, I’m concentrating.”

“Amber is petting Haley, so I figured it would help you calm down,” Winter said.

He looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, Amber ran her finger up and down Haley’s long hair. For her part, Haley didn’t seem to mind at all, as if the occurrence had become so mundane and common she hardly took notice. She did notice him staring, however, and crossed her arms expectantly.

“If you’re too afraid, just say so — “

Without looking ahead, he dropped down and slid forward. His trunks were dry but the slide itself was wet and slick — slick enough to eradicate any friction and send him propelling toward the gargantuan body of water below.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!” He fell onto his side, trying to slow his descent but it seemed only to increase his velocity. He couldn’t recall ever falling this fast in any situation, and if his exploding heart didn’t kill him, impact with the water surely would.

The end of the slide must’ve curved upward because it sent him flying through the air. Ally floated backwards, as if in slow motion, to avoid collision. He splashed hard, landing on his back, and promptly sinking into the water.

Stunned, but alive, he kicked and flailed, managing to get to the surface before his feet connected with Ally’s palm, giving him something on which to stand.

“I’m going to let that word slide.” She half smiled at him. “Proud of ya. I knew you could do it.”

“Thanks.” Her words lifted his spirits more than he expected. He had done it, and all without a binding.

Haley came next, screaming in glee and landing not far away. She waded as Amber slid down, but Ally scooped her up as her sister’s impact wake rolled across the surface. Amber couldn’t stand, so she dog paddled to the nearest step, beaming like the sunshine.

She extended her hand to Ally, clearly requesting repossession of her sister. “Again!”

“Again!” Haley gleefully jumped from Ally’s palm to Amber’s.

Eli motioned toward his sister, indicating the need to speak in confidence. She lifted him to her ear.

“Um.” He stared at the massive ear. He couldn’t believe what he was about to request, but he doubted he’d endure another slide descent without puking. And Haley seemed to be having so much...fun. “I’ll go again but...can you give me a quick binding first? Don’t let anyone see.” It would just be this one time. He’d prove his fearlessness to Haley and have fun, then he’d go back to avoiding it forever.

Even from this angle, he could tell Ally was smiling. She pivoted in the water, lowered him to her chest, where he was concealed by her body and hair. Then she arranged him in her palm and squeezed...perfectly.

“Be brave, Eli,” she whispered. “Be brave.”

“Are you ok?” Eli trailed behind Haley as she speed walked back to her chair. They’d both spent over an hour sliding and swimming. Well, she’d swum. He’d floundered until getting rescued by Winter, time and time again.

Haley veered away from the chairs, taking his hand and leading him back into his apartment. She marched him across the fallen wall, dragging him along as if he were a child, then pressed something on the arm of his restraint chair. The wall closed behind them, secluding them in near silence and dim lighting.

“Didn’t know you could do that,” he said, analyzing his chair for the first time.

“There's a lot you don’t know.” She closed the curtains, making it even darker. Her outline moved toward him, black with a halo of light from what little still bypassed the curtains.

“What’s up?” He stepped backwards. Though he couldn’t see her eyes, the situation seemed somehow more...ominous. Perhaps it was the darkness.

She approached until she backed him against the wall. Her wet body touched his, pressing into him. Before he could say anything, her mouth met his, and her hands wrapped around his arms, locking him to the wall.

“Mmmmpff.” He struggled but she held him fast, her head turning to the side as her tongue bore a passage between his lips. She was indeed stronger, not just taller, her fingers like steel cables around his forearms. Each time he made a move, she pushed him back against the wall, forcing him to breath through his nose as she’d taken complete control over his mouth.

This was going too far. Way too far. Sirens echoed in his brain like klaxons only he could hear. He did what he had to do, the only thing he could do.

He bit down on her tongue.

It wasn’t hard, but it was hard enough to dislodge her attack, if that’s what it was. She released his arms and stumbled back, touching her tongue as if to check for blood.

“What the fuck?” he said. “What’s wrong with you?”

“You bit me.” She ran her tongue across her lips and teeth. Her hand nor mouth showed any blood. His eyes had become accustomed enough to the dim light to confirm she appeared uninjured.

“You tried to...I don’t know what you were trying to do but it wasn’t cool.” He slid to the far corner, putting space between himself and the feral girl. He eyed the door.

“It’s called sex,” she said, wiping her hand on her bathing suit. “I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”

“Of course,” he said, stunned.

“Ok.” She stepped towards him. “So let’s do it. We don’t have all day.”

“You’re kidding me,” he said, though her expression bore a look of hungry determination. “I’m not having sex with you. I hardly know you.”

She stopped her approach and glanced downward, fist at her chin in a thoughtful pose. “You’re attracting to me. So why not?”

He placed his hands over his trunks, mentally cursing the wet material. “I’m leaving.” He sidestepped toward the door.

“Wait.” She intercepted him, her arm against the wall between him and his escape route. “You’re a virgin aren’t you?”

“No.” He thanked the dim lighting — she wouldn’t be able to see his face change colors as he lied.

“Shit.” She placed a hand to her forehead. “The guy I have to have sex with is a virgin. Wonderful.”

“Simple solution,” he said. “We don’t have sex.” He ducked to go under her arm but she stepped in front of him.

“It’s not that simple.” She sighed. “Amber thinks you’re cute. She told me to have a baby...with you. So, here I am.”

“Amber?” he said, disbelieving. “You’re sister? She’s like what...six?!”

“Exactly,” Haley said. “She doesn't know what she’s talking about. She doesn’t know the first thing about childbirth. She just knows it takes a boy and a girl. And she knows that I know. So here we are. Make sense?”

“Fuck no,” he half suppressed a laugh. “It doesn’t. And we’re not going to have a fucking baby. You’re seriously nuts.” His eyes darted to the side. Could he get around her?

“Listen.” She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. “I won’t get pregnant. Unless I’m on premie fertility drugs, which I’m not, there’s like a one percent chance.”

“Ok, so why do you want to have sex?” he asked.

“Seriously?” she said. “I get the one guy in the world who doesn’t want sex?”

“I’m sorry you find me irresistible, but — ”

“Don’t flatter yourself. It was a suggestion and if I don’t do it, it’ll drive me crazy. For real. Shit!” She pounded the wall hard enough to rattle it. “I have the worst luck.” She walked to the chair, sat down and clutched her head in her hands, letting her soaked hair drape around her legs.

He placed his hand on the doorknob, twisted it, but paused when he heard her crying. Why was she crying? She’d attacked him! What the hell was wrong with her?

He sighed, released the knob, and walked back to his bipolar attacker. He couldn’t resist a female crying. What man could?

“She bound you, right?” he asked, already knowing the answer. “It’ll go away. Just give it —”

“You don’t know anything about being a premie.” She sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Then tell me,” he said. “Tell me why the hell you let her bind you all the time when you know it just brainwashes you.”

She turned her head in his direction. “Oh, don’t think I didn’t notice Ally bind you before you went on the slide again. And during your swimming lessons. Mr. High-and-Mighty-I-don’t-need-binding. Why did you request it, huh? Answer me that!”

He blinked, too surprised to answer. How had she noticed? He didn’t think anyone had.

She didn’t stop staring at him with those round, waterlogged eyes.

“I guess, because it made me feel good,” he said. “I could do things easier...better. I can’t explain it.”

“You’re damn right. It makes things a lot ‘better’.” She grunted, pounding the heel of her palm into her forehead. “And how do you think it feels when you ignore a suggestion?”

“I — I’m not sure I’ve ever done that.” He’d resisted before, of course. But not for long. The suggestions had always been reasonable and much easier to comply with than the alternative. He didn’t know what the alternative was, it just seemed...not good, like the opposite of obedience. Perhaps like what Haley was experiencing now.

“Well.” She continued hitting her head. “It sucks. It fucking sucks.”

“Hey.” He took hold of her wrist. “Stop. There’s gotta be something we can do about this. Other than....”

“There isn’t.” She seemed to be calming, but her tone was joyless.

“Is your sister always like this? How many times has she — ”

“Don’t speak bad of her. You don’t know her. She’s a good girl.” Haley’s eyes drifted to the window. “She watched a documentary on premie babies last week and she’s enamored with them, like any girl her age. It’s not her fault.”

“Maybe it’s time to explain the birds and the bees,” he said.

“You wanna try having that conversation with a six year old?”

“It’s better than being commanded to seduce some random guy.” He could hardly believe he needed to explain this to her. “You’d look back on this and regret it. Trust me.”

“I’m not a virgin,” she said. “Besides, I wouldn’t get pregnant. It’s really not a big deal.”

“It’s sex. It is a big deal. It should be with someone you love.” He was going to say ‘marriage’, but he didn’t want to get laughed out of the room.

She still laughed, more bitter than jovial. “You know nothing about being a premie.”

“You keep saying that,” he said, anger rising in his chest. “All I know is how I plan on living my life. And if being a premie means tossing aside all of my freedom, I’ll fight it.”

“If you don’t think you’ve already lost your freedom, you’re fooling yourself. You’re barely over three inches tall.”

“Yeh, but —”

“And if you think Premoria is going to make everything right, you’re stupider than you look. Where does the infrastructure comes from? The food? The protection? The rules and regulations? Humans. Sure, they’ll give you work. They’ll make you feel like a productive member of an illusionary society. But never mistake — it is an illusion. They are the true masters, and we’re their servants. It’s by design. If it weren’t, why would we be so much smaller? Why would binding have such an effect?”

“So you’re saying just give up?” he asked. “You’re saying I should just have my sisters boss me around for the the rest of my life because it’s the way things are designed? Sorry, but even an illusion of independence sounds better than that.”

“Amber’s a good kid. My parents are good people. Those who bind me generally have good intentions. You’ve experienced binding. It isn’t all bad. On most days I’m happy.” Her gaze dropped. “I lived in Premoria for two months. I hated it after the first two weeks. School sucked. Most of it was online because the high schools were at capacity. There aren’t enough premie teachers. The ratios of everything — doctors, bus drivers, mechanics — they’re all out of whack. And yes, I missed my family terribly.”

Premoria, as bad as she made it sound, still seemed like a better option to him, but arguing with her would be fruitless. “How about we head out now. I’ll have my sister bind you...make you feel better again.”

“No.” She shook her head, standing shakily. “I’ll be ok.”

“What are you going to tell your sister?” he asked, helping her to the door.

“I’ll lie,” she said. “I’ll tell her it’s done. She’ll forget about it.”

“And if she doesn’t forget?”

“Mom will have to give her the talk, because I’m sure as hell not about to.”

As soon as they stepped outside, she removed her arm from around his shoulder and walked slightly ahead of him back to the chairs. There weren’t many kids remaining now, just our sisters and Mrs. Rose. We sat in our respective chairs, soaking up the remains of the descending sun in the awkward silence.

“Do you want to come over sometime?” Eli asked.

Her head shifted imperceptibly, her eyes hidden by those reflective lenses. “After what I just did?”

“Well...yeh,” he said. “I mean...that wasn’t you, was it? Not the real you.”

“Aren’t you dating my cousin?” she asked.

“It wouldn’t be a date,” he said quickly, too quickly. “We’ll just hang out, or something. I don’t know any other premies.”

She paused too long for his comfort. “Sure,” she said. “I’d like that.”

***

“Shit.” Eli tossed the remote aside and looked to the door of his apartment. “Someone’s knocking.”

“Still collecting herbs for the next run,” Lara said, her voice coming through the television’s speakers.

Eli went to the door, but stopped with his hand on the handle. “Who’s there?” No one ever knocked on the door. The roof or the window, but never the door.

“A burglar.” The voice sounded feminine and familiar. “Let me in.”

He opened the door to find Haley standing there, dressed in hot pink sportswear with running shoes. It had been two days since they’d gone swimming, and he hadn’t heard from her since. Not that he had her number or vice versa, but still.

“So this is your apartment.” She stepped around him, walking straight into the living room.

He followed, not bothering to close the front door. “How’d you get here?”

“Nice setup.” She studied the television. “Sublime Conquest?” She picked up the remote and scrolled through his character’s inventory. “You can toss half this stuff you know. It’s useless at your level.”

“You play?” He kicked some of his dirty clothes under the nearest chair.

“Used to.” She tossed the remote on the couch and headed into the kitchen. “Got anything to eat? I’m starving.”

“Uh, yeh.” He picked up a stray towel and threw it into the nearest closet. “In the fridge.”

She opened the fridge. “Two peas, a lima bean and a blueberry. You live like a bachelor.”

“I haven’t touched the blueberry,” he said. “You’re welcome to it.” Truthfully, of the fruits, blueberries were one of his favorites, but Winter would always bring him more if he asked (in spite of their sugar content). “You never told me how you got here.”

“Natalie brought me.” She held the berry in both hands and sniffed, then returned it to the fridge.

“Wait, you mean Parker?!” He hadn’t spoken to his ‘girlfriend’ in nearly a week. “Is she here?”

“Probably. She still likes you by the way. Told me not to lay a finger on you. Pretty sure I’ve never seen her jealous before, so it was quite a surprise.”

It was too much for him. Was she outside, watching now? He ran to the window and threw open the curtains. Nothing. No blue-haired giant girlfriend peeking in.

“If she’s jealous, why’d she even bring you here?” he asked.

“Because I asked her to. And she still feels like she owes me for...stuff that happened in the past. Regardless, I’m here. So let’s get something to eat.”

“Uh...ok. I’ll call Winter.” He picked up the remote.

A hand on his shoulder from behind. So much for the ‘no touching’ rule. “No, let’s get it ourselves. Come on.” She took his hand and, in a manner unsettlingly familiar to the pool incident, dragged him along behind her.

She pointed to his tennis shoes by the front door. “Put those on.”

He did as asked, even though he hated wearing the things. They were made for premies (and looked similar to the one’s she wore), but were ten times less comfortable than human shoes. Something about the texture of the sole made it too firm in some places and too soft in others.

“I’m not allowed to leave — “

They were outside of the house and running toward the western edge of the nightstand. He’d expected some sort of mental backlash for disobeying, but there was nothing, other than a growing sense of unease, but he could easily attribute the latter to the situation in general.

“It’s not that far.” She released his hand and took a few steps back. “Just watch.”

Fearlessly, she sprinted toward the edge, jumped outward and spun in the air, landing on her back on the bedspread below. She hopped up and waved to him, smiling broadly.

He gulped.

***

Winter turned off her phone’s screen. She’d been given the useless thing a few days ago. It was army green, cracked, and without a data plan, but it did have a connection to their wifi. And it did enable her to listen to Eli’s apartment when his microphones were on...which they were.

She turned to face Parker who reclined on the couch watching an episode of Shameless. Winter liked Parker, but she didn’t much care for the show. It was all about sex and drugs and the father reminded her too much of what she’d heard about her own dad.

“Let them explore,” Parker said without diverting her attention. “Haley won’t let him get hurt.”

“But Ally said — ”

“There’s nothing that can harm them between the bedroom and the kitchen. And it’s been a couple days since Eli had any exercise, right?”

“Yeh but — “

“You’re the one who said he thinks you baby him too much.”

She had a good point. But, Winter couldn’t help the way she felt. If Eli did get hurt, she’d never forgive herself. Why did Ally have to go to the store and leave her alone with Parker? In spite of her laid back demeanor, the skater girl was overly confident and difficult to confront.

Winter returned to laying on her stomach, elbows digging into the carpet. “Can we at least watch something different. Mom doesn’t let me watch stuff like this.”

“Sure.” Parker scanned Netflix for something presumably more kid friendly. In spite of her complaint, Winter paid no attention. Instead, she stared at the gps tracker on her phone. It not only provided Eli’s location, but fed data regarding his heart and respiratory rate, both of which were increasing. They’d been forced to bind him to get him to wear the darn thing (nothing more than a thin necklace), but it had been worth it.

Especially in situations like this one.

***

Eli landed on his front, not his back, but the thick comforter cushioned his impact. He stumbled to his feet, wobbling on the cushy terrain while Haley clapped with glee.

“Told ya you could do it,” she said.

This girl, as insane as she was striking, had a spirit infusing effect about her, as infectious as it was terrifying. She bounded forward, reaching the edge of Winter’s bed before dropping to her hands and knees and disappearing below.

Upon his arrival to the same spot, he found her scaling the bedspread, clutching folds in the fabric and descending halfway before dropping to the floor. Once again, she motioned for him to follow.

“How are we getting back without my sister finding out?” He was stalling, but refused to show his fear to this girl.

“So what if she finds out?” Haley said. “We’re premies. We have no real responsibilities. Worst case, she binds us. And that’s not really so bad, now is it?”

He wasn’t sure if he liked this carefree attitude of hers, as if somehow their status as a premie meant they were expected to get into trouble, or at least if they did, they wouldn’t be seriously punished. In a way it made sense. He’d never heard of a premie prison. But surely crime existed in Premoria, right?

He slid off the side and held on, just barely. She’d made it look so easy, but holding his own weight without the support of his legs proved a monumental task. As soon as he released his grip in one hand, he fell, tumbling along the curvature of the bedspread and landing hard on the carpet.

“Not the most graceful thing, are you?” She helped him to his feet, something she seemed to accomplish with embarrassing ease, a hand under each of his armpits.

They walked toward the door, Haley slowing her steps to keep pace with his disoriented amble.

“You’ll get better at it, if you practice,” she said. “I was terrified too, at first. I was afraid to go outside, afraid of my mom, my dad, and especially of my sister. And they screwed up a lot at first too, but we worked through it. Eventually you’ll find the world isn’t quite as scary, and you’re not quite as helpless as you think.”

“I’m not scared,” he said as they passed a Barbie with a missing left arm.

“A little fear is a good thing,” she said.

“Now you sound like my therapist.”

She landed a solid punch on his arm, and though she likely hadn’t intended it to hurt, it stung nonetheless, her knuckle having found it’s way into a sweet spot of nerve endings. He swung at her, but she dodged, and the blow glanced harmlessly off her back.

“You’re not supposed to hit a girl!” Smiling, she grabbed him around the waist, spinning him until she tackled him onto the carpet. He struggled, and managed to turn her over onto her back, pinning her arms to the side. She fought, but without vigor, as if she was letting him overpower her. Perhaps she was, but something about the situation felt good. It reminded him of wrestling Winter as a kid. The good ol’ days.

“You’re not as weak as you look.” She wore a smirk but her gray eyes directed their piercing gaze at his face.

He got up before those eyes could detect his increased blood pressure. “We’ve still got a ways to go.” He took her hand as she rose and moved forward, this time leading her toward the door, which thankfully, remained partly open.

The carpet in the hallway was less dense, less deep, and all around easier to trek across. It had been marred by years of human footsteps, unlike the bedrooms, which had comparatively new carpet after last year’s remodeling.

“This is fun, isn’t it?” Haley moved up alongside him, still holding his hand.

“Still have no idea how we’re going to open the fridge.”

“You worry too much.” She swung his arm back and forth as she spoke. “Just enjoy the journey without obsessing over the destination.”

“I’m not...obsessing. Is that even a word?”

“Look,” Haley lowered her voice, pointing to toward the massive television in the distance.

“Supergirl,” he said. “Winter likes that show.”

“No I mean, look.”

He followed her finger and noticed his sister lying on the floor, mostly hidden by the stair railing and coffee table. She lay on her front, feet high in the air behind her, swaying back and forth.

“If she sees us out here, we’re dead.”

“Premies, remember?” Haley said. “We can do no wrong. Let’s go mess with her.”

“That...doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

“Stay here then, fraidy cat.” She released his hand and darted off toward Winter, ducking low as if on some covert mission.

After a momentary pause, he chased after her, whisper yelling, “What about the food? Kitchen’s the other way.”

She didn’t hear or she ignored him, pulling further ahead. He was running all out now, but still had difficulty matching her pace. Those long legs carried her fast, and she clearly exercised more than he did. Probably a lot more.

By the time they reached Winter’s knees, two fleshy boulders supporting two towering calves, his heart raced and he didn’t have time to process the multitude of things which could go wrong. If his sister merely let her leg fall straight, they’d both be squished, or at least knocked out by the force.

Luckily, they didn’t remain there long. She took his hand and pulled him along Winter’s side until they reached the waistband of her skirt. Haley put one foot on the fabric.

“Give me a boost.”

He did as requested, forming a footstep with his hands, and allowing her to propel herself onto Winter’s lower back. Certainly his sister would feel Haley’s weight, turn over in surprise, and unintentionally hurt the smaller girl, but that didn’t happen. Instead, before he could protest, he found himself placing his hand in Haley’s and allowing her to pull him up. She must’ve been faking her defeat back there. The fact that she hauled a good portion of his weight up with a single hand indicated as much.

They both rose to their feet, balancing on what his brain finally realized was another human person, his sister, her body the literal surface under his feet. The realization of it, and that she still seemed entirely unaware, swamped him with mixed feelings of insignificance and awe.

He ducked as a stray foot swung close, heel narrowly missing his head, or at least that’s what it seemed like.

“What now?” He was too deep to quit at this point. He’d follow her to whatever dire end awaited them.

And it was obvious she had a plan in mind, as her red fingernail pointed yet again to the next destination — his sister’s head.

Without further explanation, aside from giving him the ‘shhh’ gesture, she stepped forward, creeping one stride at a time across and up Winter’s back. The shirt under his feet wasn’t thick, it was nearly summer after all, but astonishingly, his sister didn’t move or squeal. Could they really be so light as to not be noticed? He remembered he weighed almost as much as a pencil. Surely, he’d feel a pencil touch his skin if he were still a human.

She waved him to follow and he did, hypnotized by her insane enthusiasm.

The heat emanating from the ‘ground’ could be felt on his exposed ankles, reminding him of the vast quantities of flesh and blood residing directly underneath. How could something so incomprehensibly huge be alive? His brain didn’t want to accept it, yet the familiar scent of strawberry shampoo and ‘Winter’ said otherwise. This was his sister and he was about to...what the hell were they doing anyway?

They finished the climb and reached the nape of Winter’s neck, partially exposed as she usually wore her hair in a side ponytail. Given the proximity to Winter’s ears, there would be no talking at this point. Haley didn’t need words. She pointed up, and up she went.

In a single swift movement of agility and grace, she stepped over the skin of Winter’s neck, lodged her foot in strands of blond hair and leapt up to the top of the girl’s head. He braced himself to be knocked violently to the side, because surely his sister would feel something….right?

When the earthquake failed to arrive, he stared up to Haley. She grinned broadly, motioning for him to grab her hand as she’d done at the waistband.

He shook his head.

She motioned again, insistently, giving him a mock glare that promised retribution if he chickened out now.

Fuck it. He stepped across the patch of skin and placed his hand in hers, then pushed upward with —

His foot slipped and his head crashed hard into the back of Winter’s scalp. His feet, now firmly planted on Winter’s exposed neck scrambled to keep his balance.

An ominous giggle shook the landscape and the head itself, nearly causing Haley to tumble. Winter’s laughter. She must know. She had to. Yet she wasn't saying anything.

Haley facepalmed, shaking her head in disbelief, then extended her arm again. He took hold, and this time managed to climb to the destination, as Winter’s giggling transformed into laughter.

“I can’t.” Winter blurted out. “They’re going to fall.”

“No, they’re not.” Someone said from behind. A shadow descended upon them, and Parker’s face filled the periphery of his vision, blocking out the television. The smirk she wore, similar in many ways to Haley’s, spoke volumes as did the glint in her gray eyes.

“Parker!” He didn’t know what else to say, other than her name, as if he’d been caught red handed doing something illegal or worse.

“Hey, Eli,” she said, her hands in close proximity as if to guard them should Winter’s head suddenly shift.

Fortunately, Haley had buried her legs in Winter’s hair and had forced him to sit with her. “We made it! Now it’s time to eat.”

“Wait.” He looked around as the earth moved underneath him, rising, slowly and steadily. Parker’s hands rose with it. “Y’all knew about this?”

Parker shrugged. “You had your microphone on. We knew you were running around out here.”

“So you’re not mad?” he asked.

“I suppose we should punish you,” Parker said. “But honestly you’re just too cute right now. It’ll have to wait till after lunch.”

“Told ya.” Haley mock punched him again, this time with less force, though likely because of their precarious positioning. “Premie cuteness is a superpower. Gets us out of all kinds of trouble. It’s like a Jedi mind trick.”

“It really is.” Parker petted Haley’s hair. “And you’re lucky too. Otherwise I’d be upset you’re holding onto my boyfriend right now.”

Eli wanted to respond and say he wasn’t sure about the boyfriend thing anymore, but something in Parker’s tone told him she wasn't entirely serious. Had she ever been serious? He’d have to ask her later.

At the moment, he was focusing on balance, and burying his legs as Haley had done, because their ascent hadn’t stopped. It couldn’t be safe for premies to ride on top of a human head, but that’s exactly what they were doing, and it was enough to cause him to squeeze Haley’s hand with all his might.

“That was fun!” Winter said. “I was so worried, but once you reached me, I could hardly stop myself from laughing.”

“It’s one of Haley’s favorite human games, as she calls them,” Parker said. “She’s got a few others. We can play a few after lunch if you want.”

“Can we?” Winter asked.

“Of course!” Haley said. “What fun is a sleepover without games?”

Wait. Sleepover?

What?

 

“Since this is a sleepover, I should be able to invite Carter.” Eli folded his arms, looking for any excuse to avoid ‘the games’. He also looked for an escape route. Sitting Indian style, Winter and Parker blocked the main exit between the beds and Ally’s feet dangled from the bed to his right.

“Girls only.” Haley hopped down from Winter’s ankle and strode towards him.

“Fine,” he said. “Put me back in my apartment.”

“Girls and premies only.” Haley backed him against the cabinet and poked him in the forehead. “Which should go without saying.”

“What game are we going to play first?” Winter asked, leaning forward onto her elbows. “I know! How ‘bout Monopoly?”

“Sounds good to me,” Eli said.

“Boooring.” Haley pointed to Ally who, as usual, was fiddling with her phone. “She’s filming for YouTube. If we play a board game, we’ll lose subscribers.”

“We?” Eli said. “Since when did you get involved with my channel?”

“Since I became your manager.” Haley rounded behind him and pushed him toward Parker, hands on his shoulders. “Lord knows you need all the help you can get.”

“Pretty sure I never agreed to this,” Eli said as she thrust his body into a more central location.

“Typical Haley.” Winter leaned one shoulder against the bed where Ally sat. “Get used to it.”

“I have to admit.” Ally spoke from high above. “You’ve become a lot more outgoing since you met her.”

He squirmed out of Haley’s shoulder vice grip. “Well —”

“First order of business.” Haley walked over to Parker. “I’m teaching you the basics about humans, at least in regards to the games.” She pointed.

On cue, Parker extended her right leg and rolled up the hem of her jeans, exposing her ankle and lower calf.

“Rule number one — don’t worry about hurting humans. You can’t.” She unleashed a series of punches on Parker’s leg, avoiding the bone. Her fists deflected harmlessly and Parker smirked.

“I’ve got sharp nails.” Haley clawed with both hands. “But at best, I’m giving her a light exfoliation.”

“Keep going.” Parker bit her lower lip.

“You wish.” Haley kicked the enormous leg. “Now you try it,” she said to Eli.

“Me, me, me!” Winter extended her own leg and swooped it beside Eli. “Do me!”

“I’m not going to punch a girl.” He stepped away from his sister’s bare foot.

“Spare us the chivalry,” Haley said. “You took a swing at me earlier today. Or are you saying you don’t consider me a girl?” She walked toward him, hands on swaying hips. “Maybe I need to prove — “

Parker’s leg lifted and descended in front of Haley, but the premie vaulted over the ankle as if it were a minor obstacle. Parker’s hand appeared, scooping Haley up and depositing the smaller girl on the bed beside Ally.

“It really is ok, Eli.” Parker said as Haley crossed her arms, fuming. “You can’t harm her.”

“Please, Eli.” Winter inched her leg to the side, nudging his hips with her ankle. “Pretend I’m a punching bag and you’re letting off steam.”

“But I’m not angry,” he said.

Winter pressed her lips together, then smiled mischievously. “Still got some mashed potato right…” She wet her finger and, before he could dodge, wiped saliva along the entire left side of his face and neck. “There. Got it.”

“Disgusting!” He wiped his face on his sleeve and kicked her leg...just like they’d wanted him to do.

Fine. She asked for it.

He gripped skin just above her ankle and bit down as hard as he could. His teeth sank into her flesh, but there was just so much of it. Still, if he exerted the full strength of his jaw —

Winter giggled, angling her head to get a better view. “It tickles. Is he biting me?”

Eli pushed away, delivering one final kick. “I’m telling Mom you did that.”

“Awww,” Winter said. “But I brushed my teeth. Honest.”

“What are you, like five?” Haley asked Eli. She climbed down Ally’s leg and hopped onto the floor, making a beeline toward him. “What happens at a slumber parties, stays at slumber parties.”

“This isn’t fight club,” he said.

Haley rolled her eyes and stopped in front of him, towering over him. “That was nothing. My sister licks me all the time. If she’s out of candy, she’ll pop my entire arm in her mouth and suck on it like a lollipop. Sometimes she even forgets to ask for my permission.”

“First of all, she’s six,” he said. “Secondly, it’s still disgusting.”

“Which brings us to rule number two,” Haley said. “Humans find us tasty. Isn’t that right, Parker?”

Parker shrugged, looking the other way.

“What the hell does that mean?” Eli asked.

“They can’t help it,” Haley continued. “Something about the premie powder we digest. It repels insects and most animals, but to humans, we taste...well Amber says I taste like a watermelon Jolly Rancher.”

“This is news to me,” Ally said, peering over her phone.

Winter scrunched her face, but then she stuck the tip of her tongue against the same finger she’d used to swipe Eli’s face. Her expression changed to one of curiosity as she sucked on her finger.

“Ok.” He scanned the human faces in the room. “So you’re saying they want to eat us?”

Haley laughed. “Yes! They want to gobble you up and digest you like a tootsie roll pop.”

“Eww,” Winter said, finally removing the finger from her mouth. Still, whether conscious of it or not, she did lick her lips.

“Parker?” Eli asked. Her eyes were still averted.

“Only once, and I did ask for permission,” Parker said.

“Yeh right,” Haley said. “After binding me a few minutes earlier. Of course I was going to say yes.”

“And she tasted like what?” he asked, having trouble believing the course of the conversation. “A watermelon Jolly Rancher?”

“No,” Parker shook her head and, for a moment, he assumed it would be the end of her response. “Tangerine.”

“That’s pretty specific.” Ally wrinkled her nose at Parker. The blue haired girl’s cheeks flushed with color.

“Relax, Natalie,” Haley said before turning to Eli. “She gets so embarrassed when I share her little taste test. It’s hilarious.”

Parker sighed, “Please don’t call me that.”

Haley poked Eli in the chest. “Just remember to stay away from babies and toddlers. They don’t know any better and if you’re not careful, you might just get eaten for real. Oh your insides might not taste so great, but it’s too late once they’ve bitten —”

“I’m going to have to edit this out,” Ally said.

“Oh, stop being so serious.” Haley said. “It’s a sleepover. Winter, come.” Haley motioned with her hand.

Winter brought her face in close.

“Open your mouth,” Haley said.

Winter parted her lips and Haley stuck in her arm to her elbow. Or she tried to. Winter jerked her head back.

“Oh, come on,” Haley said. “Tell me what I taste like to you. I’m curious.”

Winter sucked on her tongue, then lowered her head again, this time letting the premie arm enter her mouth. She closed her lips and winced. Then she sucked. And sucked some more. “Mmmmm.”

Haley withdrew her arm, wiping it on her pants. “So?”

Winter leaned back into her sitting position, savoring. “I don’t know. A little like orange soda. Different than Eli.”

“Ally?” Haley waved her other arm, the dry one.

“I’ll pass,” Ally said.

“C’mon, this is supposed to be a party.” Haley stalked toward Ally’s socked foot. “Live a little.”

“If you can reach my face.” Ally pulled her legs up onto the bed with her.

“That was the wrong thing to say.” Parker’s smile returned.

“Shush.” Haley leapt and grabbed hold of the comforter, then pulled herself upward like a mountain climber. “Rule number three.” She took a few deep breaths upon reaching the top. “Watchers are easy to climb because they always stay very still.” She jumped onto Ally’s shirt and climbed upward, going right to the underside of her breasts. “They’re afraid they’ll hurt us if they move,” she said, dangling there as she caught her breath. “Go ahead Eli, climb Parker. It’s fun.”

“Climb me, Eli!” Winter said. “I’ll hold still.”

“Actually a lot of folks on YouTube requested the same.” Ally’s eyes focused on the premie dangling from her chest, hands underneath, ready should her passenger fall. “Some said they’d donate.”

“Fine,” he said, surprising himself. Haley did seem to be having fun, and if folks would donate, he’d get to Premoria faster.

He worked his way across the carpet until he reached Parker’s shirt.

“I’m shorter.” Winter’s face dominated his left field of view. “I’d be easier to climb.”

“Yeh, but less fun,” Haley said, hanging from an area that Eli wanted to avoid.

“Can I help, at least?” Winter’s hand loomed above as Eli made his way around to Parker’s back.

“Uh, it’s ok, Eli,” Parker said, hinting toward his obvious choice in starting points. “I don’t mind.”

“Rule number four,” Haley said as she rounded atop Ally’s modest chest. “It’s impossible for a premie to sexually harass a human.”

“Not true.” Parker leaned forward, making the slope of her back less steep.

“Very true.” Haley leaned against Ally’s neck and planted a few kisses, causing Ally to laugh. “See.”

“Pretty sure — ” Eli struggled. In spite of Parker’s efforts to lean, his ascent wasn’t easy. “You’re just making these rules up.”

“Pretty sure you’re right.” Ally turned her face away as Haley tossed an arm up toward Ally’s mouth. The premie missed, foremar slapping against Ally’s lower jaw.

“I’ve been a premie longer than anyone else in this room,” Haley said. “So I know what I’m talking about. Not that Eli would sexually harass anyone. You’ should’ve seen him when I tried to have sex with him the other day.”

“You did what!” Winter, Parker and Ally spoke in unison. Ally, having turned her face toward Haley, gave the premie the opportunity she’d been looking for — to insert arm into mouth. Not for long, but long enough to get a drenched arm.

“Ok.” Ally grabbed hold of Haley and lifted her in front of her face. “Talk.”

Haley leaned back against Ally’s fingers, drying her arm on her sweat pants. “Amber bound me to have a baby with him, so, well you can figure it out from there.”

“She can do that?” Winter asked.

“No.” Parker said. “And I’m going to have a talk with her as soon as — ”

“Mom’s already spoken with her about it,” Haley said. “She won’t do it again. Like I said, it’s not a big deal. Eli was a gentleman.”

By this point, he’d made it to Parker’s shoulder, using her hair for balance and grip. Of course he couldn’t fall if he wanted to — Winter’s hands to either side made sure of that. As Parker slowly sat up straight, he shifted so that his feet alighted upon her collarbone. She smelled good — not flowery like his sisters, but some sort of feminine scent mixed with cinnamon.

“Either way,” Parker said. “You won’t be sleeping in Eli’s apartment tonight.”

“Give me a break,” Haley said. “You know binding doesn’t last for more than an hour or two at most.”

“Not taking any chances,” Parker said.

“I have to agree,” Ally said.

“Me too,” Winter said.

Haley shrugged. “He missed his chance. He won’t get a second one.” She faced Ally. “So, what did I taste like?”

“I don’t know, but you smell like sweat,” Ally said. “You ought to have a bath before dinner.”

“Same with Eli.” Parker pinched his foot lightly. “I can smell him from here.”

“No fair,” Haley said. “We’ve hardly done any games yet.”

“Separate bathrooms though.” Parker lifted Eli from her shoulder, winking. “I’ll help Eli, you two take care of Haley. It’ll give us a chance to talk.”

“Um, I have a bath in my apartment,” Eli said.

“Yeh, right,” Haley said, arm wrapped around one of Ally’s fingers. “Like that’s gonna fly. You realize you’re talking to Parker, right? Supervising bathtime is her ‘right as a human’.”

“It is?” Winter’s eyes went wide.

“Hey, they get to play human games, it’s only fair we ‘humans’ get to have some fun too.” Parker rose to her feet with Eli in hand, as if the matter had already been decided. “Besides, I haven’t had a chance to speak with him yet.”

“Yaaay!” Winter said. “Bathtime!”

“Eli,” Ally said. “You OK with this?”

Parker turned mid stride so that he could respond to his sister. He wasn’t sure about the girlfriend thing anymore, but he did owe her a talk, if she wanted one. And she wouldn’t hurt him, he was sure of that. “It’s fine. I’ll wear my bathing suit.”

“Just make sure she washes behind her ears.” Parker said, stepping into the bathroom off their bedroom. “She’s a trickster, that little one.”

Then, she closed the door and they were alone.

 

Eli stood on the edge of the sink as Parker filled it. His attempts to talk were drowned by the faucet. It expelled water like a firehose, interrupted periodically as Parker tested the temperature with her fingertips. She didn’t even look at him. Was she ignoring him?

She went to the shower and returned, then rubbed her hands together in the water. After bubbles formed on the surface, she turned the water off and dried her hands.

“It’s ready,” she said, finally giving him her attention.

“Can we just talk? I don’t really need a bath.”

“Just get in. It’ll give us an excuse to talk longer. It’s the first chance I’ve had to be alone with you and I don’t want to waste it.”

“Ok, uh...can you get my bathing suit? It’s on the floor in my living room.”

“Bubbles.” She pointed. “I won’t be able to see anything.” She sat on the toilet, facing away from him. “Let me know if it’s too hot or cold.”

He stripped down to his boxers and eyed the drop off into the water below. It looked too far to jump, so he slid down the side instead. He landed in warm water that came up to his chest. As he waded further toward the center, it reached his neck, bubbles drifting away as he exhaled on them. She’d made it the perfect temperature, just enough to relax without overheating.

Her face appeared on the horizon, lower than before. She must be sitting on the stool. “You didn’t get fully undressed did you?”

“Um…”

“Is it because you don’t trust me?” Her gaze dropped. “I wouldn’t blame you. Not after what I did with Zoey.”

“It’s not that.” Here it was, the dreaded ‘talk’. Although he’d anticipated it for days, he hadn’t prepared anything specific. “It’s just...this premie thing is so new. I’m not sure I want a girlfriend right now. Especially...well…”

“Especially someone who’s bisexual?” she asked. “You should know Zoey and I broke up. We were never really going out. We just kissed. I could tell you were uncomfortable with the whole polyamory thing.”

“Yeh.” He was a bit uncomfortable with it, but it wasn’t his primary concern. “I was going to say ‘especially a human’.”

“Oh…” She narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t been bound much, have you?”

He exhaled a sigh of relief. He’d expected his confession to upset her. “Not really. A few times. I try to avoid it...usually.” He didn’t want to admit asking for it at the pool the other day.

“You’re a lot less nervous now than you were when I saw you a few days ago. Ever wonder why?”

He shrugged, remembering back to waking up as a premie for the first time, afraid of literally everything. “I suppose I’m just getting used to it.”

“It’s because of binding,” she said. “You should get bound at least twice a day, especially since you’re a new premie. Your fear of humans will disappear, just like Haley. You’ll see me less like a giant and more like...well hopefully more like the way you did at school.”

She sure did know a lot about this stuff. Still, something bothered him. “Even if that’s true, I can’t understand why you’d still want to be my girlfriend. I mean...I’m smaller than your hand. I can’t protect you, or take you on a date, or do anything for you.”

“You can talk to me.” She half smirked. “Maybe respond to my texts every once in awhile.”

“Sorry.” If she’d intended to make him feel guilty, she’d succeeded.

“I don’t need you to protect me, or anything like that. I’m not a typical girl, if you hadn’t noticed.” She winked at him, her nose stud glinting. “I just need you to trust me. Be honest with your feelings and communicate. Think you can do that?”

“Yeh but…I still don’t understand why you like me.”

“Have a little confidence in yourself.” She dipped a forefinger into the water and flicked, splashing his face with suds.

“Hey!” He splashed back and soon they were at war, water flying everywhere. One flick in particular sent a torrent of water at his head, filling his mouth and eyes. He coughed. “Ok, ok, you win!”

“Never pick a fight with someone twenty times taller than you,” she said, smiling. “Especially if she’s you’re girlfriend.”

“Lesson learned.” He laughed while still sputtering water.

Her eyes studied him. The bubbles surrounding him had dissipated somewhat, likely giving her a view of his body underneath the water.

“I think it’s time you lost the boxers.” Her hand came into view.

“No!” He kicked backwards.

She sighed. “I thought you agreed to trust me.”

“I do, but...it’s too embarrassing.” The heat in his cheeks wasn’t from the water.

“Hmmm. How about we make it fair? Ask me to remove any article of clothing and I will. Sound good?”

He shook his head. “That would be even more embarrassing.”

***

Parker’s heart quickened in her chest.

Eli refused to engage in anything remotely intimate. Like a typical boy, he didn’t talk much. Like a typical girl, he lacked confidence. And like her typical self, she found his combination of masculine and feminine characteristics attractive. Combined with his status as a premie, he was…

Irresistible.

“Do you still like me?” she asked. She knew the answer already — she could see it through the water’s surface — but the question would help him deal with his feelings.

“Of course.” He waded to one of the few spots where bubbles remained.

She slowly lowered her hand into the water. “Do you trust me enough to let me bind you?”

“Um, I’d rather you didn’t.”

“I promise I won’t make you take off your underwear.” She traced her submerged fingers along his back and legs. “Please? It’ll make you a lot less nervous.” She questioned her ability to stop herself even if he’d refused.

His feet touched her pinkie. Rather than recoil as she’d expected, he used it to stand a bit higher in the water. “Ok, but make it quick. I don’t want my sisters to know.”

Wow. She hadn’t expected him to agree to it so fast. He really did trust her. To think — she’d almost ruined everything by kissing his ex. She didn’t deserve a boyfriend like him. She’d find a way to make it up to him.

“Hands by your sides.” Carefully, she wrapped her fingers around his partially submerged body. As soon as her fingertips touched his pressure points, he exhaled and most of his body went limp, all except for a spot which she wouldn’t draw attention to.

“How is it?” she asked.

“Perfect.” He blinked lazily at her. “You’re really good at this...thanks.”

“No need to thank me. This is just one of the many side benefits of having a human for a girlfriend.” He’d never be truly happy with a premie like Haley, and she intended to prove it to him.

“I guesss-so,” he said, slurring his words.

“You feel really good, don’t you?” she asked, surprised by the almost immediate reaction she felt from his pelvic area. He really was quite susceptible to suggestion.

“Mmmmmhmmm,” he said, arching his back in her hand. Then, his eyes opened wider. “Um, maybe we should stop.”

“Do you want me to stop?” She honestly didn’t know if she should continue or not. She knew what she wanted him to experience, but she’d have to tread carefully. She wouldn’t lose his trust again.

He inhaled slowly. “Maybe just a little longer.”

She smiled, loving the feeling of him in her hand. She could make him do just about anything at this point. She was certain of it. Yet, she just wanted him to be happy and comfortable around her.

“Eli, if tell you to feel even better, you probably will, but you might get embarrassed or mad at me later. Still, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. So if you want me to command you to feel good, I will.”

“But I already feel good,” he said.

“You’ll feel even better if I command it. It’s up to you. I’d like you to experience it, but I don’t want to pressure you.”

“Ok. Just once so I can see what it’s like. And for the record, I’ve always trusted you, even after you kissed Zoey. I’ve just been selfish lately...not responding to your text messages. I apologize.”

“Awww.” She lifted him dripping from the water, toward her face. “I’m going to kiss you, ok?”

He nodded just before she planted her lips on his face. It was a light kiss, but she held him there long enough to feel his body respond as she desired. After finally pulling him away, she spoke.

“You feel twice as good as you feel right now.”

He inhaled sharply and his little arms pressed outward, weakly, against her fingers. His mouth opened as he tried to speak. “It’s too — too — “

His body spasmed in her hand as he thrust against her fingers, over and over again. His lips sealed shut as if he were suppressing something inside his chest, and his little face screwed into a mask of pleasure.

After it stopped, he turned a deep shade of red. “Uh...I’m so sorry. It just —”

“Stop saying you’re sorry, because I’m not.” She tried to speak calmly, even though the experiment had done more than arouse just him. “I’m glad it happened. It just means you feel really comfortable around me, and that makes me happy.”

“It does?”

“Yes, silly. It’s biology, right? Nothing to be embarrassed about.” She returned him to the water, though she didn’t release him. “Wanna do it again?”

***

Yes.

He wanted to do it again, but he had to decline her offer. In spite of everything she said, he felt as if he’d be taking advantage of her, using her, even though she didn't seem to mind in the least. Still, it was hard to resist. He’d never experienced such a sudden rush of euphoria, much of which still lingered, making it difficult to be anything other than...happy.

“I feel so good right now.”

She giggled. “Told ya. Though if you really want to thank me, you’ll do me a favor.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Let me help give you a bath.”

“Uh —”

“C’mon. I’ll be discrete. You only need to relax and let me do all the work.”

Whether it was because she still bound him or because he felt terrific, he didn’t know. But he trusted her completely and wanted to please her. If giving him a bath would make her happy…

“Ok,” he said.

Almost before he got out the word, she’d removed his boxers and had begun to lather his body with her fingers. Laying him on his stomach, she thumbed across the entire length of his frame, dipping him in the water from time to time. She repeated the process on his front side, a full body massage like none he’d ever experienced.

True to her word, she didn’t linger on any particular area, though part of him wished she had. If she hadn’t bound him, he certainly wouldn’t be enjoying this. But she was right — binding relaxed him so much, nearly all of his self consciousness had vanished.

“Now for the hair.” She let him float on the surface for a moment before returning with a dollop of shampoo, which she applied generously to his head, lathering it in.

“You’re really good at this,” he said, amazed at how she applied just the right amount of pressure.

“I’ve had a lot of practice.” She continued lathering, though her pace slowed.

“On Haley?”

“And others,” she said.

“Others? Like who? Your dad?” That would be weird.

Her fingers paused, then resumed their circular motions on his scalp. “Eli, I used to be a premie.”

His eyes snapped open. “You what?!”

“I figured you’d find out sooner or later, so you might as well hear it from me. I spent the first eight years of my life as a premie. My parents were...are...premies.”

“I don’t understand,” he said. “How is it possible?”

“The same way you became a premie, just in reverse. You really haven’t read anything about Premoria have you? Makes me wonder why you want to go there so badly.”

“I’ve read about some things.”

“It’s ok. They don’t publicize it much. It’s usually a pretty...traumatic experience for everyone involved.”

“So it’s the opposite of the shrink gene?” he asked.

“Take a deep breath.” She dunked him under the water, rinsed his hair out, then lifted him into the air before wrapping him in a hand towel. “We don’t know much about the shrink gene. Some think it’s a mutation. Regardless, we do know those who are born premies but lack the mutation have a very high chance of growing into a human, usually before puberty.”

“Whoa. I never realized...so is Dorothy your real mom?”

“No.” Parker’s eyes focused downward. “My real mom died a long time ago.” She paused. “It’s difficult for me to talk about.”

“I’m sorry...I didn’t know.”

“My dad’s my real dad. He got remarried. Dorothy’s my stepmom. I call her Mom because, well, she pretty much is.”

A knock on the door. “Everything alright in there?” Ally asked.

“Yes,” Parker said. “We’ll be out in a minute.”

“Eli?” Ally asked.

“I’m fine,” He yelled. “I’ll be right out.”

After a few moments, Parker set him on the countertop, still wrapped in the hand towel. “She does like to keep an eye on you.” She dug in her pocket and pulled out a handful of clothing, including a light blue jumpsuit. “I bought this for you. Hope you like it.”

“Wow, thanks.” He waited until she turned around before disrobing and donning the new clothes. They fit well, and even included a pair of thick socks, something he lacked. His feet tended to get cold faster than the rest of his body. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“You know, I can probably get you in to see Premoria. Part of it at least.” She turned around, looking at him.

“You can?”

“Sure, if you want.” She lowered her hand. “My dad and I have visitation rights. You could visit there with us.”

“That would be awesome!” He stepped onto her palm and sat down.

“There is a small admission fee, however.”

“How much is it?”

She smiled, this time showing her pretty teeth, then lifted him closer to her mouth. “I think you can afford it,” she said, before her lips met his upper body.

 

“Help! She’s going to eat me!”

Eli tried to ignore the yelling outside his apartment, but it became impossible after Haley plastered herself against his living room window. Behind her, Winter’s face loomed, mouth open wide but approaching rather slowly.

“Help, Eli!” Haley called out for the fifth time. “You’re the only one who can save me!”

He got up from the couch, pulled the curtains shut, and returned to Sublime Conquest. He’d insisted on spending the rest of the night in his apartment shortly after the ‘games’ evolved into applying facial masks and surfing the net for ‘hotties’. Although he wanted to spend more time with Parker, she too got sucked into the girly activities, and he wanted no part of it.

“Aww, no fair!” Haley said.

The roof to his apartment disappeared, replaced by Ally’s shiny face. They must’ve just removed the masks as flesh-colored pieces still dangled from her cheeks. “OK, Eli. We’re done with the girl stuff. Come out now.”

“Forget it,” he said. “I’m about to start a group. Maybe in an hour.”

Ally reached in and lifted the entire couch — with him on it. “It wasn’t a request.”

“What the fuck!” He still held the controller in his hands, though his headset had fallen to the floor. It along with his entire apartment diminished below him as he ‘flew’ through the air to Winter’s bed. Parker sat at the foot of the bed, removing the remainder of her mask.

“Welcome back to the party.” She winked at him. Why did girls do facial masks? Parker certainly didn’t need it, whatever it was supposed to accomplish.

“Yeh.” He rolled his eyes, though his anger dissipated quickly in her presence. “My guild’s probably going to kick me out.”

“Hey guys.” Ally held his headset between her fingers and spoke into the mic. “Eli’s at a slumber party with lots of girls. We kidnapped him, so he’ll have to get back with you later. OK. Bye.” She placed the headset back in his apartment and sat on the carpet, elbows indenting the mattress in front of him. “I’m sure they’ll forgive you.”

Winter crawled onto the head of the bed, over the pillows, with Haley’s giggling upper body sticking out of her mouth. Winter’s lips were sealed around the premie’s legs as if she were saying the letter ‘M’. When she finally released the smaller girl, Haley skillfully rolled onto her feet and sprang forward in his direction. Surprisingly, her pajama bottoms were dry. Mostly.

“Thanks Eli!” Haley leapt onto the arm of the couch, glaring. “She ate my legs because you ignored my cries for help.” She jumped onto the nearest cushion and leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his torso. “Now you’re going to have to carry me everywhere. I’m a quadriplegic.”

“Paraplegic.” He squirmed in her embrace.

“I’ll carry you.” Parker’s fingers attempted to forklift under Haley’s arms.

“Nooooo.” Haley squeezed him. Hard. Hard enough for multi colored stars to appear before his eyes. “I’ve got an idea! Let’s play dress up!” she said, finally easing her hug into something more bearable.

“I wanna play!” Winter said.

“OK. Go find clothes for me and Eli. Except I get to be the husband, and Eli’s the wife.”

“Wait, what!” He pried one of her clingy arms from his chest only to have it reattach around his stomach. Parker, too, had given up and merely watched in mild amusement.

“C’mon, Eli.” Haley pleaded. “You have to do at least ONE girly thing with us or it’s no fun.”

“Fun for who?” He asked.

“It does sound kinda fun.” Parker dug into a pile of clothing that Winter had deposited on the bed, a mix of premie and doll clothes from the looks of it.

“I agree.” Ally began sorting the clothes into piles, masculine and feminine, the latter growing far faster. “If you want, we can bind you and you’d have fun too.”

“No thanks,” he said, resigned to his fate. “But why do I have to be the wife?”

“Because you’re smaller.” Winter spoke as if it were the obvious truth. “Wives are smaller than husbands.” She held a dress in the air before him, judging the size.

“Why can’t I wear jeans?” He scowled at the site of so many frilly dresses. “Girls wear jeans.”

“No, you’ll be a proper wife, like the one in the Brady Bunch.” Ally tossed her hair over her shoulder as she rummaged through the clothing.

“Sorry, Eli.” Parker smiled as she examined an oversized pink dress. “I’d help you out but I’m outnumbered.”

“Yeh, right.” He mumbled.

“Ooo, I like that one.” Winter reached for the dress in Parker’s hand. “I thought I’d lost it.”

“OK, it’s decided.” Ally held up a blue shirt with dark beige slacks. “Eli wears the pink gown and Haley gets the business suit.”

“I get to dress Eli!” Winter managed to steal the pink monstrosity. Her free hand closed in on Eli.

“But I found it,” Parker said. “I think it’s only fair —”

“No, you got to give him a bath.” Winter’s right hand scooped Eli and held him possessively against her chest. “He never lets me do this stuff with him, so it’s my turn.”

“Why don't we let Eli decide?” Parker asked.

“If I have to wear this thing.” He twisted around in Winter’s hand to get a better view of it. “I’ll dress myself.”

“No!” All three human girls said in unison.

“We’ll take turns,” Ally said. “Winter and I dress Eli and Haley, then we rotate.” Her finger circled between the girls in a counterclockwise direction.

“That’s ridiculous,” he said. “I can dress myself perfectly fine.”

“You still don’t get it do you, Eli?” Haley said from below. “This is happening whether you like it or not. Might as well sit back and relax.”

It was true. Ignoring his protests and struggles, Winter proceeded to strip him down to his boxers. He pushed at her fingers, but she overpowered him as if he were a limp doll, pinning his arms above his head with a single soft fingertip. After finally realizing his efforts achieved nothing beyond increasing his own exhaustion, he stopped and let her continue unobstructed.

Thankfully, she didn’t remove his boxers, though her finger did linger at the waistband while her lips twitched contemplatively. “I know you don’t like me to see you naked.”

“He needs to get used to it.” Haley spoke from her own state of partial undress at the hands of Ally. “If it weren’t so cold, premies wouldn’t need to wear clothes. Honestly, we’re too small for it to matter.”

“See, Eli.” Winter lifted the dress above him and lowered it. “You should listen to her.”

“No thanks,” he said. Humans might not see much, but other premies would.

He pressed his upper body through the silky material, arms through the holes and head through a massive opening in the neck area. When it finally draped around him fully, the neck opening extended from shoulder to shoulder, hanging frills curving down his chest.

“Perfect fit.” Winter smiled. Indeed, it fit better than expected though it easily reached his feet.

Parker picked him up and held him before her inquisitive gaze until she smirked. “You do look really cute in that dress.” She gave him a peck on the head.

“Hey.” Winter held out her hand. “I wanna kiss him too.”

“Girlfriends only,” Parker said, and for once, Eli agreed.

“Awww.” Winter’s frown lasted for about a second, cut short by her eager search for his next outfit.

“And husbands.” Haley spun around in her new digs. Complete with leather shoes, she looked every bit the Wall Street tycoon, save for her long braided hair. “Release my wife, you blue-haired ogre.” She spoke in a low voice and pointed at Parker with a fierce expression.

Parker laughed. “Who am I to keep a wife from her husband?”

Eli found himself flying toward Haley, ‘landing’ on his feet before her. She had her arms crossed, her mock fierceness now directed at him. “I expect dinner to be served after just returning from a long day of work. Is it really too much to ask? It’s not like you don’t have enough free time, sitting around at home all day.”

He looked from Haley to Winter and then Ally. Their eyes widened as if expecting him to do something. Before he had a chance, Ally pincered his waist between thumb and forefinger, tilting him from side to side as she spoke for him like a ventriloquist. “How dare you. I’ve been cleaning all day. I even wore this pretty dress for you.”

Haley’s response was interrupted by Winter grabbing her in a similar manner. “Oh, I’m sorry honey. I didn’t realize you wore that dress for me. It’s very pretty.”

“Well it took you long enough to notice,” Ally spoke for him again. “Do you really think it’s pretty?”

“Of course,” Winter said. “I’ll prove it.” She leaned Haley toward him, and Ally did the same until his cheek brushed against Haley’s. They made kissing sounds as Haley giggled and pushed him away.

“I can’t believe you’re participating in this, Ally,” he said.

“Shush, you’re breaking character,” she said, her grip unrelenting around his waist.

“You’re never too old for Barbies,” Parker said. “Especially if the Barbies are premies.”

He couldn’t imagine Parker playing Barbies a single day in her life, but they all seemed to be in a good mood and having fun, so he didn’t stress over it. In a way, he kind of enjoyed the attention, though he’d never admit it. Their earlier foray into face masks and hottie surfing had felt so isolating, but at least this was mildly engaging, once he got over the initial embarrassment...which seemed to be easier and easier to do these days.

The girls continued playing dress up, though they focused most of their attention on his clothing, occasionally changing Haley’s jacket or shoes. In fairness, there wasn’t nearly as much ‘husband’ clothing to choose from. Finally, by the time he made his way back around to Winter, Mom poked her head in and said dinner was ready.

To his surprise, dinner turned out to be uneventful. The humans talked about school stuff, while Haley and Eli ate mostly undisturbed on small plates in the center of the table. The conversation strayed to Premoria and requirements for visitation, but Eli had trouble paying attention. He was tired and their voices weren’t directed at him so it became more background noise than conversation. Haley, too, seemed exhausted, her eyes drooping shut as she finished a mere fraction of the veggie spaghetti on her plate.

“Looks like you wore them out.” Mom said before he found himself lifted into the air and carried to his apartment bedroom.

“Goodnight, Eli.”

Someone tucked him in and turned out the lights, but it was fuzzy. Playing with giants was draining both physically and mentally, and today he’d broken personal records for human interaction. The bindings had helped, as had Haley’s adventurous enthusiasm.

Maybe living in this new world wouldn’t be so bad.

***

It was bad. Very bad.

“So tell me again why I have to get a shot.” Eli tugged on Winter’s shirt. Trapped on her lap by her clammy hands, it was sometimes the only way he could get her attention.

She removed an earbud and shifted her ponytail to the other shoulder. “What?”

“It’s a requirement for visiting Premoria, honey,” his mom said from the driver’s seat. She kept both hands on the wheel, her attention straight ahead.

“If you don’t want it, we can go shopping instead.” Winter smiled hopefully.

“No, I want to see Premoria,” he said, though he felt less sure than usual.

“But you don’t want to move there, right?” Winter asked, her eyes narrowing uncharacteristically.

“Maybe.” The motion of the car did nothing to ease his anxiety. “Can I sit on your shoulder? I’m getting sea sick down here.”

“You really should be in your carrier, sweetie,” Mom said.

“Yeh,” Winter said. “I’m breaking the rules by holding you like this, but don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“It doesn’t feel like we’re moving very fast.” He sat back against Winter’s fingers and extended his legs, pressing them into her lower stomach to stretch. If she notice, she didn’t say anything.

“We’re not,” Mom said. “Lots of traffic today for some reason.”

“I’m thirsty.” Eli tapped on Winter’s finger. “Can I have my drink?”

“You’ve had enough,” Winter said. “Any more and you’ll have to pee before we get there.”

“Stop treating me like a baby,” he said. “I’m thirsty and I want my drink.”

“It’s OK,” Mom said. Give it to him. “He didn’t eat much breakfast.”

“Whose fault is that?” Winter, in spite of her irritated tone, dropped the premie thermos beside him. “I go through trouble to make food for him and he doesn’t even eat it.”

He drank from the oversized container. In spite of being made for a premie, it was still twice the size of a normal thermos, probably to make it easier for humans to fill.

Winter shook her head and stuffed her earbuds back in her ears. The only times he ever saw her anything close to upset were times like these — times when the topic of Premoria couldn’t be avoided. Her normal, easy going demeanor shifted between a variety of emotional states: annoyance to sugary sweetness to over protectiveness, often without any warning of when the shift would occur. Who knew what went on in her brain, but she didn’t enjoy the topic of him moving away.

He took a final large gulp and closed the lid of the thermos. Although he disliked the idea of being forced to consume premie powder with every meal, he couldn’t fault it’s taste. Without being allowed to eat anything sugary, premie powder tasted better than anything else in comparison. The substance he drank was filled with it, and though not quite as thick, it tasted faintly like a strawberry milkshake, or at least what his memories told him of that particular dessert.

If he had his choice, he’d just drink premie powder shakes all day and forego Winter’s cooking, though he’d never tell her that. He knew premies could survive, even thrive, on the powder alone, but current medical opinion (and Winter opinion) insisted on dietary variety.

Eli stood and stretched. That was a mistake. His bladder felt significantly more full than it had moments ago, not enough to cause concern, but enough to make him wish he’d held off on the drink.

He sat back down and the pressure alleviated somewhat. Casting his gaze around, he tried to distract himself, but there wasn’t much distraction to be had. Surrounded by Winter’s damp flesh, red t-shirt, and jean skirt, nothing could take his mind off the growing well of liquid in his bladder.

He focused on the flesh, seeing how fine his vision could get. After all, it was one of the few benefits of being a premie — he could see much finer detail than humans.

He counted the ridges in the digit of her middle finger, using his own fingernail to scrape over them. If he concentrated, perhaps he could see the individual cells. Were his cells smaller than hers? If so, how could he breathe the same oxygen molecules?

“What are you doing?” Winter asked, unfortunately jarring him back to reality.

“Nothing,” he said, annoyed that his mind returned to his bladder. “Can we turn on the music?”

“Radio’s busted,” Mom said.

“Why do you think I’ve got these in?” Winter pointed to an earbud.

“Well, give me one,” he said.

“What’s the magic word?” she asked.

He sighed. “Please.”

She smiled and placed one of her earbuds in his sitting area. She managed to plug the other in her ear without yanking his away. Of course, she hadn’t bothered to clean his, and it’s rubbery surface was shiny with her ear oils or whatever. Gross.

Still, it smelled like shampoo instead of wax, and it emitted sound. He lifted it to his ear.

“What the heck is this?” he asked. It certainly wasn’t music. He’d been prepared to hear the latest teen pop, but not this.

“Dork Diaries,” Winter said, pausing the replay. “It’s a book.”

“Well, put on some music or something else,” he said, then remembered. “Please.”

“If you listen to it, you’ll like it,” she said. “It’s not just a kids book.”

“Fine, play it.” He squirmed in his seat. Anything to get his mind off his own biology.

Ten minutes passed quickly, and to his sister’s credit, the book wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. Although it was about a middle school girl and her struggle to find friends and a boyfriend, it was well written and occasionally humorous. Unfortunately, as his need for physical relief grew, his attention diminished. Eventually the words jumbled together into meaningless noise.

“I have to use the bathroom,” he announced, finally ready to face the ‘told ya so’. At some point, biology outweighed everything else. He wouldn’t last much longer.

“Told ya,” Winter said as if on cue.

“Sweetie, can you hold it?” Mom asked. “We’ve still got another twenty minutes.”

“I really have to go,” he said. “Can’t we pull over at a gas station somewhere?”

“We’re on the highway, honey,” Mom said. “And we’re stuck in traffic. If I try to get off now, we’ll be late.”

Winter opened the glove compartment and pulled out something light brown in color. “Here.” She lifted him, then placed a palette of brown napkins on her lap and set him on top. “Just go. I won’t watch.”

“Good idea,” Mom said.

“What!” Eli said. “I can’t just go on a pile of napkins...in the car.”

“OK,” Winter said. “Then hold it.”

“I can’t do that either!” he said. “Why can’t we just pull over somewhere?”

“Look.” Winter lifted him to the windshield. They were stuck in the middle lane of a sea of cars and trucks that extended well beyond his vision. “Even if we got onto the shoulder, do you really think it would be more private?” She returned him to his papery nest.

He took a deep breath, scarcely believing he was even considering the proposition. “What if it...soaks through?”

Winter giggled. “It definitely won’t. That’s a thick stack. I could’ve just used one folded napkin and it wouldn’t leak.”

He sighed, then pulled off his socks and jogging pants. “Don’t watch.” He looked up but she wasn’t paying attention.

He pulled down his boxers and waited. He imagined the stream flowing, flowing, flowing — as it so badly wanted to. Failing to elicit a single drop, he imagined himself outside, on dirt that felt like paper. He’d peed outside plenty of times before. This was no different, and he really had to go.

Why the hell couldn’t he go!

“Don’t watch!”

“What?” Winter asked, removing an earbud and looked down. “You’re still not done?”

“I can’t go because you’re watching!” he said.

“She wasn’t watching, sweetie,” Mom said. “You’re just nervous. When I collect urine samples from drug addicts, I tell them to think of something boring. If they’re having trouble...you know.”

“I did,” He pulled up his boxers, even though Winter wasn’t ‘watching’. “Put me in my carrier and I’ll go in there.”

“That’s dangerous, sweetie,” Mom said. “You have to be strapped in while in your carrier.”

“Oh for Pete's sake,” Winter said. In a swift series of motions, she removed his boxers, wrapped in him the napkins and squeezed him in her fist. Before he could protest, the effects of binding kicked in, even through multiple layers of rough paper.

His jaw slackened and his bladder relaxed, though not enough to override his biological shyness.

“What are you doing?” he managed to say.

“Sweetie, be careful.” Mom’s voice sounded distant.

“I will.” Winter turned to him, focusing her blue eyes on his, her face calm. “You feel relaxed, don’t you?”

“Yeh,” he said.

“You want to pee, right?” She asked as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Yes.”

“When I count to five, you’re just going to let it go. OK? One.”

“What?” He mind struggled to process her words, but his body didn’t. “No…”

“Two.”

Muscles in his lower abdomen loosened. “Stop. I’ll go normally. Just give me another chance.”

“Three.” She wore a serious expression, unrelenting in her countdown. “Four.”

He had to consciously hold back the floodgates, using every ounce of his willpower to prevent disaster. Because it would be disaster...peeing himself in his sister’s hand with his Mom present. What could be worse?

“Five.” Winter’s middle fingertip applied a slight pressure to his stomach at the intonation of the final number. Not that she needed to. As soon as she began saying the number, his bladder convulsed, and urine exited his body in orgasmic haste.

Even as the paper surrounding his waist grew moist and warm, he continued, hunching slightly as the liquid drained from him. It felt like no other piss he’d ever taken. Every drop that escaped his body rewarded him with such positive reinforcement, he knew it to be good and right, the effect snowballing as he continued urinating.

At the end, he floated on the verge of tears as relief, both physical and mental, flooded his senses.

“There. That’s better, right?” Winter asked.

“Yeh.” His neck didn’t want to support his head so it lolled against her finger.

“You don’t feel guilty or ashamed,” she said. “You just feel relieved and thankful.” Her lips formed a half smile. “Aaaand you love me and don’t want to go to Premoria anymore.”

“Winter.” Mom spoke in a warning tone.

***

“Fine,” Winter said with reluctance. “You want to make up your own mind about Premoria after careful study and thought.” She relaxed her grip as she spoke the words, hoping it would give them less weight than her earlier suggestions.

It wasn’t the first time she’d commanded him not to go to Premoria, and it wouldn’t be the last. He never seemed to remember the commands the next day, but he did seem to be swaying toward staying at home, little by little. Whether it was because of her secret bindings while he slept or something else, she didn’t know. But, she wasn’t about to stop.

In her heart, she knew it to be wrong, but the thought of losing her brother terrified her. She wasn’t sure when she’d become so attached. They’d almost always been close, but since he’d shrunk, she couldn’t picture life without caring for him and didn't want to try.

Returning to the task at hand, the task literally in her hand, she unwrapped his limp body and lay him on her skirt. As she predicted, the wet spot didn't come close to penetrating the napkins, not that it would have bothered her in the least. She’d taken care of far worse messes during his regression.

She wadded the napkins and placed them in the side panel of the door, then reached for the antibacterial hand wipes and cleaned him up. He didn’t resist, though he scowled adorably when she wiped his waist area.

“All clean.” She lifted him to help him into his boxers, but he gave a languid kick.

“I can do it,” he said.

“OK.” She placed him on her lap and he proceeded to dress himself.

“I can’t believe you made me do that.” He sat cross legged with his arms folded.

“I did warn you about the drink.” She managed to contain her giggle.

“I don't care. It was extremely embarrassing and disgusting.”

“Sweetie, your sister took care of you for weeks during your regression,” Mom said. “You just don’t remember.”

“Yeh, but she can’t just —”

Winter ran a fingertip from his head downward, to his lower back. He arched like a cat, pressing his back against her fingertip as she repeated the motion. He always became so cuddly after a binding, especially when she commanded him to love her. It wasn’t necessarily against his will — he always loved her platonically as a brother should, but binding removed his inhibitions.

She continued stroking him, this time on his side as he lay down. She wished she could pick him up and cuddle him to her face, but it wouldn’t be wise in a moving car. His little eyes started to close, and she stopped, causing him to look up, confused.

She giggled, and returned her finger to be within his reach. He curled around it, hugging it close to his body.

“I’m just cold,” he said.

An obvious lie, but it made her smile.

Eli squinted into the sun. Welcome to Wyoming. The billboard featured snow covered mountains and a cowboy on a bucking horse, the words Forever West underneath. It approached quickly as they sped along the empty highway.

“There. You saw it.” Winter lowered him back to his resting place (more like a fleshy prison) on her lap. Parker would’ve made a better travel companion, but she was grounded after doing something to upset her father (something she wouldn’t share with him). Even Ally would’ve shown more interest than Winter, but she was stuck in summer school.

At least his mom was in high spirits. “It’s beautiful out here,” she said.

“Looks boring,” Winter said. “There’s nothing but hills, trees and dead grass. I can’t see why anyone would want to live out here.”

“Wait till we get to Premoria,” Eli said.

Winter made a retching sound.

“Alright, enough of that attitude,” Mom said. “This is your brother’s trip. If you didn’t want to come, you should’ve stayed home.”

“That would’ve been even more boring,” Winter said. “Especially since you would’ve hired Cece again.”

“What’s wrong with Cecilia?” Mom asked.

“Nothing I guess,” Winter said. “But I’m old enough to take care of myself and Eli.”

“We’ll see how mature you act during the rest of this trip,” Mom said. “Then I’ll consider it.”

Eli wasn’t sure what would be worse: stuck at home with Cece or Winter as a babysitter. Either would be bearable if he could simply hide out in his apartment, but Winter would be less likely to allow it.

“Are you hungry or thirsty?” Winter asked.

“No!” he said.

She giggled. “It’s OK. There’s lots of gas stations and rest areas.”

“I’m not taking any chances.” He could use a bite to eat, but then he’d have to drink. And if he drank, he’d have to piss. He’d rather starve then be subjected to a repeat of last week’s urination episode.

“Suit yourself.” Winter sucked on the straw for her juice drink, slurping the dregs to annoy him.

“Could you be any more disgusting?” he asked.

“Yes.” She burped.

“Not very mature,” Mom said.

“Everyone burps,” Winter said. “Eli does it all the time. He’s just so small, you can’t hear him.” She poked him in the stomach.

He batted her finger, but she poked him again, leaving it there as he struggled to push it away. Determined, he grappled it’s length and bit into the weblike skin between her index and middle fingers.

She giggled and scissored her fingers, trapping his arm in between. He slammed his knee a few times against her bone and twisted, but she reoriented her attacking hand and speared him with a finger against each shoulder. With his back against the palm of her other hand, he was immobilized and breathing hard from the exertion.

“No roughhousing,” Mom said.

“He started it,” Winter said, finally releasing him from the pin.

“Did not!” Eli said.

“Remember what I said about babysitting, Winter,” Mom said. “You’re supposed to be the watcher.”

“I know.” Winter’s hand, the one his back rested against, gave him a warning squeeze.

***

“Wow.”

In spite of this being the last place Winter wanted Eli to see, she couldn’t help but be amazed as they approached the entrance. A miniature version of an air traffic control tower stood before a shiny gate and a tall barbed wire fence. Armed guards flanked the tower, each slightly taller than the tower itself and each wearing a scary black gun on their shoulder.

“I wanna see.” Eli called out from his portable apartment.

“Shhh,” Winter said. He had a window but she didn’t want to aim it to the side, not with all these people watching.

“License and proof of vaccinations, please ma’am.” The nearest guard leaned over and extended a gloved hand.

“Here.” Mom handed over the paperwork.

The guard scanned the license with his handheld computer and examined the readout. “Visitation granted by one Natalie Parker. Is she with you?”

“No, she couldn’t make it,” Mom said. “But we were told we’d be able to show my son the city.”

“Is your son a premie, ma’am?”

Did the guard see him sitting anywhere in the car? Winter wanted to say something smart that would likely get her in trouble but she kept her mouth shut.

“Yes sir,” Mom said.

“We’ll need to ID him.” The guard extended his hand again.

“Yes, of course.” Mom carefully unlatched Eli’s carrying unit and handed it to the guard. The man inserted it halfway into a square slot near the top of the tower. “How long will it take?” Mom asked.

“If he’s wearing a tracking necklace, it should just take a moment, ma’am.”

“He is,” Mom said. “He always wears it.”

“Is this Winter Kincaid?” The guard nodded toward Winter.

“Yes, she’s my daughter,” Mom said. “She’s a trained watcher.”

“Rank three.” Winter didn’t hide the pride in her voice. Most stopped at rank one, the base rank and the one needed act as a watcher in everyday situations. She’d spent a lot of time progressing to rank three. In fact, training beyond her rank didn’t exist outside of Premoria, nor was it needed. Rank four consisted of handling activities in urban microenvironments, something she’d never need.

The guard pressed a finger to his ear. “Two human. Female. One premie.” He paused. “Affirmative.”

The man removed Eli’s container from it’s slot and handed it to Mom. “You can proceed. Follow the signs to the visitors center.” The gates slid open.

“Will we be able to see the city?” Mom asked.

“Follow the signs to the visitors center.” The guard pointed with one hand and waved her along with the other.

Jerk.

Winter glanced back at the line of cars as they drove through the gates. Hopefully everyone in Premoria would be like that guard — Eli would hate it.

They followed the signs as directed, veering from the main road onto an exit labeled Premoria Visitation Center. How could they be ‘in’ Premoria, yet still see none of the city? Obviously the buildings were smaller, but not that small. She’d seen pictures. Many, like the traffic control tower, were taller than her.

“Here we are.” Mom pulled into an empty spot in the parking lot.

“Joy,” she said.

It looked more like a military installation than a visitors center. The tan building was normal sized, three stories with a helicopter pad on the roof. On it’s eastern side, barbed wire surrounded a vast field consisting of mostly flat terrain with low grass.

“Can I get out now?” Eli asked.

“Not a chance.” Winter disengaged the carrier latches and exited the car with Eli still secure in his seat. She followed her mom to the center’s entrance, careful not to swing Eli’s carrier too much.

Another guard, this one lanky and unshaven, scanned them at the entrance. His handheld device beeped as it hovered near Eli’s carrier, but he waved them through without saying a word. She’d read about the heightened security measures after recent anonymous threats, but this seemed a bit ridiculous. What harm could people cause in the visitors center?

Her question was answered as soon as she stepped inside. Against the far wall, panels of glass enclosed a terrarium-like area. Inside, more premies than she’d ever seen in her life (must’ve been two dozen) gathered as if at a picnic. Around the outside, people of various ages mingled, some pointing at the glass, kids crouching to observe the small inhabitants better.

A middle-aged woman with a Premoria 4 logo on her shirt greeted them.

“Welcome to Premoria!” she said, a bit too cheerily. “My name’s Elona. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Yes, um…” Mom glanced at the terrarium.

“My brother wanted to see the stupid city,” Winter said.

“Winter!” Mom said.

“Is this your first time here?” Elona asked, not appearing the least bit upset.

“Yes,” Mom said. “Please excuse my daughter. She’s just a little reluctant to let her brother go, if you know what I mean.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Elona said. “I take it her brother’s in the carrier?”

“Obviously,” Winter said. “I’m a rank three watcher. I know how to take care of him. Better than any stupid premie city.”

She wasn’t sure why she was feeling so hostile to this stranger, but Elona was the first ‘face of Premoria’ she’d met, other than the scary guards. Whether she liked it or not, her mixed feelings were bubbling out.

“Rank three, wow!” Elona placed a hand on Winter’s shoulder. “In a few minutes, we’ll be starting a microenvironment training session for premies and rank threes or higher. If you want, you’re welcome to join.”

That sounded interesting.

“We really wanted to see the city.” Mom said.

Elona’s smile faded a bit. “I’m afraid you won't be able to do that today, unless you’re a rank four watcher.”

“What?” Mom asked. “I’m only rank two. I didn’t know we needed additional training just to visit.”

“It’s a new requirement after some recent incidents,” Elona said. “The good news is that we provide the training at this center. If you’d like, you can begin working toward rank three while your daughter attends the microenvironment session.”

“What about my son?” Mom asked, clearly flustered by the information. “And how long will it be before we’re ‘trained enough’ to visit? We drove seven hours to get here.”

“Hmm,” Elona’s eyes narrowed. “Well, if you can reach rank three by tomorrow afternoon, entirely possible by the way, you can hire an escort to the outer limits of the city. As for your son, he can join the microenvironment class with his sister.”

Now that sounded like fun.

“I guess we don’t have a choice,” Mom looked to Winter. “Are you OK attending the class Eli?”

“Sure,” his voice came through the container’s speaker. “As long as I can get out of this cage.”

***

Eli sat at a plastic desk that fit him perfectly. Other premies, male and female teens, sat with him in the glass-walled room listening to a bearded instructor. The man’s name was Mr. Powell, and he commanded attention with his piercing, thick-browed gaze.

“This is a binding free zone,” he said. “Anyone know what that means?”

A boy near the front raised his hand.

“Lucas,” Mr. Powell said. They all, including Eli, wore name tags.

“No bindings during training.”

“Correct.” Mr. Powell said. “The premie terrarium and the fenced microenvironment are binding free. Receiving a binding will result in failure of the class. Your choices and performance must be entirely self motivated. Understood?”

“Yes.” Eli nodded with the rest of the class.

“If any of you do eventually move to Premoria, you’ll be able to choose if you wish to live in a binding free zone or not,” Mr. Powell said. “The population is rather evenly divided on the topic, and it gets political, so it’s best to keep your opinions to yourself.

“Regardless of which zone you choose, premie independence is central to Premorian life. If you wish to remain dependent on human caregivers, Premoria is not the place for you. There are far better ways you could spend your money, since as you’re all well aware, it’s not cheap to gain entrance.”

Another round of nods. This guy seemed to know what he was talking about. Though his tone was rough, his words hit home with Eli, relieving an ache he didn’t know he had. An ache for freedom perhaps?

“That being said, survival would be impossible without our human watchers. We acknowledge it. The difference between Premorians and other premies is that we work with humans. We do not let them do the work for us. We share responsibility.”

“What if we need to go somewhere?” A red haired girl asked. She appeared slightly older than Eli and sported a bruise on her right arm. “We can’t just walk outside.”

“Of course you can,” Mr. Powell said. “You’ve got two legs, don’t you?” The girl bowed her head, her freckled face reddening. “First and foremost, residents of Premoria are independent. If it’s something you could and would do as a human, and if it’s not breaking any laws, do it!”

“What about bug alerts?” A pudgy boy asked. He too had red hair and sat to the right of the girl, most likely related. “I read about the ant alert the other day.”

“Ah you did did you?” Mr. Powell asked. “Then I assume you also read no one was injured during the event. Yes, we have laws concerning pest invasions and proper behavior during them, but so long as you keep your head straight, you’ll be fine.”

“What if we break the law?” The teenaged boy wore torn denim jacket and sunglasses.

Mr Powell smirked. “Well Ethan, if you break the law, you’ll be arrested. If you stop drinking premie powder and walk into an ant bed, you’ll die. Any other brilliant questions?”

***

Though the hard hat and orange vest seemed like overkill to Eli, he wasn’t complaining. No, he was walking — walking outside, in real dirt, in the real world. Even Mr. Powell’s gruff command to get back in line did nothing to remove his grin.

The earth — the first time he’d set foot on it since becoming a premie — and it felt like he remembered. Except for the occasional rock of unusual size, it was dirt, nothing more nothing less. Yet, he could kiss it, and he might’ve if not for Powell’s watchful eye.

Grass, more foreboding and eerily tall, sprouted to either side of the well worn path they followed. It looked well maintained, but not somewhere he wanted to venture. Though he treaded across some greenery on the path, it had long since been stomped flat and posed no obstacle whatsoever. If there were bugs, he didn’t see any, though he kept his eyes open as if on a lion safari.

They reached an area demarcated by a wide circle of marbled rock. He followed the instructor and the other students into the center and sat as directed, facing the visitor center from which they’d come. He couldn’t help but look behind, leering at the unusual collection of machines and structures. Unusual not because he’d never seen an unfinished building or a bulldozer, but because they appeared to be his size. Perhaps they were simply distant, his vision playing tricks.

“Eyes over here, soldier.” Mr. Powell, his face a wall of stoicism, nodded to Eli.

“In a moment, you’ll be joined with your watcher,” Mr. Powell said. “They’ve been instructed to provided protection and limited assistance but nothing more. Failure on your part or your watcher’s in following of the rules will result in failure this class. You are not allowed to retake the class more than once a month. Understood?”

Everyone nodded, but Eli zoned out as the center’s side door opened and the humans marched toward them. He couldn’t see Winter, but they walked in a single file line, led by Elona. At least it explained the well trodden path. They probably held this class daily.

Mr. Powell continued talking about safety protocol as the giants gathered and sat in concentric circles around the rock formation. Winter, he finally saw her, stole the last spot on the inner circle. Her eyes scanned the premie class until they met his and her smile appeared.

The girl beside her, her brown hair shaved on one side, reached into the class, her dark nailed finger coming straight for Eli. It stopped, gave a quick pat to the boy in front of him, and retreated to her lap.

Mr. Powell stopped talking and turned to face the girl. “Lindsey, please take your brother and exit the grounds immediately.”

“Aww, what’d you have to do that for?” The boy jumped up and stormed toward his sister. “Now I gotta wait a whole month before I can come back!”

Lindsey merely rolled her eyes and gathered her brother in her hand. “So. It’s a stupid class anyway. I’ll give you a binding and we’ll go get Starbucks. How’s that sound?”

“Any flavor I want?” The boy’s voice was more distant now, but he could still hear it.

“Yup.” Lindsey, clearly putting on a show by trying to break as many rules as possible, stuck her tongue out at Mr. Powell and got up. The circle parted so she could exit, followed closely by Elona, the latter remaining mysteriously quiet throughout the episode.

“Anyone else want to pet your premie?” Mr. Powell’s steely gaze fell upon the humans.

Eli looked straight at Winter, mentally reprimanding her in his head. Her eyes narrowed and her fingers thrummed on her exposed shin (they apparently didn’t make humans wear protective clothing), but thankfully, those same fingers made no movement in his direction.

***

Winter considered her options.

It would be so easy to end the class. Just a single reach toward her brother, perhaps even a single interruption, and they’d be out. Of course, she’d never hear the end of it. Besides, this class counted toward meeting a requirement for rank four. By nature, she was a completionist, and she wanted rank four.

She wasn’t sad to see Lindsey go. Before class started, the girl jabbered on about how she’d just gotten her driver’s license, and how she could go anywhere she wanted. She’d talked about her little brother as if she owned the kid. How she’d bind him and he’d happily paint her nails. If he became sour after the binding wore off, she’d simply bind him again or give him a piece of chocolate. Since Lindsey’s brother had acquired the shrinking mutation, he’d gone from ‘loud and annoying to quiet and adorably subservient’.

Winter wanted to snap at the misguided teen, but Lindsey was older and a little scary so Winter didn’t say anything. Plus, guiltily, it made her think about how she treated Eli. She’d never forced Eli to paint her nails, nor given him candy, but she did bind him, sometimes unsolicited. Often unsolicited.

Still, she had her reasons, and they were far more honorable than Lindsey’s. She loved her brother. Any bindings she gave him outside of his requests were out of love and care for his wellbeing — not to take advantage of him.

She refocused her attention. The premies really did look incredibly cute gathered there, as many of the girls (and some boys) had commented on the walk over. As watchers, their primary duty during the class would be to ensure protection from outside influences. This included defending against bugs, small animals, and harsh weather — standard stuff that she’d learned a long time ago.

The new training, new to her at least, included microenvironment awareness. They were erecting premie structures (houses, pools, warehouses, etc.) and as humans, they needed to learn how to handle themselves in such developing environments in addition to providing assistance when called upon. The last part, ‘when called upon’, was of utmost importance, at least according to Elona.

The knowledge would benefit her in Premoria (not that she’d ever need it), since the city was always expanding. Premoria relied on premies to initiate and do many of the construction activities, therefore it expanded slowly, far more slowly than if humans did the work.

It didn't make sense to Winter. Sure independence was important, she guessed, but humans could get it done so much faster. It just seemed ridiculous, especially since premies could hurt themselves in a million different ways. Still, it wasn’t the first thing she’d ever disagreed with when it came to premie handling, and it wouldn’t be the last. So she simply memorized the rule as usual.

Mr. Powell finally stopped lecturing and they were on the move. Move wasn’t the right word. More like stand still while the premie class walked toward their buggies. Thank heavens they had motorized transportation. Even at premie scale (the buggies looked like remote controlled cars), it would allow her class to walk at a normal pace.

Though the landscape was nothing more than large back yard, the variety of vehicles and construction material scattered about made her feel like a giant. It was all to scale, premie sized. Scaffolding frames not much larger than the popsicle houses she made as a kid. Dump trucks indistinguishable from Eli’s old toys, missing only the Tonka stickers on the sides.

She couldn’t help but smile as she watched premie workers pile into the vehicles and drive to various locations in the field. The motors sounded electric, faint high pitched whines, no puffs of smoke. In fact, no exhaust pipes noticeable on any of the machines. Sure, they were green, but what could such little vehicles really accomplish?

She split from her class and followed Eli’s buggy toward a site that bordered the higher, greener grass. She’d have to keep her eye on the grass and surrounding area. In spite of all the precautions, it made her uneasy, Eli being exposed like this. She didn’t care what Mr. Powell said, if Eli was in the slightest danger, she wouldn’t hesitate to collect him and walk right out.

They reached the site, nothing more than a small expanse of ground that sloped inward, a shallow bowl shape. She didn’t know the names of the machines, but one had a pair of scoops, the other a metallic rolling pin. And of course there was the buggy.

Donald (according to his nametag) and Eli stepped out and surveyed the area.

“After you get the thickness of the foundation, you need to prepare the ground.” Donald pointed to the slightly concave area. “First clear it of any disruptive objects. Stones, branches, and leaves, shit like that.”

“Can I use the front loader?” Eli asked.

“Not yet,” Donald said. “Work up a sweat first. Get dirty. Then I’ll consider it.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?” Winter asked. It seemed crazy they’d let her brother drive construction equipment without even having a driver’s license.

Donald turned around and craned his neck to look at her. She bit her lip and lowered herself into a cross legged sitting position nearby. Far enough to be out of El’s way, but close enough to rescue him should the need arise.

“You’re here to observe and protect,” Donald said. Though he spoke sternly, he wasn’t as angry sounding as Mr. Powell.

“I can help a little though, right?” she asked.

“Once every ten minutes,” Donald said. “And only if Eli requests it.”

Eli struggled with the first branch he’d encountered, dragging it behind him as he fought his way toward the edge of the earthen depression.

“OK,” she said.

Insane.

She could clear the entire ‘foundation zone’ with a few swipes of her hands. If this was how they approached everything, no wonder Premoria had no room for more occupants. Not that she minded, Eli had no business in Premoria, but it was silly nonetheless.

She spotted a few grasshoppers and a beatle, but nothing threatening. The bugs would live so long as they kept their distance from Eli. But if they came close, she didn’t care if it was a harmless grasshopper, she’d squash it flat. Killing insects didn’t make her happy, but when it came to protecting her brother, she wasn’t taking chances.

Aside from monitoring the ‘wildlife’, she checked her phone at least once a minute. After ten minutes finally passed, she asked, “Need any help Eli? It’s been ten minutes.”

“I think” — he huffed and puffed, waddling with a pebble in his arms — “I’m doing OK.”

“C’mon you’re gonna hurt your back,” she said. “At least let me get the big one.” She pointed to rock which, while far from ‘big’, would certainly be too heavy for him to carry. She doubted even his little scoop machine could manage it. It looked heavier than the entire vehicle.

“Nope.” Eli dropped the pebble and heaved deep breaths, in and out. “Doing just fine.”

“Fine.”

So stupid. The only good thing was that Eli would be too sore to move tomorrow and she’d get to carry him around.

“Can I use the front loader now?” Elia asked Donald.

“Have at it,” Donald said without looking up from his magazine. “Gas is on the right, brake on on the left. The controls — ah, you’ll figure it out.”

“What do you mean?” Winter asked, not masking the irritation in her voice. “You’re not going to show him?”

“He’s a smart kid.” Donald leaned back in the rolling pin machine’s chair. “He’ll figure it out. Worst case he veers off into the grass at which point you can help him out.”

“I guess,” she said as Eli, his energy somehow restored, bolted toward the machine. She didn’t fight the situation because she didn’t want them to be kicked out (yet). And because, honestly, she could simply lift the entire vehicle and rescue him at a moment’s notice.

Winter winced as the vehicle lurched forward, but relaxed as Eli ran a few circles around her, apparently getting used to the speed. He slowed as he approached the rock and worked the front scoop, shifting it up and down, tilting it forward and back. She assumed the controls were simpler than a real ‘front loader’, but she wouldn’t tell him that. He seemed happy operating it. Maybe she could get one for him at home.

Finally, he lowered the scoop, angling it slightly downward and bumped it against the rock. The scoop raised, but merely slid against the side of the rock, so he returned it to it’s previous position. Then, he backed up.

Was he going to ram it? Idiot.

She could hardly watch as the vehicle accelerated, slamming into the rock, but barely moving it. Thankfully, Eli seemed OK, his foot still on the accelerator. The vehicle’s tires, all four of them, spun in the dirt, digging little ruts until it bottomed out. Still no progress on moving the rock and now he appeared to be stuck, the wheels spinning in the reverse direction but going nowhere.

She wanted to say ‘told ya’, but she resisted. Even from this angle, he seemed crestfallen, and stupid Donald wasn’t doing anything to help. She had half a mind to reach over and thump the older man in his helmet.

Eli stepped out and circled his machine, inspecting the tires. Then he gave the rock a push — a sight so comical she almost burst into laughter. Heck, even she’d have to use two hands to lift it. Either that or kick it away. Of course he wouldn’t be able to move it. Heavens! It would be so easy for her to fix everything and make him happy again, but he had to be the one to ask for help.

Finally, as if reading her mind, he turned and asked “Can you get the loader unstuck?”

“I can move the rock too,” she said, already reaching for it.

“You can help with one thing every ten minutes,” Donald said.

“That’s not fair.” Her hand froze in the air. “It’s been over twenty minutes so I can help with both.”

“No,” Donald said. “This isn’t a phone plan. Your minutes don’t roll over.”

She grumbled to herself. He seemed to be making up rules as they went along. “Let me move the rock,” she said to Eli. “You’ll be able to drive forward to get unstuck.”

He shook his head. “No, I’ll take care of the boulder. Just help me back the loader out.”

He hopped in the cab, shifted into reverse and spun the wheels. As if that would help. She rolled her eyes, but played along nonetheless, carefully gripping the rear of the vehicle. The smaller scoop on the back made for a good handle. She had to give it a little tug (the machine was heavier than she thought), but it came free of the rut without a problem.

Perhaps she could ‘accidentally’ roll the rock too. She glanced at Donald. Drat — he’d stopped reading his magazine to observe the operation. Reluctantly, she drew her hand away and checked her phone.

Ten more minutes.

Eli charged at the rock again, this time from a different angle. Wheels spun. The engine emitted a high pitched whine. The rock remained in place.

She grit her teeth.

Nine more minutes.

Eli couldn’t move a single muscle. Everything ached. His back, his biceps, his thighs, even his toes cringed at the thought of moving. Experimentally, he slid a leg off the side of his premie bed, then winced as his butt cheek cramped. How the hell did his butt get sore?

Too easy.

He could hear Carter’s voice in his mind. How was his friend doing? They hadn’t spoken in days, meeting only once since Eli’s awakening as a premie. It had been awkward to say the least, as if Carter had become a minor deity while Eli remained a lowly peon. Of course, Eli had been the one to shrink, but from the perspective of a premie, humans held all the power.

A door shut in the distance. Heavy footfalls vibrated his resting place.

“Told ya he’d still be asleep.” Winter’s clean, shampoo-scented face filled the right side of his view.

“I’m not asleep.” He turned onto his side, away from her. “Just resting.”

“Honey, Elona will be here soon.” Mom’s voice came from higher above. “Can’t you try to eat something?”

“Not hungry,” he said.

“Do you need to see a doctor?” Mom asked. “The hotel has a premie medical facility downstairs. It’s free for guests.”

“He doesn’t need a doctor.” Winter’s tone seethed with irritation. “He wouldn’t let me help at all yesterday, so we failed, and his tiny muscles are all used up.”

Eli turned over to face his accuser. Even though he’d been placed on top of the dresser, she still towered over him. “You ‘helped’ too much. That’s why we failed.”

“Liar!” Winter turned to her mom, draping the foot of his bed in ponytail hair. “He’s lying. I obeyed all the rules.”

“Quiet, both of you.” Mom said as she applied some eye makeup in the dresser mirror. “We don’t have the results back yet, so we don’t know for sure that you failed.”

“We definitely failed,” Eli and Winter said in unison. He tried not to smile at the jinx, but his sister’s smirk proved infectious.

“If you failed, you’ll simply try again.” Mom applied lipstick far above his head. “And next time, your sister will be able to join.”

“Ugh.” Winter rolled her eyes, likely because she wanted to get ahead of Ally in watcher rank. He knew the feeling, but unlike Winter, he’d given up trying to surpass Ally in anything remotely academic years ago.

Winter’s nose descended to his face, then inhaled, creating a mild vacuum which sucked at his hair. Her head retreated as fast as it had arrived.

“Peeeyew!” Her fingers wrapped around his body, bedsheets included, hoisting him into the air. “I’m not carrying you around all day like this.” She started walking. “It’s bath time.”

“Make it quick, sweetie,” Mom said. “We only have a few minutes.”

Winter’s grip relieved his pain somewhat, but it wasn’t enough. If she would just squeeze him a bit harder, hit that sweet spot which did funny things to his brain, then he’d be ok.

Instead, she deposited him on the upper surface of the sink while the basin filled with water. He managed to sit upright, stomach muscles protesting, while she applied fruity chapstick to her lips.

“Can you give me a binding?” he asked, physical pain overpowering his ego. “I’m really sore.”

Her eyes focused on him, then widened before narrowing. “Nuh uh. It’s a binding free zone, remember?”

“I know but...I won’t tell anyone.” He sounded pathetic, begging his little sister for the very thing he hated so much.

“Don’t worry.” She turned off the water and lifted him from the protective bedsheets. “You don’t have to move. I’ll do all the work.”

“Leave my boxers on,” he said as she stripped them off, ignoring him completely.

“Tell me where you're sore.” She lowered him into the warm water facing down, her soft yet strong thumbs massaging his back.

“Everywhere.” It wasn’t the first time he’d been bathed by a human since shrinking and it likely wouldn’t be the last. For some reason, he felt less embarrassed than usual at the hands of his sister.

He groaned involuntarily as her fingers compressed his chest and legs simultaneously, kneading in steady longitudinal strokes.

“I should become a premie massage therapist.” She flipped him onto his back, continuing to attack his aches with massive fingertips. “Whaddya think?”

“Maybe.” He kept his eyes closed, not wanting to spoil the experience by catching a glimpse of her. Best to trample his self consciousness as long as he could.

The kneading paused, then returned more slippery than before as the distinct smell of hotel soap hit his nose. She lathered his entire body, including his hair and face, forcing him to close his eyes even tighter.

They threatened to pop open, however, when she washed his pelvic region, blatantly ignoring his privacy as if he were a ken doll.

“Hey!” He regretted opening his mouth as suds invaded the orifice.

“Take a deep breath,” she said.

He inhaled through his nose, and she dunked him while proceeding to scrub him free of the soap. Thankfully, she didn’t keep him under for long, as her ministrations had increased his heart rate, depriving him of oxygen.

“All done.”

Cool air assaulted his skin for a few seconds before a terry cloth-like surface enclosed his body, drying him in an instant.

She giggled. “You can open your eyes now.”

He did, then stared at himself in the skyscraper of a mirror. Only his head and neck peeked out, the latter still donning the translucent necklace all premies wore — the one article of ‘clothing’ he didn’t (couldn’t) remove.

She smelled his head, her face filling the background in the mirror. “Much better.”

“Next time, you don’t have to wash everywhere.”

“Give me a break.” With her free hand, she reached into her pocket. “I bathed you a million times while you were shrinking. You just don’t remember.”

“Still, it’s embarrassing.”

“Why? Because you get an erection?”

“I don’t!”

She stripped him of the towel and set him before a neatly folded pile of brightly colored premie clothing. She averted her gaze, but he covered his private area nonetheless.

“Sometimes you do,” she said. “But like I’ve already explained, I’ve had sex ed and premie biology training. Besides you’re not a human anymore, so it doesn’t really matter.”

“Thanks a lot.” He jumped into his clothing before she could notice any more insignificant ‘attributes’ of his body.

“I didn’t mean it that way.” She faced him again. “I just meant you’re so small now...it’s different.”

“Not helping.”

“Ok, would it help if I let you see me naked?” she asked. “Then we’d be even.”

“Oh God no!” He cringed.

She drew back as if stung. “Good, because I wasn’t going to anyway.”

“Good!”

She scowled, crossing her arms. “Pervert!”

“Premie molester!”

“I —” She froze, pausing as her frown transformed into a grin.

“What’s so funny!” he said.

“You’re shirt’s inside out.”

“So.” He shrugged. “That’s how I wanna wear it.”

With deft fingers, she removed his shirt and inverted it before pulling it back over his head. Reluctantly, he stuck his aching arms through the holes, keenly aware (and secretly thankful) of how easily she’d changed the subject.

“Kids!” Mom said from outside the bathroom. “Time to go!”

Winter scooped him into a soap scented hand and headed out.

***

Winter followed behind her mother and Elona, walking along the path demarcated for human use, careful to keep her feet within its boundaries. Painted green ‘footprints’ adorned the path. It wasn’t particularly wide, little more than a third lane of the premie street, so she worried.

Luckily no cars zoomed past. In fact, she couldn’t see any cars at all, in spite of the otherwise normal appearance of the premie suburb. Plenty of stop signs, sidewalks, trees, and flowers, but no cars.

Ok, it wasn’t normal.

The ‘trees’ decorating the occasional front yard were tiny and twisted. She knew they had a name, but couldn’t remember (something starting with a B). The flowers looked like they’d been purchased from the garden department of Walmart. The ones growing in those square, plastic containers. They sprouted from the middle of a few yards, some growing taller than the houses adjacent to them.

Then there were the kids playing in the street ahead. They didn’t pause their game of dodgeball, or whatever it was, even when human shadows darkened their surroundings. They were younger than her, perhaps seven or eight, and though she couldn’t tell for sure, the girls seemed taller.

They also seemed to be winning, their entire team facing down the sole boy on the opposing team. Something about the situation didn’t strike her as particularly fair. The ball was too big, especially for the boys.

One of the boys on the sidelines waved to her. She waved back, a brief one-handed clap, and smiled. They were so cute!

She stopped abruptly, nearly bumping into her mom.

“And this is the typical hybrid living facility.” Elona gestured with an outstretched arm. “A watcher family inhabits the house while the back yard serves as a microenvironment. The Reid family is kind enough to grant visitation access to their premies for guests like yourselves. As you can see, the premies here are quite accustomed to our periodic visits.”

The red ball missed its target and rolled down the street, straight for Winter’s foot. She knelt and caught it between her fingers. The children looked at her expectantly.

“Sweetie — ” Mom started.

“It’s ok.” Elona said. “You can walk on the street too, just be careful and generally try to keep to the path.”

Since the kids weren’t coming to her, she walked around her Mom and into the street proper, toward them. She dropped to her knees and held the ball out to the nearest boy, a chestnut haired little guy who looked as if he’d just finished rolling in a pile of leaves. She suppressed an urge to pry a tiny twig from the unkempt mop on his head.

“Thanks, lady.” He took the ball from her fingers. Definitely too big for him. “My name’s Johnny.”

“Hi. I’m Winter.”

A freckled girl with glasses ran up. “I’m Aubrey and this is my brother.” She pointed to Winter’s right arm. “Who’s he?”

Winter had almost forgotten about Eli, his carrier still hanging from her shoulder. She lowered it to the street and opened the glass panel.

“This is my brother, Eli.” She tapped on the top of the container. “You can come out now.”

He hadn’t moved all day, complaining of his aching muscles. It was about time he walked around. They’d made this trip to Premoria for him after all.

***

Eli took a painful step into the street, wincing at both the sunlight and the ache in his legs. In spite of his desire to see Premoria, he could’ve easily stayed inside his carrier the entire time, catching glimpses of the area through the glass wall. He simply didn’t feel like moving.

“Hi.” He leaned against the outer wall of his carrier, unsure of what to say or do.

Why did he have to come out to meet a bunch of kids? At least the boys looked like kids. The girls, on the other hand, were freakishly big. They were shorter than himself, with the proportions of children, but were significantly bigger than the boys. Just like Haley.

“I’m Aubrey.” A freckled girl with braided hair marched up to him. “Are you gonna come live with us?”

“No,” Winter said. “He’s just visiting.”

“Lots of times visitors come to live here,” Aubrey said, focusing on Eli. “But we don’t have a lot of tall boys like you. Most are short like my little brother.”

“I’m older than you!” The miniature version of pig pen (the kid desperately needed a shower) climbed on top of Winter’s shoe and stuck his tongue out. “And taller too!”

“Are not!” Aubrey placed a hand on her hip and mimicked his ridiculous face.

“He’s still growing.” Eli wasn’t sure why he felt the need to defend the kid.

“See!” Pig pen said.

“But I’m growing too, right Mister?” Aubrey stood on her tip toes, hand on top of her head.

“Sure,” Eli said.

Pig pen hopped down from the shoe and came up beside his sister. Poor kid had a lot of growing to do if he expected to catch up to her. Aubrey picked up the red ball and held it to Eli. “Wanna play with us?”

“No thanks.” Eli headed toward the sidewalk, willing his legs to cooperate while hopefully showing no signs of weakness. He stepped onto the grass, then paused. It didn’t collapse under his weight as grass should, but bent instead, similar to plastic or silk. It couldn’t be real grass (much to short for that), but it had certainly looked real from a distance.

“Are you sure?” Aubrey asked. “It’s really fun.”

“Except the girls always win.” Pig pen tried to pry the ball from his sister’s hands but she lifted it out of his reach.

He turned to see the kids gathering around him, expectant looks on their rosy faces. But something wasn’t right, and it wasn’t just the freaky Children of the Corn vibe he was getting. Or maybe it was.

“Where’s all the adults?” he asked. Shouldn’t someone be watching these kids?

“Oh, it’s been a few days since we’ve given a tour.” Elona tapped a fingernail on a nearby roof. “Come on out folks.” Her voice rang out across the area. “You have a visitor.”

One by one, front doors opened and people crowded into the street. They didn’t get too close, but stood watching from distance, as if Eli had some kind of disease.

Without warning, Elona reached out and lifted a woman wearing an apron, squeezed her and set her closer to Eli. “They’re just a bit on edge today.” Using both hands, she bound them in rapid succession, with all the nonchalance of someone milking a cow. Eli didn’t know whether to be amazed or horrified. Part of him wanted a binding too (apparently they’d exited the binding free zone), but another part couldn’t believe how she so casually invaded their...privacy.

Elona paused after binding a heavyset man. She lifted the front of his stained t-shirt. “This is Mr. Hooper. See that scar on his belly? He was shot in the Gulf War. Bullet went clean through missing his spine by centimeters.”

“Ain’t the only bullet hole I got in this body.” Mr. Hooper said, after alighting upon the grass near Eli. “Show ya more if ya wanna see.”

“I’m good,” Eli said.

“And this is Ashley Meekins.” Elona bound a pretty brunette who appeared close to Eli’s age. “She performed on America’s Got Talent before shrinking. She sings, like you.”

Elona set the girl right beside Eli.  Ashley wasn’t quite as tall as Haley, but she was still taller than Eli.

“Why don’t you sing something for us, Ashley?” Elona asked.

The girl’s face went red, her head bowed. “I couldn’t…”

“Oh, c’mon.” Elona said. “I’m sure Eli would love to hear your voice.”

“It’s ok. Really.” Eli could sense the girls discomfort like an emotional space heater.

Elona snatched Ashley into the air again and gripped her tightly. “Sing your America’s Got Talent piece. I’m sure he’ll like it.”

After returning to the ground this time, Ashley didn’t hesitate. Instead, she launched into Hello by Adele, showing none of her former timidity. Eli didn’t much care for Adele, but he found himself captivated by this girl’s voice. Pitch, tone, everything resonated with deep emotion, as if she were laying bare her innermost feelings.

When she finished, she immediately reddened, bowing her head to the claps and cheers of the growing audience. Elona hadn’t slowed her conveyer belt of binding and was finishing up with the last few remaining unbound premies.

“That was incredible,” Eli said.

Her head tilted in his direction. “It’s not as good as your song on YouTube.”

“You’ve seen that?” How many views was his video up to by now?

“I’ve watched it a few dozen times, at least,” she said, her blush growing.

“My brother’s an awesome singer,” Winter said, reaching for Eli.

“No!” He held up his hands, waving her away.

“Why?” Winter asked. “You were begging for it earlier.”

“I changed my mind.” In truth, he didn’t want to sing in front of these strangers, and after a binding (especially one from Winter — hers seemed more powerful lately) he likely would.

“Ashley, why don’t you show Eli around?” Elona said. “He wants to see where he might be living in the future.”

“Ok.” Ashley reached for his hand and he gave it to her without thinking, then followed her to the nearest house.

Behind him the crowd mingled with each other and the humans, a completely one eighty from their prior standoffish behavior. His Mom set about trying to identify the various tree-flowers and Winter engaged in a conversation with one of the girls about gymnastics.

Ashley opened the door to a house. “This is Mrs. Henry’s place.”

“Wait. You don’t live here?” he asked.

“No, my house is further down the block. Mrs. Henry has a studio that she lets me use. She also has a hot tub.”

“There aren’t any locks on the door,” Eli said.

Ashley giggled, a cute laugh reminding him a bit of his sister but with less mischevious intent. “I forgot you’ve only been a premie for a few weeks. None of our dwellings have locks. We don’t need them.”

They arrived at the sound booth. It was at least four times the size of Eli’s closet, relatively speaking, and it had all of the latest equipment. Acoustic foam, filter, and a vocal mic with a condenser.

“What about crime?” he asked. “Surely people break the law.”

“Let’s not talk about that.” Ashley pulled him away from the studio and into the living room. “I want to show you the hot tub.”

“Uhh…” Eli stopped himself from pointing out the obvious: a bathtub didn’t count as a hot tub.

Ashley closed the bathroom door, cutting off his only exit from the claustrophobic space. It wasn’t exactly small, probably twice the size of his apartment bathroom, but it was a bathroom nonetheless — not a place he frequented with members of the opposite sex. Unless he counted Winter, which he didn’t. She was human after all.

“I know it’s not an actual hot tub, but it has jets.” Ashley stuck her hand in her pocket and removed a scrap of yellow paper. She unfolded it and handed it to him.

Pretend you’re talking to me about something else because they’re listening. I’m trapped in this town and want to leave. The Council said I could move to a binding free zone, but they lied! I’m desperate and scared. Can you help me? Please!

“Um…” Eli read the note a second time, swallowing hard as his mind digested the surreality of the situation. “I don’t —”

“You don't wanna try the hot tub?” Ashley paled.

“I do —” How the hell could he talk about a hot tub as a metaphor for...for what? A girl who wanted to run away from home? Or a...a prisoner who wanted to escape from prison?

“I do want to try it, but I left my bathing suit at home,” he said. “Maybe my sister can help.”

“Would she?” Ashley asked, hope returning to her voice.

“I...I don’t see why not,” he said, wincing at his own hesitation. “She’s always got spare clothing.”

If anyone were listening in (the council perhaps?), red flags would be popping up all over the place. He couldn’t imagine a more awkward conversation, but it wasn’t his fault. He never claimed to be James frigging Bond.

“Cool!” Ashley said. “I’ll just run back to my house and grab my suit. I live in the one with the pink flowers out front.” She produced a pen from her other pocket and wrote:

I’ll be waiting in the backyard.

She plunged the pen and paper back into her pocket, took his hand, and proceeded quickly toward the front door. Outside, Winter lay on her back in the street, kids climbing her hands like a jungle gym. One, a boy with a green shirt and no shoes, scaled her hair, working his way up toward her forehead.

After exiting the building, they parted ways, Ashley crossing the crowded street quickly toward her house, Eli making a beeline toward his sister’s ear. His stomach tightened with dread as the cold realization of his actions seeped into his brain, but Ashley depended on him and he wasn’t the type to ignore someone in need, not if he could do something about it.

By this time, the green shirt boy had completed his ascent, leaving Winter’s ear somewhat free from eavesdroppers. Eli hoped this mysterious council didn’t have access to his necklace. He had the mic turned off on the darned thing, but who knew what they were capable of. He’d only just heard of their existence, but to deny someone like Ashley her freedom, they must be pure evil.

He sat down on Winter’s ponytail close to her ear, but in nonchalant way, a way he hoped didn’t look suspicious. Luckily his mom and Elona appeared to be engaged in a conversation about binding techniques, Elona using various members of the audience for demonstration purposes.

“Pretend I’m not talking to you,” he said. “Wait! Don’t move your head. Pretend I’m not talking to you. It’s important.”

Winter’s hands froze with kids in various states of clambering over them, but thankfully, she didn’t say anything in direct response to his warning.

“Ashley needs our help. The council won’t let her leave and she’s desperate to escape. Can you put her in your pocket or something? She’ll be in the backyard of the house with the pink flowers out front.”

He waited.

“Open your mouth once for yes, twice for no.” He could see her jaw from this angle — pretty clever if he said so himself.

She opened and closed her mouth twice, like a fish gulping for food.

“I’m serious!” he said. “She’s terrified of the council and we have to do something to help her. We can take it to the news stations — maybe even YouTube. Something isn’t right here! Just look at how Elona handles everyone, how they’re crowding around like zombies.”

Ok, that last part was a stretch. The crowd mingled like folks at an outdoor bar-b-que, not like zombies. But they’d all been confined in their houses earlier, seemingly forced outside at Elona’s request. Something did seem wrong about it.

Winter opened her mouth and closed it. He waited for her to repeat the movement, but she didn’t.

“So you’ll help?” he asked.

She opened her mouth once more.

“Ok, ok ok.” He tried not to hyperventilate. “I’ll distract Elona and Mom. You get Ashley. If you pull this off, I promise I’ll do whatever you want for a day.”

One fish gobble - she agreed with the plan. Though he’d been this close to her face on multiple occasions, the angle of the sun made the fine hairs on her cheeks highly visible. Weird thing to notice at a time like this, but at least it helped get his mind off what he was about to do.

He ran out in front of the crowd and waved to Elona. “Hey, can you show me the other side of the yard? I’m afraid to go there by myself.”

“Of course.” She wrapped her hand around Eli and lifted him as she rose to her feet. “It’s perfectly safe, though I can understand your hesitation. You’re not used to being outside.”

“Mom, can you come with us?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound too contrived.

“Sure,” she said, standing.

“You’re lucky,” Elona said to Mom. “At his age, my sons didn’t want me anywhere near them in public. Then again, as a premie, he’s naturally more dependent. The good thing about Premoria is that he’ll get to choose his level of dependency.”

“Oh yeh?” Eli asked as they walked toward the other side of the yard, an area with significantly less houses and taller patches of grass. “You mean I’ll get to choose to live in the binding free zone?”

“Well, there are multiple.” Elona’s encompassing hand gave him a squeeze, not a binding squeeze, but one that could mean anything from affection to irritation. “Some allow periodic bindings to occur on specific days. Some prohibit binding altogether. But essentially yes. If binding isn’t your thing, you can choose to live in a zone where it’s prohibited entirely.”

“What about these necklaces?” Eli tugged at his, realizing not for the first time how he’d never been able to remove it. Though not tight around his neck, it couldn’t fit over his head and he couldn’t undo the clasp himself. Winter had a special device used to remove it, but she rarely did. “Can I choose to not wear one?”

“I’m afraid that’s illegal, even in Premoria,” Elona said. “If you somehow managed to remove it, we’d be fined for negligence and forced to give you an implant in addition to the necklace.”

“Honey, it’s really for your own safety,” Mom said. “Imagine what would happen if you got lost.”

“Or sick. Or any number of things,” Elona said. “The tracking necklace monitors your vital signs in addition to your location. If you need medical attention or rescuing, any watcher in the vicinity will be alerted. It’s a wonderful piece of technology and has saved countless premie lives.”

“It also invades our privacy!” Eli waited for the inevitable — for Elona to bind him into submission for his outburst. But she didn’t.

“Yes, I suppose it does,” she said. “As much as a baby monitor invades the baby’s privacy. And honestly, premies are in far greater need of protection. For example, a baby could fend off a kitten. You couldn’t. A baby’s cry could be heard across a house. Yours — “

“I get it!” Eli said. “But the difference is I’m not a baby!”

“Eli!” Mom said, then to Elona, “I’m sorry for my son. He’s —”

“Oh, no need to apologize,” Elona said. “We get premies like Eli all the time. It’s dehumanizing, we’re impinging upon their basic freedoms after all, especially the right to privacy. But eventually they realize they’re not human. We’re discovering more every day, profound differences at a genetic level. In fact, premies may represent a step forward in evolution, though it’ll be a while before we’re able to understand — ”

“A step forward?” Eli said. “After comparing us to babies, you’re saying we’re more evolved? I’m less than four inches tall! How’s that a step forward!”

“And the dinosaurs were dozens of feet tall, yet they went extinct,” Elona said.

She relaxed her grip and he fell into a standing position on her free hand, steadying himself against a couple of her curled fingers. Her hand descended and came to rest against a low lying structure filled with water, and Eli stepped off onto the concrete rim.

“A simple bird bath to us is a small pond to you,” Elona said. “In this country most have enough to eat and drink, but food and water is scarce elsewhere. Imagine a world where people no longer died from starvation or thirst. Imagine a world where crime and violence didn’t exist, warfare a thing of the past. While this may never be possible for humanity, it is entirely possible for premies like yourself.”

Eli sat on the edge and dipped his hand in the clear water. It was cool and seemed drinkable. “Not true. If a nuclear bomb hits anywhere near Premoria, we’re instantly as much a part of the war as the rest of ‘humanity’.”

“Actually,” Elona said. “We’ve accounted for the possibility and taken measures to ensure your safety in such an event. I won’t go into specifics, but let’s just say it would take a lot more than a single nuclear explosion.”

“Is this why you wanted to see the backyard? To interrogate poor Elona?” Mom flicked her finger in the water, splashing his legs.

“No!” He leapt to his feet and ran away from the spray, but he couldn’t run far as the rim was still too high for him to jump to the ground. Then he remembered Ashley. He’d almost forgotten is true goal!

“Well, yes,” he said. “Maybe. And I’m still not done asking questions.”

“I like him.” Elona laughed. “I wish more premies would ask questions like Eli.”

Winter appeared in the distance, approaching with the carrier at her side. Was Ashley in there? If so, where would he sit?

Selfish thought. He’d manage somehow. The important thing was to help her escape.

“I’m getting hungry,” Winter said. “How much longer ‘til we leave?”

“Me too!” Eli patted his stomach. “Didn’t have any powder this morning.”

“You two make it sound like I never feed you,” Mom said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Elona calls CPS on me.”

Elona smiled. “If you’d like, we can eat together. I know a cozy hybrid restaurant on the outskirts of town where visitors are welcome. Perhaps you’ve heard of it — The Helping Hand.”

“Oh, is that where premies and humans can eat together?” Winter said. “I’ve read about it. They even have premies on staff.”

“They do indeed,” Elona said. “Premie employees help take orders, serve the food, and bus the tables. You really have to see it to believe it.”

“That’s cool, but I really think we should just go to Burger King or something,” Eli said. “Right Winter?”

“Oh,” Winter blinked, her mind clearly working to play along. “Yeh, we’re trying to save money.”

“It’s on me,” Elona winked at Mom who looked to be about to protest. “Besides, premies eat free so it’s not as expensive as you’d think.”

“Oh, well I suppose we could join you then,” Mom said. “Thank you. You've really gone out of your way to make us feel welcome.”

“It’s not every day we get a minor celebrity like your son visiting,” Elona said. “You may not be aware of it, but much of Premoria’s youth watches his videos. They like how he perseveres in them, continues on in spite of defeat. He’s quite brave.”

“Seriously?” Eli said. “I just get embarrassed again and again. Where’s the bravery in that?”

“Well, you’re facing impossible odds,” Elona said. “Like your latest video where your sister put you in the sock at the bottom of the staircase —”

“What!” Mom said quickly followed by Winter. “She did that?!”

“The sock was clean,” Eli said. “And she promised I wouldn’t have to exercise for the next two days if I made it to the top of the stairs.”

“Where was I?” Winter’s eyes bulged at him.

“Taking a nap after your vaccination,” Eli said.

“Oh yeh.” Winter frowned. “She’s not supposed to do YouTube without me.”

“Well, you have to watch it. This little guy somehow cut through the sock and made it halfway up the staircase before time ran out.” Elona poked him gently in the chest. “It may not seem like much to a human, but for young premies, he’s an inspiration.”

“I’m still going to have a word with my daughter,” Mom said. She didn’t look pleased.

Elona chuckled. “So how about that lunch?”

“We’d love to,” Mom said. “Right kids?”

“Right,” Eli said, unable to think of any more excuses. “Can’t wait.”

***

Winter held the carrier in front of her stomach as she walked, hoping her mom and Elona wouldn’t turn around as she followed behind them. She preferred to wear it over her shoulder, but she couldn’t risk bumping it into another pedestrian, not with one of her passengers unsecured.

Ashley had insisted on leaving the seat available for Eli and Winter hadn’t argued. If anyone got hurt, she’d rather it be Ashley. The thought of causing her brother physical injury was simply too much to bear, even though, technically, this entire idea had been his.

It went against all of her instincts as a watcher. He’d essentially forced her to become an accomplice to...to kidnapping! Premie-napping? He’d better make good on his payment of being her slave for a day. Willing slavery seems a lot more appealing than binding-induced ‘slavery’ for reasons she couldn’t quite identify (and reasons she’d never openly admit).

After finally reaching the restaurant (they’d had to park a couple blocks away), Winter gawked at the sheer number of premies around and the variety of their carriers. Every human seemed to have a premie companion, some seated in shoulder harnesses, others dangling from chairs around human necks. The creativity made her portable apartment look dull in comparison, as if she were arriving at a fashion show dressed down.

Premies eyed her carrier, as if trying to see inside. For obvious reasons, she held it with the glass side facing her stomach. Like the kids at the Reid residence, premies sought each other out, often ignoring human presence, though she suspected she did the same to them on occasion. Even when they used her body as a jungle gym, the interaction wasn’t personal, at least not on the same level as what she shared with her brother.

They were shown their table by a short, stocky girl wearing a premie on her wrist. The premie, a male in his early twenties, directed them to follow with exaggerated arm gestures. He wore a bright orange vest and held a baton in one hand, a miniature version of what they used to land aircraft. Unsure if the display was intended for amusement, Winter stifled a giggle and took a seat by the wall.

She set the carrier on the table and opened it (facing the wall), allowing Eli to exit. He walked out and, while stretching, nodded briefly to her. So long as no one attempted to look in the carrier, Ashley should remain hidden until they got back to the hotel. Who knew what they’d do then. She’d rely on her brother to think of something.

He always did.

***

Eli had no idea how he was going to get through this without revealing the stowaway. Winter, for her part, hadn’t done anything wrong. Transportation from the car to the restaurant couldn’t have been any smoother. With nothing more than the back of his chair for balance, Ashley hadn’t fallen once. Still, if he could’ve given her his chair without increasing risk of discovery, he would’ve.

It was all about risk at this point, planning which moves to make next, which paths to take. He’d already decided he’d get his mom in on the action, as soon as they ditched Elona. Mom wouldn’t be happy, but she wouldn’t want Ashley to suffer in captivity. Ultimately, she’d help with ideas and execution.

What wasn’t helping was this ridiculous restaurant. He sat at a premie scaled table in the center of the human table, his back facing a gargantuan set of condiments. Winter cast nervous smiles at him before her eyes jumped back to the menu, while Elona and Mom discussed the possibility of visiting the city proper.

“I think we should visit a binding free zone first.” Eli spoke as loudly as he could to make himself heard above the ambient noise. “I’d like to see how they live.”

“Well, I’m afraid you’ll have to schedule it ahead of time,” Elona said. “As you may expect, they don’t allow many human visitors. Generally, you have to apply for a visit online and they only admit humans escorting premies.”

“Sounds like a place I’d like to live,” Eli said. “Wouldn’t have to worry about giant tourists walking through my neighborhood every day.”

“It also means your family would have much less access to you,” Elona said. “They’d get to see you a lot less often and only on designated visitation days, usually once a month.”

“Once a month!” Winter said. “Can’t we just move to a house like the Reid family, one with a premie living facility in our backyard?”

“Sure, if you reach rank four,” Elona said.

“I’m almost rank four,” Winter said.

“Sweetie, I’m not sure we could ever afford to move out here.” Mom placed a consoling hand on Winter’s shoulder.

“Actually.” Elona eyed the menu. “If you host a microenvironment, the wages of premies can be used to help offset the mortgage.”

“You mean, we’d get to tax them like the government?” Winter asked, looking significantly less distraught.

“Certainly,” Elona said. “You’d be providing them a service, so it’s only fair to be compensated.”

“That sounds...too good to be true,” Mom said. “Why don’t more people do it?”

“Well, there are plenty of volunteers, but premies can be quite picky,” Elona said. “You have to showcase your family in an online application, an interview of sorts. If enough premies want to move from the city to suburban microenvironments, families with the most votes are selected.”

“Like running for President,” Winter said, her eyes wide.

Elona laughed, but she didn’t look up from the menu. “Yes, a little.”

“Ready to order?” a waitress asked.

Everyone nodded and placed their orders. Everyone except Eli. Worse, they didn’t even seem to notice his lack of an order — too busy discussing what amounted to premie fiefdom. Elona mentioned it would be easier for them to acquire enough votes given Eli’s minor celebrity. Great. At least his status on YouTube could be put to some use, though he questioned the morality of it.

A premie waitress hopped off a tray held by a human waitress, and delivered his food directly to him. Similarly, a set of four premie men delivered the human food. They did so by pushing and pulling a wheeled cart loaded with a sandwich or fries or whatever the side happened to be. As expected, this took several minutes. Winter reached for her panini too early, presumably to help out, and Elona chastised her. Not until they’d brought the food all the way to her plate was she allowed to relieve them of the burden.

By the end of the food delivery ‘ceremony’, the men were slumped and sweating, but still wearing tired smiles, as if they’d been given a binding only minutes earlier. They probably had been, judging from the way the human waitress eyed them possessively.

After they’d loaded back onto her tray, she said, “If you need anything else, just let Remy know.” Then she was off, leaving Eli’s premie waitress, presumably Remy, standing near his table like a personal maid. She even wore a pink maid-like uniform, with short sleeves and a mini apron adorning her skirt.

Though miffed at not being given the opportunity to order, he couldn’t complain at the outcome. The veggie burger tasted like real meat and the fries like they were cooked in real oil. It must be saturated in premie powder, but the tell-tale sweet taste was muted, reminding him of the salty and savoury flavors he’d once known.

“This is really good.” Winter spoke while chewing a bite of her sandwich.

“I’m still amazed at how they delivered everything,” Mom said. “I feel I ought to tip more. They worked so hard.”

“It’s on me, remember?” Elona said, taking a bite from her corn on the cob. She swallowed. “Besides, premies are compensated separately. The city owns this establishment along with several other tourist attractions and premies working at them receive a fixed salary.”

“Sounds like socialism,” Eli said before stuffing a few fries in his mouth. He really ought to save some for Ashley, if he could find a way to get the food back to her.

“Well, that’s the goal,” Elona said.

Eli choked on a fry, drawing Remy’s attention. “Do you need help?”

“No.” Eli waved her off, then gulped his water. “Went down the wrong pipe.”

“I could use your help though.” Elona’s hand landed nearby, open palm up. “Corn always gets stuck.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Remy boarded without hesitation, then was lifted to Elona’s face. The human woman’s mouth opened and Eli did a double take.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Eli blinked, hard, but it didn’t change what he witnessed. Remy had her arms deep inside Elona’s mouth, picking at her teeth, depositing the contents of what she retrieved on Elona’s awaiting tongue. When finished, Elona closed her mouth around Remy’s arms and sucked for several seconds.

“Mmmmm,” Elona said, lowering Remy back down to the table. “Wonderful palate cleanse. What diet do they have you on?”

“Seventy-five percent powder ma’am.” Remy wiped her arms down with a lemon scented towelette she pulled from a waist pouch.

“Amazing!” Elona said. “I’ve heard of seventy before, but never seventy-five.”

“I’ve worked hard to build my tolerance, ma’am.” Remy blushed, then bowed.

“You two absolutely must give Remy a try,” Elona said. “I promise you’ve never tasted anything like it.”

Mom bore a confused look on her face. “Oh, I don’t know — ”

“Hello!” Eli stood now, waving his hands. “Does anyone not see how crazy this is? She literally just used her as a toothpick!”

Elona laughed, a sound Eli was starting to detest. “It’s her job, Eli. She’s here to serve us. In fact — ” Elona’s phone buzzed and she looked down but continued talking. “I’ve gotta take this. Remy would you mind explaining to Eli? I’m sure he’ll believe you more than me.”

Elona slid out of the booth and walked toward the door leading outside.

“She’s right.” Remy deposited the towelette in a small receptacle near the condiments. “I volunteered for table service. I love getting the opportunity to interact with humans so close up.”

“I read about it,” Winter lowered her hand down to Remy. “Many premies are born small nowadays. They’re as fascinated with us as we are with them.”

“I live on the west side.” Remy stepped onto Winter’s hand. “I never even saw a human until my senior field trip. Instantly, I knew I wanted to be in the service industry. I get paid doing what I love. My sister’s jealous, but she still has one more year of high school before she can apply.”

“Wait.” Eli approached, signaling Winter to keep her hand down. “You’ve already graduated high school? How old are you? Why do you like humans so much.”

“Yes. Nineteen. And what’s not to like?” She reached out to touch Winter’s curled finger. “They’re just like us but bigger. How can you not like them?”

“It’s not that...I mean...it’s just…” He fumbled with his words as Remy rode Winter’s hand upward.

“You really don’t mind?” Winter asked.

“It’s my pleasure, ma’am.”

Winter giggled as Remy extended her right arm, touching upturned lips, then inserted it beyond those lips as they parted. Smiling uncontrollably, Winter’s mouth closed around the waitress’ arm and sucked.

“Mmmmmm.” Winter continued sucking, her free hand coming up to press the premie closer to her mouth. As if on cue, Remy inserted her other arm, face turned sideways pressed against giant lips. Winter’s eyes closed as if she were in heaven.

“Wanna try?” Winter asked Mom after finally removing the half drenched premie from her mouth.

Mom shook her head. “I still can’t get used to the idea.”

“Neither can I!” Eli said as Remy returned to the table. “What do you do if it’s an old dude with bad breath and missing teeth?”

“I’m a professional,” Remy said, then conspiratorially. “Binding helps.”

“My mouth is so clean now.” Winter blew a gust of air at Eli. Indeed, it smelled like some fruity air freshener one might find dangling from a rearview mirror.

“More effective than Listerine and better tasting too.” Remy curtseyed.

“Mom, we ought to increase Eli’s dosage.” Winter giggled. “Imagine what we could save on toothpaste.”

“Funny.” Eli returned to his seat, crossing his arms.

Mom seemed about to say something but Elona, having returned from outside, interrupted her with a tap on the shoulder. “Mind joining me in the bathroom?”

“Oh...sure.” Mom said, rising. “Is something wrong?”

“Just need to discuss something with you in private.” Elona glanced at Eli. “Should only take a moment.”

After Mom followed Elona to the bathroom, Eli jumped from his seat. “Shit! She knows!”

“How?” Winter asked looking concerned. “I removed her necklace.”

“She probably has an implant,” Eli said. “Elona mentioned some premies get them. Fuck!”

“Are you two discussing what I think you’re discussing?” Remy asked.

“We’re helping someone escape from Premoria,” Eli said, pacing. “But I think Elona’s on to us.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t just hear that,” Remy said.

“What do we do?” Winter fidgeted in her seat. “Are they going to arrest us?”

“No ma’am, not you.” Remy reached out and gave Winter’s finger a squeeze. “Where is she?”

“In the carrier.” Eyes downcast, Winter looked about to cry.

“It’s ok. You just need to return her,” Remy said. “I know Elona. She won’t arrest you.”

Ashley came running out of the apartment, stopping at the edge of the table, about to jump. “I’m not going back to that place!”

“Quick,” Remy said. “Bind her.”

Winter caught the distraught premie before she could jump. Using both hands, Winter subdued her, then bound her.

“No.” Ashley fought but her struggles weakened in Winter’s grip. “You can’t send me back.”

“Shhhh,” Winter said. “You’re calm now. You feel relaxed.”

As if by magic, Ashley’s energy drained away, leaving her limp. Winter lowered her to the table and lay her in front of Eli. The poor girl’s eyes shone with moisture, though she now seemed at peace.

“You’re very good at that,” Remy said to Winter before bending down toward Ashley. She felt the stowaway's wrist, as if checking for pulse. “Yes, she has an implant.”

“Great,” Eli said. “Well, I’m not handing her over. I don’t care if they throw me in jail. It’s not right — “

“Eli.” Winter whisper yelled, her eyes shifting to the left.

He turned to find Elona and his mom standing at the end of the table, looking directly at them.

“Well, it seems like you two already know what we’re going to talk about,” Elona said. “Don’t worry. You’re not going to jail.”

“I’m disappointed in both of you,” Mom said. “How could you do something like this? I raised you better than this!”

“Please.” Elona guided Mom to her seat. “They’ll both have plenty of time to think about their actions.” She scooped Ashley from the table. “And you young lady. You’re not escaping punishment either.” She bound Ashley. “But first wake up, remain calm and have a bite to eat.”

Ashley perked up and stood erect after being placed back on the table. She quickly joined Eli and sat, hands folded in her lap, head bowed. “I’m sorry.”

“Well, I’m not!” Eli said. “You bound her so of course she’s going to apologize. But she doesn’t want to live where she’s at. It’s unfair. You’re treating her like a prisoner.”

Elona raised a hand before Mom could speak. “Regardless of what you think, Eli, Ashley is not a prisoner, nor is she mistreated. The council reviews all premie transfer applications. There are reasons why hers has been delayed, reasons I will not go into now, but this in no way excuses your actions in aiding her escape. If she had been injured during unsecured transportation...well, I’ll not go into the legal consequences. Just imagine how guilty you and your sister would feel.”

By this point, tears leaked from Winter’s eyes. She buried her head against Mom’s chest. Eli felt his throat constricting and almost wanted to do the same, but he tried to stay strong.

“Your sister’s a level three watcher,” Elona said. “She knows better. And you’re her older brother. You should’ve known to come to me first or an authority before attempting kidnapping.”

Eli grit his teeth, face growing red. He wanted to say a million things but his mouth wouldn’t budge.

Elona sighed. “I’ve spoken with your mom. Premoria will not file any charges against either of you. You’re both minors and, thankfully, Ashley hasn’t been injured. Instead, you’ll both remain here, in Premoria, for a week performing community service.”

“What!” Eli said.

Winter’s tear stained face reappeared, looking up at Mom. “We will?”

“Sweetie, it’s just for a week.” Mom caressed the side of Winter’s head. “Elona has a nice family to take you in and you’ll be able to work toward your next rank.”

“What if we refuse?” Eli said.

“Well, you do have a choice,” Elona said. “But if you choose not to perform community service, you’ll be charged with kidnapping and prosecuted as a minor. You’ll be found guilty and will be spending a lot more time here — in a youth correctional facility.”

“He’ll do it,” Mom said. “And so will she. Right Winter?”

“Mmm hmm.” Winter sniffled. “I’m re— really so— sorry”

“It’s ok, sweetheart.” Elona reached across and squeezed Winter’s hand. “I think you’ll enjoy it. But first, how about you share how sorry you are with your brother. It seems he still needs a little convincing that what he did was wrong.”

Winter nodded, then her hand swept toward Eli. He ran, but she caught him with ease, clammy skin wrapping around his arms and legs.

“Noooooo…” He squirmed as she squeezed him, binding him completely.

“You’re sorry too, right Eli?” She asked, still sniffling, though her frown had faded. “Tell Elona you’re sorry for what you did.”

Remorse crashed into his consciousness like a tidal wave, erasing the ache in his muscles but replacing it with guilt and regret. His determination and resistance melted away like a distant memory.

He understood why Winter felt so remorseful. He’d placed Ashley in danger and broken rules designed to protect premies. Instead, he should’ve gone directly to a watcher. They would’ve known what to do. So much bigger and more powerful than himself, they understood how to protect, how to keep premies happy. Why had he doubted?

“I’m sorry.” He blurted, tears falling now. “I — I didn’t mean to. I — “

“It’s ok,” Winter said, hugging him against her moist cheek. “It’ll be ok.”

“Are you sure?” Winter held a measuring cup half full of premie powder. “This seems like a lot.”

“Positive.” Talia lifted a pitcher from the blender, then dumped the soupy vegetable matter into a green bucket. “We’re feeding over a hundred premies, remember?”

“Yeh, but this has to be more than fifty percent.” Winter had never fed her brother such a high concentration of premie powder.

“Dude.” Talia touched Winter’s chin, lifting it. “Some questions are fine, but you have to trust me. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you.”

She wasn’t lying. As a rank five watcher, Talia had considerably more training than Winter. Furthermore, she’d lived at the Chamberlain residence for years. Granted, most of those years had been as a premie, but in her four years as a human, she’d kept the place running without incident, or so she’d said. She’d helped transform it from a suburban microenvironment of ten foster families into a ‘youth camp’, one which currently housed one hundred and twenty-eight ‘troubled youths’. Last but not least, she was fifteen with long dark hair and a tall hourglass figure — Winter’s superior in just about every way imaginable. In truth, Winter had no right to doubt her.

So, she did the only thing she could do. She poured the baby blue powder into the bucket and stirred until it had the consistency of applesauce and the smell of cream spinach. Aside from the few days when Eli had been fully regressed, Winter had never fed him a pure liquid diet, but Talia swore by it, so it must be ok.

“Looks good.” Talia mixed a second bucket (this one red) of concentrated premie solution, literally nothing but premie powder and water. At least Eli wouldn’t have to drink that stuff. It would probably give him diarrhea.

“Alright.” Talia carried the red bucket to the sliding door. “Follow me and watch carefully. Tomorrow, i’ll probably have you do this alone, so pay attention.”

“Ok.” Winter held the green bucket to her side. Less than half full, it wasn’t heavy, but she didn’t want to spill any.

Winter squinted as she walked into the back yard. The descending sun reflected against premie rooftops like a miniature solar array. There were twenty of them — premie cabins with metallic roofs each housing anywhere from five to seven premies. They were arranged in two concentric circles of eight and twelve cabins respectively. Eli had been assigned to cabin nine, unfortunately located on the far side of the yard.

She didn’t have to look far to find him though. He was still working in the southeastern quadrant on marble duty — the lamest excuse for work Winter had ever seen. Talia had dumped a bunch of colored marbles in a saucer-shaped sled, and the premies had to extricate their assigned color from the sled. These weren’t normal marbles either; they were bigger. So, it meant pushing boulders up an incline until they fell onto one of the surrounding plates.

After breakfast, ten premies had been assigned marble duty, Eli included. Only Eli and another boy remained, both looking utterly exhausted. From what she could tell, Eli still had three emerald marbles remaining.

“Suppertime!” Talia set her bucket on the low, artificial grass, then reached for Winter’s bucket.

After Winter handed it over, Talia proceeded to pour the ‘applesauce’ into a metallic trough, essentially a narrow and shallow baking pan set into the ground. Winter wanted to object, but the pan looked clean, as if it had been washed recently. They both sat, cross legged, and waited.

Premies, those who’d completed their tasks for the day, poured out of the cabins with cups in hand. Other premies, those still working in one of the four quads, looked up expectantly but didn’t move toward the center. Eli did make a move, but the other boy in the sled pointed at the marbles, causing her brother to stop and return to his work.

He had to be starving! He hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.

Premies of both genders, all between the ages of thirteen and nineteen crowded around the trough, filling their cups and drinking the mixture as if it were ambrosia. Some of them stuck their mouths into the slurry, inhaling the stuff like pigs. Talia didn’t seem to mind, her eyes darting among the laggards approaching from the back.

“Keep an eye out for the heavier ones.” Talia reached for a boy who, to Winter’s untrained eye, didn’t look fat. “They go into the concentrate. Premie powder will be absorbed through the skin, but they won’t gain weight, even if they drink it. Not enough calories.”

The boy didn’t struggle in Talia’s grip, but cast his head downward as if he’d been expecting such treatment. Unceremoniously, Talia released him in the red bucket, clothes and all, before plucking a heavyset girl from the crowd and doing the same with her. She too put up no struggle.

Concerned, Winter peered into the bucket. The water level came up to the boy’s shoulders and the girl’s chest. On closer inspection, he did look a little big, but still nothing Winter would’ve considered unhealthy. They both stood motionless until the girl splashed the boy. He returned fire until they were both laughing. At least they seemed to be having fun…

“And the thinner ones who don’t think I’m watching.” She picked up a slender girl, one who’d started heading back to the cabins. “Isn’t that right Gwen?”

Talia lifted the premie’s shirt and gave her stomach a thumb massage. “I can tell by her weight and the feel of her stomach that she didn’t eat enough. Also, this one likes to cut, so check her arms and legs.”

Talia removed the girl’s pants and inspected her thighs. “No new marks. Awesome! One more big cup, then you can head back. And no purging this time, got it?”

“Yes, Miss Talia.” Gwen’s apologetic face seemed darker in some areas, as if it had been bruised.

“Good girl.” Talia set her down near the trough. Gwen did as asked, submerging her cup, filling it and drinking while Talia continued to pluck various premies from the gathering.

“How will I remember all of this?” Winter asked.

“It’s easy.” Talia said, placing another girl in the bucket. “Fat ones go in the red bucket. Thin ones eat more from the green bucket. If they look hurt or sad, check for injuries.”

“What if they don’t listen to me like they do with you?” Winter asked, still not sure how she’d determine ‘sad looking’.

Talia laughed. “Why wouldn’t they listen?”

“I don’t know,” Winter said. “Should I bind them if they don’t?”

Nearly all of the premies paused their eating and looked up at Winter.

“Back to eating,” Talia said, then continued speaking after the premies looked down. “Binding is a reward here. We don’t just hand them out, especially not for bad behavior. If they’re good and complete their work, they can request a binding on Saturday, or something else within reason. My premies never become addicts, they do as they’re told, and they won’t give you any problems. Right guys?”

“Yes, Miss Talia.” The premies spoke in unison.

“See?” Talia said. “They know I’ll be moving to the city in a few weeks, so they definitely don’t want to miss their last Talia rewards. I used to be a premie so I know what premies want.”

“You don’t know my brother,” Winter said.

“Eli?” Talia filled her hand in the red bucket and poured the water over the heads of the five premies inside. “He enjoyed the binding I gave him this morning. After we get his powder concentration up, he’ll fall right in line with the rest. We don’t get many human born, but premies are premies. They just need proper guidance.”

“I don’t know,” Winter said. “He can be pretty stubborn.”

“You’re here because you let him persuade you,” Talia said. “You’re the watcher. You guide premies, not the other way around.

“But — ”

“They depend on us for their protection and wellbeing,” Talia said. “If you cave into their ‘demands’, you’re hurting them in the long run. You don’t want to hurt your brother, do you?”

“No,” Winter said. Talia made a lot of sense, speaking in a very adult manner. It was as if she’d memorized the passages from the premie behavioral therapy chapter, passages Winter had always thought were a little weird. But she did have a point. If she’d listened to her training and not Eli, she could’ve avoided this whole mess for the both of them.

“Quads!” Talia said. The premies gulped down what remained in their cups and headed back to the cabins while those still working in the quadrants migrated inward.

“Quads always eat last,” Talia said. “Pay attention to their faces. If they’re lazy, they don’t get a reward.”

“Fine by me!” Eli appeared around the red bucket, back bent as he made his way toward the food. A few premies stopped to stare at him.

“Newbies are an exception.” Talia swiped Eli from the ground and lifted him to her face. “Sometimes they require extra attention.”

“I’m only here a week,” Eli said, unflinching. “I think I’ll live.”

“I can tell you're tired and sore,” Talia said. “Would you like me to get rid of the pain? Make you feel good again?”

“Do whatever you want,” Eli said. “It’s not like I can stop you.”

C’mon, Eli. Just listen to her.

“You’re here for kidnapping.” Talia appeared to be applying pressure with her fingers. “Why are you mad at me? Did I force you to kidnap her?”

“No, but…” Eli twisted about then froze, lower jaw going slack.

Talia whispered near his head and waited. Eli’s eyelids drooped, his mouth hung open, and he convulsed once. Twice. Then his head flew back against her finger as a cry escaped his lips.

“Eli!” Winter’s hand shot out.

“Dude!” Talia blocked using her free hand. “Winter, chill! It’s pleasure, not pain.”

“But — ”

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Talia said, then facing Eli, “It’s a small taste of what he’ll get if he works hard this week.”

Eli started crying, and again Winter reached for him.

Talia caught her wrist this time. “Winter, if you don’t trust me, you aren’t going to earn your next rank.”

Winter didn’t care about the stupid rank if her brother was in pain, but she withdrew her hand and watched.

“Talk to me Eli,” Talia said. “Why are you crying?”

“I — I couldn’t finish the marbles,” he said. “I’m s — sorry. They’re too heavy and I got tired. I know you wanted me to finish.”

“Yes, of — ” She peered down at the gawking premies. Within seconds, they went back to minding their own business.

“Yes, of course you got tired.” Talia pet his hair with a free finger. “Poor thing. You’re sweating like crazy.”

“I’ll finish it tonight,” Eli said. “I promise. Just give me a little more time.”

Talia laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not a slaver. Just eat and rest. You’ll sleep like a baby and wake up refreshed and ready to go back to work. Right?”

“I — I guess so,” he said.

“Say, yes Miss Talia.” She wiped his cheeks.

“Yes, Miss Talia.”

“Is everyone making you feel welcome here?” Talia asked, peering around at the audience of premies who were certainly listening even though they pretended to eat.

“Yes, Miss Talia.” Eli had stopped crying and looked at Talia reverently.

“Is there anything you want to tell your sister?” Talia said.

“Yes, Miss Talia.”

“Go ahead then.” She set him down near Winter’s right knee.

“I’m sorry.” He looked up, his eyes still wet. “I should’ve listened when you said no. I should’ve — “

She picked him up and held him against her cheek. His clothes were soaked! He’d been working all day in the hot sun, and he hadn’t even fully recovered from the construction project a couple days ago. How would he ever survive the remaining six days?

“It’s ok.” She held him in front of her face. “Just eat and get some sleep like Talia said. Ok?”

He nodded.

Oh heavens what she would give to be back home, sleeping with Eli safe and sound next to her. She no longer blamed him for wanting to visit Premoria. She just wanted it to end, to cuddle with him all night, to read stories, to watch movies — to just be together. That’s all she’d ever wanted.

She loved her brother so much.

***

They shared a diagnosis — pneumonia — and the same room at the hospital. It was Mom’s hospital, Sacred Heart, so perhaps room assignment had been a perk. Whatever the case, Winter need only turn her head to see her brother lying a few feet away.

“C’mon sweetie,” Mom said. “We need to let them rest.”

“Ok.” Ally squeezed Winter’s hand. “Tell Eli I got his homework for last couple days. I’m sure he’ll love to hear that.”

“I will,” Winter said, her voice phlegmy. She didn’t want her Mom and sister to leave, but at least Eli would be here with her. She only wished he’d been awake to see them.

“You get some sleep too, punkin.” Mom kissed Winter on the forehead. “I’ll check in on you tomorrow. K?”

“K.”

“Love you, sweetheart.”

“Love you too, mommy.”

After the door closed, it was just her and Eli. It was her fault he got sick. She’d caught the bug from Emily at school. The next morning, she’d sneezed in Eli’s face. Not once but twice! She’d wanted him to get sick. When he did, she’d felt incredibly guilty, but at least — at least he was here with her now.

She didn’t want to be alone in the scary hospital. Her big brother would protect her. He always did. He wasn’t even upset about getting sick. Probably because he didn’t mind missing school.

The sixth grade must be really hard.

***

She awoke in confusion to the sound of coughing, moments later realizing the sound came from her own mouth. It didn’t sound like a cough she’d make. It was deep and throaty as if she had sticky frogs in her chest. Her ribs were sore and her face hot, and she wished Mommy were here.

She closed her eyes, but her breath made squeaks and she couldn’t breathe through her nose. She doubted she’d ever get back to sleep.

That’s when it happened. She heard Eli getting out of his bed. A chair rolling towards her.

His hand closed around hers, lending warmth to her in a big way. She dare not open her eyes, fearing she’d scare him off. He didn’t hug her anymore. Well, he still did, just not as much. Mom said it’s because he was a boy and he’s growing up. She didn’t understand, but it had something to do with boys being different than girls. It was stupid so she just hugged him more, though it wasn’t quite the same if he resisted, which he did sometimes.

Maybe if she pretended to be asleep, he’d give her a kiss.

She waited, but when it didn’t come, she decided to open her eyes. Luckily she didn’t, because at that moment, he started to sing. It was little more than a whisper, but it was her song, a song he hadn’t sung since she’d been a little girl.

She didn’t know the name of the song. He’d written it himself. But when he sang, it was as if he’d written it for her — just for her — not even Ally or Mom had heard him sing it.

Her breathing eased and her heart thumped as the soft words reached her ears. She longed to squeeze his hand, but dared not risk stopping her song. She needed this. Something deep inside her needed this.

Needed him.

Once, when she was little, she’d asked her mom if she could marry her brother. Mom had said no, but that her brother would always be there for her. She’d wanted to press further, to ask why Mom’s brother wasn't around much, but she didn’t. Now, at the age of nine, she understood marriage to be an impossibility, but it didn’t change the way she felt. She dreaded getting older. She dreaded the day when her brother would leave her.

It was already happening, little by little.

But for tonight at least, he held her hand and sang her song. He was her protector, and she’d never felt so safe. Before the song ended, her mind, wrapped in the comfort of her brother’s love, drifted off to sleep.

***

Winter’s eyes remained open as she lay in the Chamberlain’s guest bedroom, recalling the memory. Eli had stayed with her even after she got better. He’d faked sickness until she was well enough to leave the next day. He’d protected her then, and too many other times to count. He’d loved her, and he still did, even though he was a teenager now and didn’t always show it. Boys were silly that way.

Was he asleep or were his aches keeping him awake? She contemplated sneaking outside and tapping on his window, making sure he was ok, but Talia’s foster parents were still awake watching TV in the livingroom.

Oh, she’d give anything to have Eli on her pillow right now!

Sleeping with a premie was dangerous ONLY if you fell asleep. She’d simply stay awake all night and watch him sleep, just like he’d done with her back at the hospital. And other times, when he’d read books to help her sleep.

Since he’d become a premie, things had turned backwards. It was her turn to be the protector, but she didn’t mind. Actually, she looked forward to it. Talia’s methods seemed a little harsh, but they also seemed to work. Winter ought to listen. Talia only wanted to help.

Plus Talia could help Winter reach rank four. And at rank four, they could all move to Premoria, her entire family. Eli would reach his goal and she wouldn’t have to leave him. Even without marriage, she’d literally be able to live with him forever.

The thought caused such fluttering in her heart. She knew it would happen! She’d become the best watcher she could and her brother would stay with her forever.

She closed her eyes.

***

“Breakfast!”

Eli awoke to the sound of Talia’s voice booming through his cabin. Though the morning sun shed light through the windows, it couldn’t be later than six, much earlier than he’d prefer to awaken. Still, he didn’t want to miss breakfast. If things went like they did yesterday, he wouldn’t get another chance to eat until dinner.

For the most part, the other kids ignored him. The five other boys sharing his cabin donned their faded blue coveralls without even a look in his direction. He’d hardly spoken with them and only knew the name of one, Jaxon, the thirteen-year-old who’d shown him around after his arrival the other night.

They seemed friendly enough, but Eli wasn’t much of a talker. Even if he was, they’d hardly had a chance to talk. Most worked all day and passed out from exhaustion at night. No one complained, and everyone looked forward to Saturday. Talia probably handed out special bindings like the one he’d received last night. He couldn’t deny it had felt good, amazing even, but certainly not something for which he wanted to trade his life, essentially all his free time.

Still, he’d expected hazing or something worse. Didn’t new prisoners always get raped the first day or at least roughed up? Where were the gangs, the shady drug deals, the trading of cigarettes for shivs? Admittedly he’d assumed ‘camp’ was just a politically correct name for juvey, but it really did seem like a camp. Oddly disappointing. He’d kidnapped someone after all!

He followed Jaxon out of the cabin, wincing from both the sun in his eyes and the agony in his legs. His bladder chimed in too, threatening to release last night’s liquid dinner directly into his underwear. How much had he drank? Talia had told him to eat after she’d bound him, so he’d likely filled his stomach to bursting. Binding memory, as he called it, wasn’t always the clearest of memories — another drawback to the experience.

He veered toward the nearest restroom cabin, half running half hobbling. As he reached for the handle, the door burst open and a red-haired girl in red coveralls came out. She turned to him and paused, half smiling.

“Sorry, Eli.” She waved, then ran off toward the center.

Everyone seemed to know his name, perhaps from YouTube, perhaps from the spectacle he’d made of himself last night. He wouldn’t bother trying to learn their names. He’d only be here for a week after all.

The restroom wasn’t empty. One of the stalls was closed and he could see black shoes and red coveralls beneath the door. Why’d the bathrooms have to be unisex? As if using a public bathroom wasn’t awkward enough. Furthermore there were no urinals, only stalls. At least it was clean. The premies assigned cleaning duty did their jobs quite well.

He selected the stall furthest from the one occupied, sat down, and waited for his bladder to do it’s thing. First he had to stop thinking about the girl two stalls down.

Concrete sidewalks.

Fire hydrants.

Old man sitting on bench reading paper.

Finally. He let loose a torrent and stifled a sigh of pleasure. Few things felt better than peeing after being forced to hold it in a long time. An odd thought perhaps, but he couldn’t deny the truth of it.

As he finished, his stomach growled, reminding him that breakfast wouldn’t wait forever. He washed his hands in the dixie cup and dried them on the communal washcloth pinned to the wall. Unsanitary perhaps, but from what he’d learned, premies rarely got sick — another testament to their evolutionary ‘superiority’. He figured bacteria and viruses would eventually evolve to —

A choking sound came from the closed stall.

What the hell? Did someone need help?

Fuck it, he was hungry.

He walked toward the door but heard it again. Not quite sob, not quite a cough. He wasn’t sure what it was. The sound of constipation? Probably.

Still, he looked back one last time. In addition to the feet, a couple dark splotches marred the otherwise clean, white floor. Blood?

Shit. He returned to the stall and knocked. The door tilted inward slightly. “Hey, uh...you ok in there?”

Nothing. Not even the choking sound.

Slowly, he inched the door open. “Are you — oh shit!”

The hysterical girl held her top up, exposing her left breast. In her other hand, this one dripping blood, she gripped a piece of glass and sliced along her ribcage, tracing a third line of red parallel to the two already present. Only when she finished did she look up, startled by his presence.

Eli grabbed her wrist and wrenched the glass from her hand, cutting his own in the process. He pulled a huge wad of toilet paper from the dispenser and pressed it against the girl’s bloody side. Weakly, she reached for the glass but he dropped it, then kicked it backwards under the door.

“What the hell are you doing?” He’d heard of people cutting themselves before but he’d never understood it, nor had he bothered to try to understand. Crazy people did crazy shit.

She looked up at him with surprisingly dry eyes. “Don’t tell Talia.”

“What?” He tried to focus on her face, and not her breast which was still exposed. She did have a nice face, clear and tan, but thin and bruised too, as if she’d skipped a few meals and been in a few fights.

“I’ll stop.” She grabbed his forearm. “Just don’t tell Talia.”

He cautiously removed the makeshift bandage. More blood oozed out.

“Fuck.” He returned to holding the tissues in place, his thumb awkwardly brushing her breast.

Inhale. Exhale.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Gwen,” she said. “You’re Eli, right? I saw you on YouTube before my parents sent here.”

“Yeh.” How could this girl have a conversation as if she hadn’t just tried to kill herself? “Isn’t there a hotline or something. You know...for suicidal thoughts?”

“I’m not suicidal,” she said. “I’m just cutting. Promise me you won’t tell Talia. She’ll — ”

The roof vanished, replaced by the faces of Talia and Winter.

“Oh this is not happening,” Talia said. “This is not happening.”

Eli dropped the dirty tissues and let Gwen’s shirt drop into place, hiding her wound. Hopefully no one had noticed. Maybe it would look like he’d just been groping her. Not much of an improvement over the truth, but an improvement nonetheless.

Winter’s eyes were wide. “Eli — ”

“Why is there blood all over my floor?” Talia said. “Gwen if you’ve been — “

“I did it!” Eli said. “She startled me. I turned and slashed with a piece of glass.”

“Why?” Winter’s brow arched.

“I thought someone was going to haze me, so I’ve been jumpy,” Eli said. “When I realized — ”

“Give me the glass.” Talia lowered her hand. “Now.”

Eli scrambled. He fell to the floor, retrieved the bloody shard, then deposited it on Talia’s fingertip.

“Where’d you get it?” Talia asked, though she didn’t appear to be looking at him.

“I found it in one of the stalls,” Eli said, not entirely a lie.

Talia sighed. “I can’t. I just can’t.”

She reached in and plucked a morose Gwen from the stall. “Winter, put Eli in the time out bucket and make sure everyone’s doing their job. I’ll take care of Gwen.”

“What about Eli’s breakfast?” Winter asked.

“He can drink whatever he wants from the time out bucket,” Talia said. “It’s not breakfast, but he’s lost that privilege this morning.”

“But — ”

Talia simply gave her a look that shut her up, then rose, and took off toward the house, Gwen still in hand.

Winter scowled at him. “I can’t believe you did that!” She grabbed him more quickly than usual, lifting him high in the air to her face. “You’re going to timeout and you deserve it!”

“Winter, listen. I — “

Shut up, Eli!” She bound him she said it, making it impossible for him to talk back.

She stripped him, carried him to the red bucket, then lowered him inside, completely naked. The cool water rose to his chest.

“I hope you absorb all the powder in there,” Winter said. “Maybe then you’ll finally start behaving.”

He tried to speak but it was easier to remain silent. After all, he probably deserved it.

The sun, the sky, and Winter’s face disappeared as a frisbee descended upon the top of the bucket. He was left with darkness, wetness, and himself.

And plenty of time to think about the bad things he’d done.