I stared down at my latest test subject, at a loss for words. There were two things odd about Romeo, my pet hamster. One: he was nearly the size of a cat. Two: I was pretty sure he’d just spelled out “food?” on my phone. Of course this meant my first ever animal trial was a complete success but I was not prepared for the degree of change I had just witnessed. After administering PED-14, the latest iteration of my work, I witnessed Romeo rapidly increase in size over a period of about 5 minutes. It wasn’t just his size either, his fur was softer and shinier and a new intelligence flashed behind his big brown eyes. It was like everything about him had been….enhanced. 

I was broken from my shock by Romeo urgently tapping my arm, almost in the way a person would. 

“R-right….food. I guess I haven’t fed you yet huh?” I said. I often spoke to Romeo as a pet but now it felt like a real conversation. As if to affirm this he actually nodded and squeaked, sitting back on his hind legs. I used a small cup to place some hamster food in his bowl. Rather than just start eating, Romeo only looked between myself and his bowl a few times, before holding his hands close together and pulling them apart. “More? Ah, right. You’re quite a bit bigger now.” I added a few more cupfuls and watched as Romeo started eating. This was all so surreal. How would I explain this to my parents? 

I moved over to my bed, leaving Romeo to his feast. I lay down and closed my eyes. This was how I preferred to tackle difficult problems. My parents rarely came into my room so as long as I could continue to find food for Romeo his increased size shouldn’t be a problem. Now about PED-14. Obviously it worked. That meant I could remove the “P”, which in this case stood for “Prototype” and just stick with “ED” for “Enhancement Drug”. The obvious next step would be to refine the dosage and start human trials. The way the drug worked the actual amount ingested really only affected the speed of the reaction. That meant I could likely dilute it by about 1000 times and still reproduce the results shown on Romeo. A 1/1000th dose would achieve the final results in about three and half days, give or take. Now, who to test it on.  

There were a few candidates. Obviously there was myself. But there’s something a little uncouth about testing one’s drug on oneself. It’s a little too “Mad scientist” for me. In my immediate family there was my younger sister, Julia, but the last thing I needed was for my 14 year old sister to double in height. My parents were out, they were too old. The drug needed a host still within a few years of their growth cycle. There were options at school though. In my senior class there were a number of people on the tail end of puberty or within a few years of it. Who then? I pretend to consider a few other candidates before falling on the inevitable conclusion. Sarah Miller. 

I’m a bit ashamed to admit it but I’d had a crush on Sarah since the 8th grade. Back then I was quite small, only around 5 foot. Sarah was a couple inches taller than me and was the only member of our class that made an effort to befriend me. Since then I’d grown to a rather unexciting height of 5’8” while Sarah remained much the same. We grew apart over time as we made our ways into other friend groups. It must’ve been over a year since we last spoke outside of class. My feelings for her though, were as strong as ever. Somehow I felt that if I could see her as I did all those years ago, from a few inches below her, I could say what I so desperately wanted to say. So, if I were going to use ED-01 on Sarah I’d need to prepare a few things. 

I stood up and walked over to my chemistry station, ready to mix. First the dosage. 1/1000th dilute in water. Next the delivery mechanism. The drug didn’t really care how it entered the body but I needed some way of getting Sarah to take it that wasn’t either creepy or violating. I mused for a few minutes before coming up with the idea of a spray. I could add a scent to the mixture without affecting the compound and voila, a perfume. I didn’t actually spend much time thinking about what to make it smell like. I just swapped out the water for some rose water and called it done. After adding the mixture to an emptied colgan spray bottle I sat back to admire my work. Now only one thing remained. How do I get Sarah to use it?

Romeo, in all his newfound wisdom, gave me the answer. I felt him claw at my leg and looked down to see him holding a calendar. He’d nibbled out a hole in one of the dates. I took it from his mouth to get a closer look. February 14th, Valentines Day.

“Romeo you sly dog. I mean….hamster.” I grinned down at the oversized rodent and I swear that he winked up at me. I decided not to question how, exactly, Romeo knew what I intended and instead girded myself for action. The game was set. Hopefully my achievements will absolve me of my sins.

I’d prepared in every way I could. Not ED-01, that was the easy part. No, I meant prepared myself for giving Sarah Miller, my crush of over 5 years a Valentine’s day gift for the first time. I was giving it to her anonymously of course. Otherwise she might immediately figure out who was responsible for her changes but also it allowed me to calm my nerves. It was the day of and I was sitting in my seat two rows back and three columns over from Sarah’s. She looked the same as ever. 

Her short auburn hair fell neatly around her shoulders and her small 5’2” frame was hunched over some class work. I really meant it when I said she stayed largely the same over the past 5 years. Despite turning 18 last September she still looked about 12. Her body was slender and flat, with barely any curves to speak of. If she wore a bra it was whatever came before an A cup. I don’t say this to be mean. Sarah was, in my mind, the most beautiful girl at this school. Not because of how she looked, it was hard to explain. I like big boobs and curvy bodies as much as the next guy, more so even. But there was just something about Sarah that other girls just didn’t have. I knew she was unhappy about her body and now I had the power to fix that. 

I was having second thoughts though. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Sarah slowly grow into the woman of my dreams but there was something nagging at me. I felt….dirty. Like a creep who obsessed over a girl so much that he altered her body without her permission so she could fit his vision of his ideal lover. I couldn’t just give her the drug knowing what it would do without warning her first. It was immoral. But I also couldn’t tell her to her face, not with my nerves. So, I did the only thing I could. I wrote a note and attached it to the perfume bottle.

This is a gift from someone who cares about you deeply.

It has the power to change you.

If you choose to use it you will grow beyond your wildest dreams

If you choose not to, you will remain as you are.

Whatever you choose, find me.

2/18 where night cannot reach. 

It was more than a little cryptic, there was the possibility that she simply wouldn’t take it seriously. Nevertheless it did the job. Hopefully she could decipher to a location I’d included, it related to a place we used to frequent together. I looked over at Sarah one last time before the bell rang for lunch. As I did she just happened to glance behind her and our eyes met. She smiled lightly before turning back to her work, I returned the smile only after she had looked away. 

As the bell rang and the other students stood to head to the cafeteria, I snuck out to make my way to the lockers. I found Sarah’s and pulled the perfume from my bag. I suddenly realized I’d made a slight oversight. Her locker was, well, locked. And I didn’t know the combination. I paused and closed my eyes to think. Sarah had mentioned in the 9th grade that she used the same combination every year. What was it? I peered deeper into my past, searching for a clue. Then, I got it! I could hear her voice as though it were yesterday. 

“It was a long time ago Sam, you don’t have to feel sorry for me.” Sarah and I were walking side by side as we trekked to school. 

“Even so!” I pouted. “It’s just too sad that you can’t remember him…”

“Aw, you’re sweet! But don’t worry I have my own way of remembering.” Sarah spun around to face me. “ One one, two, fifty-eight.” She said, grinning. 

“What’s that?” I asked

“That’s my dad’s birthday!”

I entered the numbers and the lock clicked. I let out a sigh of relief and quickly placed the bottle on top of her books. I hesitated for a moment, staring one last time at the bottle containing ED-01. Hopefully she wouldn’t resent me. Hopefully all these years of testing and failure would finally help her. I closed the locker door and sprinted to catch up with the lunch crowd. I wouldn’t know anything until tomorrow at the earliest.

The rest of that day went by as all others. While I received a number of Valentine’s day stuff from the people who handed things out to the whole class I didn’t get anything personal. Or at least, so I thought. As I was gathering my stuff at the end of the day I was nervously checking across the hall to see if Sarah had found my gift. If she had she gave no indication of it. She had just about packed up her bag when the trouble started. 

The three girls who approached her were your standard cheer squad types. Tiffany, Clair and Jessica. Original names I know. Clair and Jessical stood around 5’6” but always wore 2” heels. Tiffany, the leader, was 5’10” and like her friends, boosted her height with heels. For some reason the three girls had made it their life’s mission to bully Sarah. As I understood it Sarah was actually the cheer squad leader in 8th grade but was quickly replaced when she failed to keep up with the other girl’s growth. My face turned red with anger as I watched Tiffany purposely bump into Sarah, knocking her to the ground. 

“Oops, sorry twig. Didn’t see ya down there.” Tiffany smirked down at Sarah. Clair and Jessical laughed in unison. As they walked away Clair kicked Sarah’s backpack across the floor, where it rested at my feet. My fists were clenched and I wanted nothing more than to give Tiffany and crew a good smacking. But my bravado faded as they walked past me. Clair and Jessica were my height and Tiffany was at least 4 inches taller. All three were toned and fit from their cheer practice, I would’ve just made a fool of myself trying to tussle with them. Instead I leaned over and picked up Sarah’s backpack. I walked over to her as she was picking herself up off the floor. 

“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice smaller than I’d intended. 

“Oh Sam. Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” She smiled weakly up at me as she took her bag from my hands. For a moment I wanted to tell her everything. What I’d spent the last 4 years doing. That I’d done it all for her. And I almost got the first word out. But she spoke first.

“Anyway, I gotta get home. See you.” Sarah darted away before I could respond. As I watched her go I cursed myself for not having the strength to go after her. I went back to my locker to get the rest of my things and that’s when I noticed the bag. 

It was a small pink gift back, the kind with a piece of string threaded through the neck to keep it closed. I’d been so focused on Sarah before that I hadn’t even noticed it. I took it out and emptied it into my palm. A small medallion fell out. It was about the size of a dollar coin and was shaded a light yellow. On one side there was an inscription. It read:

Del’a von. Treya zet. 

A promise remembered is a promise kept.

Something stirred in the back of my mind. I had no idea who could’ve put this in my locker or what it even meant but it seemed familiar. The memory was just out of my reach when the last bell for the school busses rang. 

“OH SHIT” I slipped the mystery medallion into my pocket and ran for the door. This puzzle would have to wait.                        

The next day, February 15th, I woke with a knot in my stomach. It was equal parts excitement and trepidation. I lay in bed for several minutes, trying to slow my heartbeat and gird myself for the day ahead. I was broken from my self reflection by an odd sound coming from the foot of my bed. It sounded like a tiny *Ahem*. I propped myself up on my elbows to get a good look. Romeo was standing, actually standing on his hind legs, at the foot of my bed with his front paws placed on what would’ve been his hips. 

“At lassst, you’re awake.” He spoke in a high pitched voice, completely erasing all other thoughts from my mind.     

“R-romeo? You can….talk?” This was too much, even for me, even after yesterday.

“Of coursss I can talk, I had nothing to do yesssterday except read the booksss in thisss room.” He lifted one of his paws to clean his face, almost making him look like a normal hamster. 

“O-oh….” Well this was awkward. I had no idea how to deal with a situation like this, it was like something out of a movie.

“Well?” Romeo got down on all fours and scurried off my bed.

“Well?” I repeated, unsure of where this was going.

“It’sss my breakfassst time sssilly!” He twirled around, not unlike an excited puppy in front of his bag of food. 

“Oh, right. Sure.” I got up and filled his too small bowl, making sure to give him extra. Somehow the idea of a Hamster becoming smart enough to learn to talk overnight and yet still needing someone to feed him was a little funny to me and I let out a chuckle. Romeo was too focused on his dish to notice. I sat back watching him eat. “You know we’re gonna have to find a way to buy more food if you keep eating like this.” I tried making conversation….with my hamster. He paused for a brief moment to consider. 

“No need, I can find food for myssself if you don’t mind leaving your window unlocked.” He went right back to eating. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Going outside?” 

“I can handle myssself.” Romeo spoke through mouthfuls of kibble. I decided not to press the issue. This morning was weird enough, best to let the hyper-intelligent hamster be. 

I had a bit of extra time today and so rather than do my usual routine of skipping breakfast and eating on the way to school I decided to actually eat at home for a change. When I got downstairs my little sister and my mother were already having breakfast. 

“Oh look who’s up and decided to grace us with his presence!” My mother teased as I entered the kitchen. I just rolled my eyes and grabbed some cereal. Julia, my sister, didn’t say anything but kept her eyes on me while still chewing her food. Once I sat down she swallowed and grinned at me. 

“So did’ja give Sarah her present yesterday?” She spoke loudly and I nearly choked on my spoonful of cereal while my mother let out an excited gasp.    

“Sarah? Sarah Miller?” She was wide eyed and smiling. “Oh Sam, I knew you two were perfect for each other! Well did she like it? What was it? Are you dating?” My mother’s rapid fire questions burned through my mind, elevating my anxiety. 

“Geez mom, it’s not like that.” I glared at Julia, she was cackling silently. How’d she even know about the gift? “It’s not a big deal she doesn’t even know it’s from me yet.” 

“You didn’t even have the guts to tell her?” Julia’s laughs became more audible as her smile widened. “Come on bro, grow a pair!” My mother shot her a warning look. 

“Hey, Language young lady. And it’s fine if you’re a little nervous Sam. I remember when your father first gave me chocolates on Valentines, he was such a nervous wreck. It was quite adorable really!” 

“Gee, thanks.” I slumped in my chair and continued eating. Thankfully the conversation naturally flowed away from my love life and I was able to sneak out of the kitchen to pack my bag without further incident. 

Walking into school I kept my head on a swivel to try and see if I could find Sarah before homeroom. No luck, she was running late. My already knotted stomach dropped like a stone. What if I’d hurt her? What if ED-01 wasn’t ready for humans? My mind concocted an impressive slide show of worst case scenarios. Half of them didn’t even make sense, like Sarah turning into a copy of Romeo. Thankfully my fears were assuaged when Sarah rushed into class moments before the first bell. 

From my distant assigned seat I tried to look her over surreptitiously, to see if ED-01 had had any effect. She looked pretty normal, but there were some oddities. Her pink fuzzy sweater, one of her favorites, fit her snuggly. This might seem normal except I knew for a fact that she bought all her sweaters one size too large so they’d be baggy. Her jeans too looked more like skinny jeans than normal pants. It was hard to gauge if she were any taller while she was sitting but she certainly looked….fuller. Her sweater covered her chest but I could just barely swear that I saw two small bumps. At this point I realized I was staring and looked away before anyone could notice. I’d need to wait until P.E. to get a better look. 

Unfortunately that plan flopped. Sarah handed the P.E. teacher a note before class and then left the gym. Once again my mind went wild with worry, only this time the thing that snapped me out of it was a dodgeball to the face. I didn’t see Sarah for the rest of the day as we didn’t have any other classes in common and she wasn’t at lunch. My last chance would be at the end of the day at the lockers. 

When the end of the day rolled around I made sure to take longer than necessary to pack my things. I could see Sarah at the other end of the hallway doing the same. It might have been my imagination but I swore that whenever I looked over she was just looking away. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tiffany and her lackeys walking over, to dish out they’re daily dose of highschool injustice. This time Clair, the stereotypical dumb blonde took point. She was about to “accidentally” spill a bottle of water on Sarah’s head but she stopped just before. I knew exactly why.

Clair was only 5’6” without heels, which she wasn’t wearing today. Normally she could see over the top of Sarah’s head and wouldn’t have needed to raise her bottle that high to tip it over her. But now? Now Clair found herself looking slightly up at the back of Sarah’s head. Sarah must have sensed the presence behind her because she turned to face Clair and let out a slight gasp. She looked just as surprised as the cheerleader. Clair regained her composure and sneered at Sarah.

“So you’re wearing heels now? Tired of being a little shrimp?” She exaggerated the “p” in shrimp to pop her lips and send spittle flying into Sarah’s face. Clair grinned meanly and then looked down at Sarah’s feet. The evil smile melted from her face when she saw that Sarah was, in fact, wearing flip flops. She looked back, her mouth open slightly, unable to find a witty remark. Then Jessica stepped in.

“Nah, this poor bitch can’t afford heels, can’t even afford real shoes so she has to wear flip flops in February!” She laughed, an artificial and grating sound that was cut short when Sarah looked down into her eyes. 

“Let’s bounce girls, she’s not worth it today.” Clair said quickly. As she and Jessica turned to leave Tiffany, who’d been quiet this whole time, moved to stand right in front of Sarah. She folded her arms and looked coldly down at her without saying a word. Then, she turned on her heels, letting her long black hair whip Sarah in the face, and followed the others. I let out a sigh of relief. I now knew two things. One: Sarah had grown. And two: She was already getting too big for Tiffany and her squad to keep bullying her. 

I looked over at Sarah one last time and found her looking straight at me. Time froze for a single second. I was unable to look away. She let out what looked like a tiny “huff”, slapped her checks and then started walking towards me. 

Oh, shit! Oh, fuck! I wasn’t prepared for this!

I stood there like a dumb statue as she approached me. Once she was right in front of me the only thing I could think was, *she smells like roses*. 

“Hey, Sam. Can we talk?” Her voice was soft and kind, not angry as I’d been fearing. I started breathing again. 

“Um, y-yeah sure. What about?” I finally looked her in the eyes. Seeing her now, so close, it was evident just how much she’d grown. I’m 5’8” and even I was barely taller than her.

She paused, then said. “Del’a von?” She looked up at me slightly, biting her lip.

“Del’a...von?” I whispered. The medallion, but there was something more to it, something just out of reach of my conscious mind. *Del’a von, Treya zet.* the words wrapped themselves around my brain and squeezed until suddenly, I remembered. 

“No, no, no. It’s Trey-AH not Trey-EH!” Sarah giggled as I read out the words she’d scribbled on the book cover. 

“Alright fine, Trey-AH. But what’s it mean?” I asked somewhat exasperatedly. Sarah rolled her eyes.

“‘Del’a von’ that’s this tree.” She gestured at the large oak we were currently sitting under. “It’s the gate to the fairy realm. ‘Treya zet’, that’s the fairy queen’s birthday, February 29th. That’s the one day of the year the gate opens and fairies and humans can cross over.” She lectured me like a teacher to an unruly student. 

“Isn’t that only once every 4 years?” I asked skeptically. 

“Duh! That’s what makes it special!” She grinned toothily at me. I smiled back.

“So you have a whole language like this?” 

“Yup! Want me to teach you!” 

“Sure!” 

“The old oak tree….on February 29th….” I whispered aloud. 

“You do remember!” Sarah exclaimed, a little too loudly as the few remaining students shot us weird looks. “You do remember.” She repeated more quietly. 

“Yeah I, I guess I do. That medallion was from you?” She nodded excitedly. “So I was supposed to meet you….under that tree on the 29th?” I asked hesitantly, unsure if I was interpreting correctly. 

“Yeah!” She confirmed. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out the perfume bottle. “And this was from you right?” 

“Yeah, it was but….” I stopped myself. She may not have connected the dots, telling her now before I knew how she felt about her growth could be risky. 

“It’s sweet, though I never took you for the perfume type.” She lifted the bottle to her neck and gave it a light squeeze sending a rose scented mist onto her skin. She inhaled deeply and sighed. “It smells great, where’d you get it?” She asked innocently. So she didn’t know.

“I, um, made it. It’s mostly rosewater.” Technically true. “Hey Sarah...how’ve you been feeling?” I tried to ask nonchalantly, I don’t think it worked as her face fell slightly at the question. 

“So you’ve noticed too? Yeah, I’m not sure what’s up but I think I’m….growing.” 

“Growing?” I probed further. 

“Yeah like, I’ve been 5’3” since middle school but suddenly this morning none of my clothes or shoes fit right. I think I’m like 5’6” or 5’7”? I don’t know I haven’t measured.” She looked away and slouched slightly. That all made sense. From here her growth would speed up so 4 inches in one day wasn’t actually all that much. 

“Well...you look great.” I managed to say, blushing as I did so. 

“Really!” Sarah looked back at me, her eyes sparkling. 

“Y-yeah! You look like a model!” Shit that was probably too much. But to my surprise Sarah didn’t seem to think it was. She leapt forward and hugged me tightly. 

“Thanks Sam it….it means a lot to hear you say that.” Her cheek was warm against mine and I could feel its softness mingle with something wet. Her body felt quite large pressed against me, not all that surprising considering we were almost the same height. As we parted I saw that she had indeed been crying, if only a little. She whipped her cheeks and smiled. 

“Do you think we could walk home together?” There was no way I could say no to that perfect face. Even though it was 3 miles to either of our houses and it was 15 degrees outside, I nodded, we’d missed the busses anyway. 

The walk home was a mixture of internal excitement and external awkwardness. Here I was, finally side by side with Sarah after all these years, and I couldn’t think of a thing to say. We went the first mile in silence until finally she spoke up. 

“It’s been so long you know, since we’ve hung out at all.” Her foggy breath carried the words into the silence of the cool air.

“Yeah, several years at least.” I added.

“Why is that I wonder?” She seemed to be asking the question to the sky rather than to me directly, but I answered anyway. 

“I don’t know….I think we just grew apart.” True enough, though not particularly insightful. 

“I guess.” Sarah looked down at her feet before turning her head towards me. I met her gaze. “Well….maybe if I keep growing we’ll grow closer too.” I smiled reassuringly. 

“Yeah, maybe we will.” 

Our footsteps echoed down the street, my winter boots and her loose flip flops. We walked the rest of the way in quiet harmony, almost like we’d never drifted apart.

Last night Sarah and I exchanged numbers and spent much of the evening messaging each other. We were trying to catch up on nearly 5 years of missed contact. We kept coming back to her recent growth and I was curious to see if there were any other changes as well. 

Sarah: It’s just weird u kno? Like I haven’t grown in years and all of a sudden boom 4 inches taller.

Sam: it’s good tho right? Ur not upset?

Sarah: No not really it’s kinda nice I always wanted to be taller. I wouldn’t mind if I grew even more.

Sam: Maybe u will u should check.

Sarah: ???

Sam: Measure urself maybe u grew since this morning

Sarah: u think? 

            K one sec.

Sam: I’m rooting 4 u!

Sarah: Holy shit I did! I’m 5’8 and a half!!!

Sam: Wow! Ur taller than me!

Sarah: What! No way really?

Sam: yea I’m 5’8 even

         Notice anything else?

Sarah: Like what?

Sam: Like

          Is anything else bigger?

          Or different? 

Sarah: R u asking what I think ur asking ;)

Sam:....maybe….

Sarah: ur gonna have to wait till tomorrow to see!

Sam: tease

Sarah: :P

Try as I might that was all I could get out of her. It was good to know that she wasn’t concerned about her growth and that it was going as I planned though. After a few hours of messaging we both fell asleep. I don’t know about her but I had my phone in my hand all night. That’s why I was woken up by the “ping” of a new message.

Sarah: Can u come over b4 school?

Sam: What’s up?

Sarah: Just come over.

Sam: K, 15 min

Sarah: and bring some extra clothes

The anxiety was back in full force now. She didn’t sound desperate but the abruptness of her messages had me worried. Her last message gave me some idea of her issue though so I grabbed a few sets of clothing including an oversized hoodie and a pair of jeans that were a size too big for me, just in case. Romeo was still out “taking care of himself” and the house was quiet, typical for 4am. I grabbed a bagel to eat on the way and snuck out the door.    

I walked quickly as it was below freezing this early in the morning. When I found myself at Sarah’s door I hesitated, should I ring the doorbell? Knock? My questions were answered by a second “ping”.

Sarah: come round the back

At the back of the house I found Sarah holding the sliding glass door open.

“Quick! My dad will notice if the house gets too cold!” She ushered me inside. With the lights off I could barely make her out in the shadows as I followed her up to her room. Once we were inside I handed her the clothes and she shuffled into the connected bathroom to change. I stood awkwardly twiddling my thumbs in the darkness, unsure of what to do with myself. Luckily I wasn’t left waiting long. Sarah came out of the bathroom and stood by the door. 

“Promise not to freak out?” she said softly, her uncertainty betrayed by her warbling voice.

“I promise.” I tried to sound reassuring. 

“Okay…” Sarah took a deep breath and then switched on the light. 

Even from across the room it was immediately apparent that she’d grown. My large hoodie and jeans, both of which hung on my frame like loose canvas, hugged Sarah’s body like they were a perfect fit. She wasn’t just taller, almost everything seemed different. Her once slight frame was now a roller coaster of curves. Her breasts pressed against the fabric of the hoodie and her ass and hips stretched the jeans to their limits. Her hair was now down to her waist and despite having just got up it was silky smooth and shone in the soft light. Finally her face, while still definitely her own, had shifted ever so slightly as if she had spent an hour contouring her makeup. Her eyes glistened like emeralds, outlined perfectly on her angelic face. Naturally the first thing I did when I saw her was drop my jaw to the floor. I quickly collected myself and tried to regain some dignity. 

“You look -ahem- you look good.” I almost choked on my own words but Sarah smiled slightly anyway. 

“I was worried,” She said as she walked towards me. “That it might put you off.” As she approached she took up more and more of my vision. I had to lift my head up constantly to maintain eye contact. “Most guys get nervous around taller girls.” She was right in front of me now and wrapped her arms over my shoulders to pull me in. My eyes were level with her chin and I had to tilt my head all the way back just to gape up at her. “Or so I’m told.” She giggled down at me.

“I don’t mind. Not at all” I whispered up to her. Her smile widened. Then, she bent her knees slightly to bring her mouth to mine. It was our first kiss, my first flat out. I could still smell the faint scent of roses on her neck as we embraced. As she slowly stood I had to ask the question that was burning in my mind.

“So how tall are you, exactly?”

“Exactly? 6’3” as of twenty minuets ago. But I feel...weird. Kinda like I’m constantly standing on my tip toes but never coming back down, if that makes sense. So I could be even taller now.”

“Wow, that’s, like, really tall.”

“Mm-hm! And that’s not all either!” Sarah pulled the sleeve of her hoodie back to reveal her forearm and bicep. Both of which were round and firm. “I measured my arms too, 14 inches! Can you believe it! I bet I’m stronger than my brother!”

“And you’re not worried at all?” This was more for myself than for her. I still wasn’t convinced she was totally okay with what was happening to her. 

“Are you kidding? This is the best thing to ever happen to me! I just wish I knew what caused it.” She emphasized her joy by spinning on her toes, causing her hair to create a gleaming curtain around her. I shuffled nervously. That was the best answer I could’ve hoped for and now was the best time. 

“So….I might know about that….” My words left my mouth before I could think of how I actually wanted to say them. Sarah stopped her dance and stood still.

“You….know why I’m growing?” She didn’t sound angry or like anything at all really, aside from curious. It was too late to turn back now so I went all in. I explained my experiments from the past 4 years. My success with Romeo and my decision to give ED-01 to her in the form of a perfume. She listened intently and when I’d finished she didn’t speak for several moments. I just stood there, sweating. 

“I should be furious….” She said calmly. “I mean, you basically roofied me.” There it was, what I’d been fearing all along. “Buuuuuuuut….” her voice trilled and her eyes smiled down at me. “It’s also the best thing anyone’s ever done for me.” I let out a huge sigh of relief, Sarah giggled at my exhaustion. “So this perfume, ED-01, does it wear off?” 

“Nope,” I answered. “Once you take a single dose that’s all you need.”

“What if I take more than 1?” I actually hadn’t considered this.

“Well….in theory it should just accelerate the process. There’s a physical limit to how big someone can grow. Why? How many have you had?” I looked up at her, once again nervous. 

“Three…maybe four. It’ll prolly be fine.” She dodged my look. “I wouldn't mind growing a little faster though.” she pulled something out of the hoodie’s front pocket. It was the perfume bottle. Before I could say anything she gave it three quick spritzes over her face. She inhaled deeply and I swore I could see her stretch taller right before my eyes. 

“Sarah are you sure-” 

“We should leave for school now, if my dad finds us together he will flip.” She walked past me, pausing only to pet the top of my head as she went. She was clearly bigger.

The walk to school was an interesting one. Sarah had “borrowed” a pair of her father’s boots. They added about 3 inches to her overall height. I couldn’t be sure but seeing as my head barely cleared her shoulders she might have had a whole foot on me in them. Her stride was longer too, I had to keep up a brisk pace to match her leisurely stroll. It was still fairly dark out and there were hardly any people on the streets, just the occasional car. Though that was probably for the best. We waited outside the school, doing what teenagers do when they’re alone, until the doors were unlocked and people started trickling in. We hadn’t said a word since we left her house but our shared silence felt warm and comforting. All I needed was to be near her and all she wanted was to hold my hand. 

After homeroom I didn’t see Sarah again until P.E. This time she attended class with the rest of us. She had borrowed a jersey and shorts from somewhere, even so they were too small and may as well have been painted on. I could hear my classmates murmur about “the new girl”. They didn’t even recognize her. Not surprising really. 

What was surprising was her performance. We started with a half mile of laps around the gym. I consider myself to be pretty fast and usually I’m one of the first few to finish. But Sarah lapped us all almost immediately. Not once, not even twice. I lost count of the number of times that she whipped past me, her jersey barely containing her bouncing chest. I can finish a half mile in just over 3 minutes but Sarah was done in just under two. Somehow that didn’t seem right to me though. As I finished my last lap I walked up to her panting heavily. 

“What was that….like a…..4 minute mile?” I looked at her, my arms gripping my knees. She smiled widely.

“More like a 1 minute 54 second mile.” Her voice was calm and even and her breathing was completely unhindered. “I did twice the laps.” Her grin widened further.  

“Holy shit.” I whispered. “Isn’t that a world record?” Sarah just winked down at me and continued to the next activity. 

She continued to humiliate the class in Basketball as well and there were some heavy hitters here. Two of the boys in our class were on the Varsity team and even though they both had several inches on her they just couldn’t keep up with her quick feet and lightning fast reflexes. I was never any good at basketball and so spent most of my time on the bench watching Sarah run circles around men hoping to go pro one day. The jocks were remarkably good sports, even high fiving her after every three pointer. Not everyone was impressed though. 

Our P.E. teacher, Mr. Sunder was a minor league b-ball player back in the day. Something he rarely forgot to mention whenever he made us play. He was also the coach of the Varsity team and He clearly wasn’t happy with how easily Sarah was making fools out of his boys. Halfway through the second game he blew his whistle and brought everything to a stop. He marched up to Sarah and glared down at her. Mr. Sunder was a big man, not just tall at 6’7” but burly and wide as well. Even with her recent growth Sarah looked almost tiny compared to him, almost. 

“Now I don’t know what kinda tricks you’re using to trip up my team here,” He gestured violently at his two players. “But I’m putting an end to it here and now.” To her credit, Sarah did not back down. 

“Whatever do you mean sir?” She batted her eyes and put a finger on her lips. 

“Don’t mock me girly. We’re gonna have a match. You and me. One on one. I’ve seen every trick in the book in my time so don’t think you can pull the wool over my eyes.” He leaned in close as if to stare into Sarah’s soul. “I despise cheaters.” 

“Whatever you say coach.” Sarah grinned back at Sunder. 

The two took their positions. It was first to 10 best 2 out of 3. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sarah had clearly shown massive improvement in all of her physical abilities but Sunder was a pro. The class was murmuring again and I could see bets being made behind backs. 

The first round took less than 5 minutes. Sarah was fast and used that to her advantage. She was able to score 4 points before Sunder changed his tactics. Sure enough he was able to outplay her using misdirection, nothing against the rules but still sketchy. The final score was 10-6 Sunder.

“Gettin’ tired yet, little girl?” Sunder jabbed. It was kinda ironic as he was visibly winded now and Sarah was still as cool and collected as when they started. The second match was when things got interesting, or depressing depending on who you were rooting for. Mr. Sunder tried faking Sarah out again but she saw straight through him. She intercepted his first shot almost as soon as it left his hands and had tossed the ball through the opposing net before Sunder had even turned around. She spent the next 3 minutes utterly demolishing him. 0-10 Sarah. 

“Gettin’ tired yet, old man?” Sarah returned Sunder’s remark back at him. She casually twirled the basketball on her finger while Sunder panted, bent over double. He didn’t reply, he just growled and took up position for the final round. 

There was hardly any point in the last round. Sunder was reduced to chasing after Sarah and the ball like a toddler first learning to play. Sarah’s movement’s were swifter and smoother than any professional player I’d ever seen and in less than 60 seconds she’d secured her win. The entire class, along with myself, was completely slack jawed. The bell rang just as the ball bounced through the net. Sarah twirled on her heels and headed for the locker room. Mr. Sunder sat down in the middle of the court and lay on his back, too winded to say anything. As the rest of the class filtered to the lockers, I tried to grab a peak of Sarah in the girl’s room. I got the barest glimpse of her taking off her jersey and letting her large, firm breasts fall free.

As per usual I didn’t see Sarah again until school got out. This time I met her at her locker. She was struggling with her father’s boots. 

“Damn thing. Get off!” She heaved and pulled one of the boots from her bare foot. “Ahh that’s so much better. These things are getting tight!” She fought briefly with the second boot before finally standing barefoot. Even so, I felt like she was slightly taller now without the boots, than she was this morning with them. “Ready to go?” She chirped and grabbed my hand. 

“Yeah sure.” I grinned as I felt my palm disappear into hers. This was what I’d wanted all along. To go back to being the smaller one. I was maybe a little smaller than I intended, or rather she was a bit bigger, but either way. It was perfect.                 

I was once again woken by a text from Sarah in the wee hours of the morning. I hastily unlocked my phone, hoping that she was asking for me to come over again. Sadly that wasn’t the case. All the message said was that I should head to school without her as she had to run some errands and wouldn't be back until after lunch. I threw my phone to the bedside table, dejected. That’s when I noticed the other message that’d been left for me. A large piece of paper lay on my desk, on it wobbly yet legible writing.

My friend, 

I am sorry to admit that despite my best efforts I was discovered last night while you were out with your beau. Julia, your sister, found me in your room and with no plausible alternative I was forced to tell her of your creation, that you’ve named ED-01. I told her this on the condition that she not tell anyone else. After her shock wore off she seemed to accept the answer and the conditions but I would be wary. A serum like the one you’ve created could have drastic and far reaching effects on the world were it to leave this room. 

I have decided it is in the interest of all involved if I make myself scarce, at least for the time being. I will return someday, of that you can be sure, but until then I bid you farewell.

  Your friend, Romeo 

I had to reread the letter a few times for the ramifications of its contents to fully set it. As soon as they had my eyes jumped to my desk, where I was keeping the few remaining samples of ED-01. There should be three vials, one: A base solution, harmless on its own, check. Two: the remains of the  1/1000 serum to rosewater compound, there should still be about 20mL, check. And three: 10mL of undiluted ED-01, gone. My stomach sank. This could only mean one thing. 

I barely paid attention to the clothes I threw on as I hastily got dressed and ran down the hallway to Julia’s room. I hammered on her door,

“Julia? Are you in there? Please open the door!” I was about to redouble my knocking when the door swung open. I looked into Julia’s eyes and realized my worst fears had come true. “You’re taller!” I accused her without hesitation. She only smiled and with strength I was not expecting, grabbed my arm and pulled me into her room. I spun around, ready to accuse her further but was stopped dead in my tracks. 

Julia was 14, she had always been slightly small for her age and the last time I’d checked she was just over 5 foot. Now, she was looking me straight in the eyes. With my momentum shattered all I could do was look her up and down. It was hard to gauge how much her body had changed as she was wearing what looked like our dad’s old workout gear, a baggy hoodie and loose sweatpants. It had always been a favorite outfit of hers and usually completely enveloped her tiny frame, now it was approaching a loose fit. Her smiling, freckled face was framed by her now chest length black hair and despite my brotherly instincts even I had to admit, she looked good. 

“You were saying?” Julia folded her arms and grinned at me, clearly enjoying this moment. I collected myself as best I could.

“Julia, how much did you take?” I prayed that she’d had the sense to only try a drop of the serum but judging from the rate of her growth that was unlikely. Julia frowned and cocked her head. 

“The whole thing of course, there was barely any left.” I felt my legs go to jelly beneath me and actually had to steady myself on my sister’s shoulders. She barely acknowledged the added weight. “Why, is that a problem?” 

“Oh, no. No problem. Except that you took 10,000 doses at once, that’s all.” My mind was reeling. I had no idea if it were possible to overdose on ED-01, or what that would even look like. As it turns out, the answer was right in front of me, and it made itself known. 

As I was steadying myself by gripping Julia’s shoulder I felt it rise slowly and my fingers spread apart as it expanded. I looked up in utter disbelief as Julia’s head crept higher and higher. Above my own and beyond. Her face became flushed and she bit her lower lip as in pleasure. Her growth continued for only a few more seconds but in that time the sweater that was meant for a man twice her age went from loose and baggy, to a perfect fit. Once her spurt subsided she looked down at me, her eyes sparkling. 

“Hey, how tall are you again?” She asked innocently.

“Five, uh, five foot eight.” I couldn’t think but to respond. Julia stepped towards me and placed both her hands on my shoulders as we stood inches apart. I found myself staring at the base of her neck as she placed her chin over my head. I could feel the bulge of the substantial breasts still hidden by the sweater. 

“I guess that makes me around 6’4” then.” She stated matter of factly. “Guess I’m your big sister now!” She started laughing girlishly. 

“Julia, this is serious. We have no idea what the long term consequences of an overdose are!” 

“Oh relaaaax shorty, it’ll be fine. You gave it to your girlfriend so I’m sure it’s safe.” She turned and grabbed her backpack as she headed for the door. “And besides, I feel great!” I could only watch in stunned silence as Julia left the room, her head mere inches from the top of the doorframe. This was a real mess.

I had no choice but to leave Julia to her own devices. At the very least it would spare me having to explain things to our mother and the school. Even so I spent the first half of the school day completely distracted. In class all I could think about were worst case scenarios and in the hallway I was desperately trying to find Julia in the crowds. This was actually fairly easy. As I’d feared she’d continued to grow almost constantly. The hoodie and sweatpants that had once fit her like a glove now looked like a 4 year old’s pajamas on an adult woman. As I was heading to my last class before lunch I watched her underestimate the height of a doorway and crash straight through it. I had no idea what she’d told her classmates or teachers and right now I didn’t want to think about it. Luckily for me my prayers were answered. Just before the lunch bell I got a text from Sarah. 

Sarah: See u at lunch, save me a seat! <3

Thank god. If Sarah were here I’d at least have something else to occupy my mind. 

And occupy my mind she did, not just mine either, Sarah’s entrance that day would be talked about for years.

Just as we’d all sat down for lunch and started tucking in, the large double doors at the far end of the room swung open. Half the room turned to look, the other half would forever regret not looking. On the other side of the doorway stood a pair of legs dressed in tight fitting garters. But what was remarkable about these legs was not what they were wearing, but that they filled the entire doorway, even the large thighs were nearly as wide as the double frame. The legs took two steps back and then spun around and bent at the knees to reveal a perfect heart shaped ass in a black mini skirt. At this point the half of the room that had looked was completely silent. The ass backed through the doors, getting caught briefly as it was several inches too wide. Once through it was followed by a sender waist and torso. The enormous woman turned around and stood to her full, towering height. Her long auburn hair flowed freely over her shoulders and her beach ball sized breasts were barely contained by a short black tank top. Sarah placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the now 100% silent cafeteria. Her eyes connected with my own and she smiled as she started to walk over to where I was sitting. 

One of the teachers tried to intercept her. Mr. Smyth, the math professor. 

“Ma’am, Only students are allowed….in….here….” His voice trailed off as Sarah approached him and he saw how big she really was. She paid him no mind and simply walked over him, each of her legs nearly twice as long as he was tall. She didn’t even have to adjust her step. When she reached my table, where I sat alone, she sat down cross legged at the foot. Even so she must’ve been over 8 feet tall and I felt like a toddler looking up at a building.

“Heya Sam! What’s for lunch!” She spoke as if nothing at all was out of the ordinary. 

"Um ... .meatballs…." I managed to reply.

“Oh good!” She reached forward with a massive hand and took a meatball from my plate and popped it in her mouth. It looked like a marble between her fingers and she didn’t even have to chew. She then turned to address the room at large. “Sorry for the grand entrance everyone! As you can see, I’ve had a bit of a growth spurt and had to find some clothes before I could come to school and then I couldn’t fit through any of the doors!” She laughed whimsically. Then spoke in a low tone just to me. “As you can probably see, the only clothes that fit me are designed for oversized mannequins, and even they are a bit tight!” I nodded, as if what she was saying made perfect sense. 

I don’t think anyone finished their lunch that day. All the boys could do was stare at Sarah’s oversized and exposed body and half the girls were constantly clambering at her heels to find out her secret. The rest of the girls were sending her death glares from across the room and eyeing their boyfriends jealously. 

Once lunch was over the problem of how to get Sarah out of the cafeteria arose. The single door that connected with the rest of the school was shorter and narrower than just one of her legs. There was no way she could make it through that, so she didn’t even try. She spoke with a few of the teachers and the principal and once they were satisfied that she was, in fact, Sarah Miller they agreed to allow her to skip school for a few days until they could come to a more permanent solution. The principle also spoke with Julia, who now stood over seven and half feet tall, to ask if the same thing was happening to her. For a moment I worried that Julia would give me away, but in a rare showing of sibling solidarity, she simply shrugged and said she didn’t know anything. 

As Sarah was preparing to leave out of the same doorway she came in I stood behind her to say my farewells. My head was even with her lower thigh which was wider than my shoulders. I had to look up just to see her voluminous ass. She turned to look down at me. 

“Come to the gym after school! I’m gonna tryout for cheer captain!” 

“Cheer...captain? But Sarah, you’re way too-” She cut me off by kneeling down and stuffing my face in her monsterous tits. 

“Shhhh, don’t worry about that. Just promise to come!” She held me to her breast with a single hand but it may as well have been a steel vice. Her skin was almost impossibly soft and warm, it felt like my head was being hugged from all directions, which I guess it was. All I could do was speak in muffled affirmation. “Good! See you later then!” She released me and stood. Then she blew me a soft kiss and backed her way through the doors. Watching her go I was treated to the amazing view of her cleavage as she tried to narrow her shoulders to fit through the space. I felt another large hand land on my head and looked up to see Julia standing next to me, her shoulders well about my head. 

“You’re drooling shorty.” She teased down at me. Who could blame me. 

The end of classes couldn’t come soon enough. I was so excited to see Sarah’s tryouts that I completely forgot to worry about Julia. Finally the bell rang and I booked it for the gym. I got there just as the cheer squad was warming up. It wasn't uncommon for guys to watch the cheerleaders practice, although usually they were boyfriends of the members so I did get a few weird looks. Tiffany and her crew were already bossing around the rest of the team. Their short skirts and tight tops were certainly easy on the eyes, but I was looking forward to something much better.

I didn’t have to wait long as only a few minutes after I arrived the outside doors to the gym opened and Sarah squeezed through. Despite the gym being larger than the cafeteria I think the open space actually served to make her look even bigger. As she walked along the far wall she absent mindedly fiddled with the basketball net, which only came up to her navel. Her entrance had been muffled by the cheer squand’s chants but as she made her way over her presence was impossible to overlook. Gradually the girl’s chanting quieted and they parted before her until she stood before Tiffany and co. 

Jessica and Clair shrunk away, clearly too afraid to try any of their usual antics. But Tiffany stood firm. 

“What do you want, freak?” She spat up at Sarah. “Think just ‘cause you doped up on hormones or some shit that I’m afraid of you or something?” Sarah only smiled sweetly. 

“I only came to size you up one last time. Gotta say, not impressed.” Tiffany’s eyes narrowed. Despite her confidence she clearly didn’t like being talked down too, literally or otherwise. 

“Is that all? You done? ‘Cause we have important work to get to so if you could just fuck off?” 

“Oh there was one other thing.” Sarah tapped her mouth as if thinking. “Oh yes! I wanted to make you a bet.” Tiffany said nothing. “I bet that I can make you beg me to take your place as cheer captain in under 15 minuets.” At this, Tiffany smirked.

“Oh yeah? And if you can’t, what then?”

“Then….I guess I’ll be your bitch for the rest of the year.” Sarah stated confidently. 

“Alright, sasquatch. You’re on.” Sarah’s smile widened until it looked like it went from ear to ear. Tiffany, in all her pretense, had already turned around to face the other girls and was ignoring Sarah. This was a mistake. In one motion Sarah lifted Tiffany off the gym floor, flipped her upside down and placed her in the basketball net over head.

“WHAT THE HELL BITCH, WHAT’S YOUR DAMAGE?” Tiffany screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone in the gym, myself included watched, enraptured as the sight unfolded before us. 

“What’s that? Can’t quite hear you.” Sarah mocked. 

“Let me guess,” Tiffany said, more calmly. “You’re only gonna let me down if I give up my spot as captain right?” 

“That’s the gist of it yeah.” 

“Well too bad bitch. You’ll have to do worse than this.” 

“Oh I know, I’m counting on it.” Sarah reached down towards Tiffany. The smaller girls wide hips were preventing her from falling all the way through the hoop and she couldn't see over them to see what Sarah was doing.        

“H-hey, what’re you doing? HEY!” Her voice cracked as she felt what we all saw. Sarah pinched Tiffany’s skirt between her fingers and gave a swift tug. The skirt came right off and Tiffany’s underwear was revealed. 

“Awwww! Are those care bear undies! So cute!” Sarah squealed mockingly. They were indeed. 

“Shut up! Bet’s off, let me down!” Tiffany struggled to free herself from the net but she was dummy thicc and the clapping of her ass checks kept her from falling through. 

“I wonder if your bra matches!” Sarah ignored Tiffany’s protests and reached for her top.

“ALRIGHT! OKAY! YOU WIN! YOU’RE THE CAPTAIN, YOU’RE THE CAPTAIN! LET ME DOWN!” Sarah’s hand paused, Tiffany’s top in her fingers ready to pull.

“That doesn’t sound like begging….” Sarah sang. 

“PLEASE! PLEASE BE TAKE MY PLACE AS CHEER CAPTAIN!” Tiffany hollered at the top of her lungs. Sarah looked like she was about to do it anyway before she let go. Tiffany let out a sigh of relief. Sarah squatted in front of her and grinned. 

“You know what, actually I don’t want to. I think I’ve outgrown you and your little friends.”  With that she stood and walked back to the exit. 

“W-wait, you have to get me down from here!” Tiffany yelled after her. Sarah only shrugged and kept walking. I looked up at Tiffany struggling in the net for a moment before running after Sarah. 

“You sure it’s okay to leave her up there?” I asked once I caught up.

“It’s fine, she won’t tell anyone.  She’s too proud.” She looked down at me. “I feel like I should thank you again, you have no idea how good that felt, and it’s all thanks to you!” I blushed.

“Yeah well, I never imagined you grow this much, I thought like 8 feet tops.” Sarah snorted. 

“Try 16’10”

“For real?” I gawked. 

“Yup, but I think I’m done. I don’t feel like I’m growing anymore.”

“Oh what a shame…” I said sarcastically. 

“No sass mister.” Sarah leaned down and lifted me up, cupping my butt in one large hand. “Now come here, I can’t be bothered to wait for your short lil’ legs the whole way home.” She kissed me while I was still in shock from being carried so easily. “And we have a busy night ahead of us!”    

Growing Closer: Jack and Jill

Jill had always been small. Even by her first day of highschool she was barely a hair over 4 feet. And she hated it. It wasn’t that she resented being shorty per-say, just being so much shorter than everyone else. Kids three or four years younger than her treated her like one of them and kids her own age? Well, let’s just say “Lil’ Jill” was alway the baby of the group. Even within her own family her size dictated her role. She was 13 when her parents absent mindedly left her younger brother in charge when rushing out the door one day. She hated being small. And she would do anything to change it.

Jack on the other hand never had such issues. Not many highschoolers reach a towering height of 5’8” by their 14th birthday. He had hit puberty young, fast and hard. At first he enjoyed it. Being the tallest in his class had perks. Not the least of which was the admiration of nearly every girl in his grade, and not a few from the grades above. Nearly every girl. Except one. Except the one he wanted. The tiny redhead from the locker down the hall. So, despite all their entreatings, despite the many promises of carnal pleasure, Jack ignored the leggy blondes and the ebony beauties; and he asked Jill to the school dance.  

They made a funny couple. Even in her 4 inch heels Jill barely cleared Jack's lower chest. And Jack found maneuvering around such a slight form difficult, they certainly wouldn't be winning any dance competitions. Jill had convinced herself at the start that this was merely a one time gig. Just so she’d have a date to the dance. 

And yet….  

There was something about this...giant...that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Something that made her heart flutter when their eyes met, or when his large hand settled on her shoulders. Perhaps that was it. For a boy as tall as Jack, dancing with Jill was awkward to say the least, to put his hand on her waist he’d have to bend at the back or the knees but….he wasn’t. He simply placed his hands on her shoulders and danced. For the first time someone wasn’t treating her like she was small, he was treating her differently to be sure but not because of her size but rather in spite of it. 

And so when it came time to part for the night, and Jack was stumbling over his farewells. Jill did something she had never done before. Tugging on his tie, she caught Jack by surprise and pulled him down to meet her face. The kiss was small, that was the only kind of kis Jill could give, but it connected the two for life. 

They began dating immediately. But our story begins almost years later in Jack and Jills senior year. Jack by this point has finished growing at a towering 6’5”, Jill grew as well, not much (that comes later), to 4’4”.  We pick up with the two at the time of their first real fight one Monday morning.         

Jan 6/20XX

Mondey, the first day of school after Christmas break. Jack is driving to school with Jill in the passenger seat. 

“I don’t know Jill, it sounds kinda sketchy. ‘Prolonged muscle stimulation’ sounds like a side effect from illegal steroids.”

“That’s why it’s still in testing! Look I don’t need your permission okay? I’m a legal adult and my parents have already signed off on it.” Jack frownd.

“Since when do legal adults need their parents to sign off on anything?”

“I don’t know….to rent a car for example? Why are you so against this?”

Jack had to pause. Why was he against it? This new wonder drug promised to stimulate growth in its users. Obviously that was what drew Jill to the trial in the first place. Even after dating Jack she still resented her size, perhaps more so. 

“I dunno babe, I just think that I like you small.” He regretted those words the instant they left his mouth. 

“You like me small? What so I’m your pet now or something? I have to stay small and dainty to please my master? Is that what you’re implying?” Pulling into student parking, Jack rushed to say the right thing.
“Baby you know I didn’t--” 

“Don’t call me Baby you know I hate that. God you’re just….I need some time.” 

Jill slammed the door and stomped off to the school doors. Jack sighed. Well it was a long time coming. Not many couples go nearly 4 years without a major fight. It was his fault of course, for trying to stop her from fixing the one thing she had always hated about herself. But it wasn’t for the reason he gave. There was something else. A feeling. Deep in his gut, when he thought of Jill growing. He couldn’t quite place it. 

Jan 26/20XX

It was nearly 3 weeks before Jill spoke to Jack again. She came knocking on his door one sunday morning. 

“Hiya--I came to apologize.” Jack stared down at the cute freckled face looking up at him. She had put on makeup, which was rare for her. Her tiny pink lips curled in and out as her green eyes twinkled up at him.

“Apologize, that’s supposed to be my job I just couldn't find you-”  

“I know, I know. I was….avoiding you. But I miss you and so long as you agree to support--” Jack embrasse Jill in a bearhug. 

“Of course I’ll support you and I’m sorry I ever tried to do otherwise.” Jill let out a muffled sob and Jack stepped back, afraid he might have been too forceful. 

“Jill are you--?”

“I’m fine, just happy is all.” She rubbed a tear from her eye, smudging her eyeliner.” 

“Aww, Jillybean. You didn’t have to get all dressed up for me, you even got your heels on, did you walk all the way here in those?” 

At the mention of heels, Jill’s smile grew to an ear to ear grin. 

“That’s the thing, I’m not wearing heels!” 

Jack paused. He could’ve sworn that Jill’s head felt higher on his chest, about as high as her regular 4 inch heels put her. But looking down, she was right, She was wearing ordinary flats. 

“So the drug?”

“Yup! It works! I’ve already grown 4 inches. I'm 4’8!”

“Wow Jill that’s...that’s amazing!” The funny feeling was back, stronger now.

“I know! I hope I keep growing. I’d love to be able to kiss you without a stepstool!” 

“Speaking of kissing.” Jack swooped down and lifted Jill into his arms. “I’ve missed you so much!” He locked lips with her for the first time in ages. Jill giggled, 

“I know you have, you must’ve been so lonely with me!” 

“Oh you have no idea.” Jack whispered as he carried his girlfriend up the stairs.    

Feb 9/20XX

Jack was beyond ecstatic to have his girlfriend back. It was like a missing piece of his soul had been returned. And of course Jill was happy to now have Jack’s blessing to keep taking the drug. They kept a constant track of her height, measuring every Sunday. Jill was outgrowing clothes fast and had started buying items several sizes in advance. Only two weeks after their reconciliation Jill had reached a, not quite towering, height of 5’2”.

“10 inches Jack! 10 inches! That’s huge!” Jack had to stifle a snort. Hearing someone over a foot shorter than him call herself huge was rather silly. Though he did have to say she was bigger. She felt heavier in his arms and at her new height she nearly reached his shoulders. 

“Yeah, you’re a regular Paul Bunyun!” 

“Oh ha ha,” Jill punched his arm 

“Ow! Man you’ve got a real swing there? Are you working out too?” Jill grinned. 

“No but I am stronger! I was able to hold like 8 logs of wood we made a fire the other day!” Jack was skeptical and it showed on his face. “Oh? You don’t believe me? Come on big man, let's wrestle for it!” Jill placed her arm on a table, inviting Jack to sit opposite her. The strange feeling twisted Jack’s stomach but he tried to ignore it. 

“Come on Jill there’s no way that--”

“Oh what, you're scared you might be weaker than widdle ol’ me?” Jack had no idea where Jill was getting her confidence from but she had managed to poke at his pride just a little too hard.

“Alright then, little missy. I guess I’ll have to show you who's boss.” He took his seat and locked hands with her. Right away he could feel her grip was stronger than he was expecting. 

“On three! One...Three!” Jill caught Jack off guard and immediately started pushing his hand to the table.

“Wha--Hey!” Jack barely managed to stop his hand halfway to the table. “Cheater!” He attempted to even the score but found that he was actually struggling to maintain equilibrium. Some of it was from her advantage from catching him off guard but it was proving far harder than it should be to move her hand back. “Jeez Jill, since when are you so strong?” He looked over at her face, it was contorted in effort. Her eyes were clenched shut, her teeth biting her lower lip. Clearly this wasn’t easy for her either. Slowly her surprising strength began to wane and Jack eased her hand to the middle position and then gently down to the table.   

Both of them were winded, but Jill was obviously wiped out.  

“Jesus Jill,” Jack panted. “You must’ve been working out, since when are you so strong?”

“I--I don’t know.” Jill was struggling to catch her breath. “It just kinda happened.” Jack was skeptical of course but looking over at his girlfriend he noticed that clearly it wasn’t just her height that had been changing. Her whole body seemed...fuller, looking closely it was mostly muscle tone.  She wasn’t buff or anything but she certainly looked like she frequented the gym.

“Well whatever that drug is doing to you, it’s doing a hell of a good job.”

“Aw Thanks babe! I was worried you wouldn’t like it, you know me getting stronger and all. Men tend to be insecure about that kinda thing.”

“Well, you’re still not stronger than me.”

“Yet.”        

“Yet?” Jill glanced up and gave Jack a worried look.

“Yes. I mean, what did you think was gonna happen? This drug is making me taller and stronger and a whole host of other things. Did you think it was gonna stop?”

“Well….yeah logically it has to at some point right? I figured you grow around average height for a girl and then….stop.”

“Jack….how do I put this. This drug is going to change the whole world. I started as a late trial recipient but the trial’s over. It has been for over a week.”

“And you’re still taking it?”

“A version of it, yes. And pretty soon it’s going to make its way to the general public. I may only grow to the average height of a girl but that average height is going to be a lot taller than it is right now.” Jack swallowed, that strange feeling was becoming stronger and stronger.

“How….how much taller.” Jill shrugged.

“Hard to say. Some of the girls in the earlier trials exceeded 9 feet but the doctors seem to think the actual average will be taller than that.”

“Taller than 9 feet? Are you serious?” Jack was completely dumbfounded. 

“Well I did say it was gonna change the world. They tried making a male version but ironically it has the opposite effect.”

“So how tall do you want to be?” 

Jill smiled warmly. 

“Oh Jackie, you know me. I hate being short. And if the average ends up around 9 feet.” She paused holding her hand above her head. “I guess I’ll just have to go to 10. I hope you’re okay with that.”

“I don’t know….I--I think so….it’s just.”

Jill stood and walked to where Jack was sitting. 

“It’s just you’ve always been the tall one?”

“Y--yeah, I guess.”

“Well. You’re still pretty darn tall to me right now big fella. Why don’t you make the most of it.” With that, Jill leaned in for a kiss. “Carry me upstairs you big lunk.” She whispered through their joined lips. 

Feb 23/20XX

“Come on! Come on! How tall am I now!” Jill could hardly stand still long enough for Jack to get an accurate measurement.

“Hold still Jillybean, I can’t read it. Let’s see...you are….5 feet 8 inches tall….Wow.”

“Five eight? For real? That’s like, almost tall!”

“It’s actually pretty tall for a girl babe.”

“Well it was, I hear the average is up nearly 5 inches already!” 

She was right of course. Only 3 days after she told Jack of the world’s impending change, the new drug, Intera-grow had gone public. It was a hit of course. And Jack had been noticing that women seemed taller. None were taller than him yet, though some were close. Before the drug the tallest girl in school had been around 6’1”, now she could nearly look Jack in the eye. Clearly she was behind the curve. 

“I’m still about an inch below average right now, but I had a head start so I should be taking over soon!”

“So I guess that means that men and women are the same height now.” Jack was trying to offer some intelligent insight but was finding it difficult. 

“For now,” Jill scoffed. “I mean I’m already taller than my younger brother, finally.”

“So….do you think you’ve gotten any stronger?” Jack was almost afraid to ask. But the question had been lingering in his mind for two weeks. 

Jill grinned.

“You wanna find out?” She teased, striking a double bicep pose. She was even more toned than the last time the wrestled. And Jack noticed something else. Jill had always been, well to be frank, flat chested. But now, now she was positively busty. Easily a D cup and that wasn’t all, her butt had inflated as well. It looked round a firm enough to bounce a quarter off of. 

“Hey, quite daydreaming you bozo. We gonna wrestle or what?” 

“Oh, uh yeah. Let’s do it.”

The two took their seats and locked hands. Even Jill’s hands were larger, still small next to Jack’s but not the petite digits he remembered. 

“No cheating this time.” 

Jill rolled her eyes.

“I don’t think I need to.” 

The couple started almost simultaneously. And at first it appeared to be a stalemate. Neither contender could budge the other. Jack thought this would just be a repeat last time, that all he needed to do was outlast Jill’s stamina. He raised his eyes from their entwined hands just for a moment to see Jill’s face. She was beaming. There wasn’t a hint of strain anywhere on her face. Then ever so slowly Jack felt the force on his arm increase. His hand slowly began to fall towards the table. It was surreal, it felt like he was fighting a hydraulic ram. Despite all his effort he couldn’t slow it’s progress. And then. It was over. Jill threw up her arms in Victory

“Yes! I did it!” Rolling up her sleeves she gave each bicep a kiss. 

“Damn Jill, how are you so strong? You don’t look buff or anything and I still have a good 9 inches on you.” 

“Dunno,” Jill sauntered over to Jack’s seat, “Something to do with increased muscle density and efficiency. I actually weigh like 190 pounds. So I can do stuff like this.” In one fluid motion, Jill grabbed Jack's arms and pulled him up out of his chair to a standing position. “What do you weigh again babe?”

“195….” Jack trailed off.

“Ooooh, I'm catching up!” Jill stood on her toes to plant a kiss on Jack’s cheak. “Better get ready baby!” 

At this realization. That Jill, lil’ Jill was now stronger than him and nearly weighed as much as him. Something in Jack’s mind clicked. He thought he had first fallen for Jill because she was so small. And he thought her growing would turn him off. But it was never that she was small. It was that her size differed so greatly from his own. And it was now clear to him that it did not matter in what direction that difference was. He looked down and the freckled face beaming up at him. And he couldn’t wait, until it was looking down on him. 

Mar 8/20XX

Jack had been paying careful attention to Jill over the past two weeks. So much so that he practically missed half the female population at school outgrowing him. The average height for women was now around 6’2” and there were several taller than that, with the tallest girl at school now a towering 6’8”.  Daughters were kissing their father’s foreheads before leaving for school, and little sisters were claiming the front seat from their older brothers. But that wasn’t Jack’s concern. His concern was Jill.

Only a few days after their fateful arm wrestling match Jill announced that she had passed 200lbs, officially outweighing Jack. She continued to grow taller as well. The day she passed 6 feet she wore a pair of 5 inch pumps actually allowing her to look down at Jack for the first time ever. Jack would never forget that moment. The way she strode over to him and popped out her hip, licking her lips lick a hunger tigress. 

“Hey short stuff.” She whispered. Before whisking him off to her bedroom. That had been nearly a week ago.  

       Since then she’d only gotten bigger. 

“6 feet 4 inches.” Jack announced, noticing he needed to stand to the side to see the number on the tape. 

“Ooooooh I’m so close!” Jill trilled. “What if I---” She paused, then stood on her tiptoes rising several inches to look down into Jack’s eyes. “Outgrew you right now!” 

“Not so fast Jillybean!” Jack grunted, standing on his own toes. He gripped her wrists and pinned them to the wall as he kissed her, barely having to adjust his head. Jill giggled girlishly. Then, almost faster than Jack could imagine, pushed herself off the wall and flipped Jack around so now she was pinning him. 

“Mmmmm, don’t forget babe. I have over 50lbs on you now, and all of it muscle.” 

She was right. Try as he might Jack couldn’t shake her grip. She began leaning in on him, forcing him to bend backwards. She slid one hand to his waist and placed the other on his cheek. Then she quickly hefted  his lower body, bringing him into a bridal carry as if she was going to carry him across the threshold on their honeymoon. Jack broke from the kiss.

“Jill what are---” 

“Shhhh….” She hushed him. “Come with me.” It wasn’t like he had much choice as Jill carried him upstairs.

Jack awoke the next morning in the glow of their union. Jill was already up and pounced on him the moment he opened his eyes. 

“Hey babe! Measure me!” 

“Wha--Jill it’s been like 8 hours you’re not gonna be any tall---” Jack paused after standing and looked up, way up. “What the he--”

“Got you! I’m in my heels. I’m like, over 6’11” in these!”

How tall are they?”

“6 inches” Jill winked as Jack did some quick math.

“But that would mean---”

That’s why I said to measure me!” Jill was already bounding down the stairs, having discarded her heels. Jack walked more slowly. Eventually coming to an exasperated Jill with a measuring tape. 

He took deliberate time to get a measurement. Both to annoy Jill and to be absolutely sure.    

“6 feet….5...and….a half.” He concluded. 

Jill squealed. A surprising sound coming from a woman her size. And leapt forward, wrapping her arms around Jack's shoulders as she kissed him.

“Guess I’m the tall one now my lil’ Jack-in-the-box!”

“Really? That’s the nickname you’re going with?” 

“Hey, shrimps don’t get to talk back.”

“Never stopped you before.” 

Jill giggled, “So how do you feel?” 

“What do you mean?”

“Well you’ve always been so tall, but now nearly half of all women are taller than you. Hell, I used to barely come up to your ribs and now I’m taller than you. Pretty soon you’re gonna be looking up at middleschool girls.”  

Jack looked down at his feet.

“I guess….I’m okay. No, I'm more than okay. I’m….happy.”

Jill smiled softly. 

“Me too.” She pulled his head to her shoulder and the two stood. Wrapped in each other’s embrace. 

Mar 22/20XX

6 foot 10 was the new average. Jack had finally started noticing how tall the girls around him were. Even the short ones could look him in the eyes. Jill’s prediction had come true. While walking into school Jack noticed that even some of the 8th graders had 2 or 3 inches on him. It was really quite bizarre. Jack couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to look up at anyone let alone a girl. 

Of course Jill was still growing. She’d taken to simply telling Jack how tall she was every morning rather than having him measure her. 6’6”, 7”,8” and 9” all passed before he’d had time to adjust. Now she stood a staggering 7’2”. Jack couldn’t help but notice one morning as they were taking a walk, that his eye level was below her chin.

“Hey Jill….do you ever think you’re gonna stop? Getting taller I mean.”

“Why? I thought you said you liked it?”

“I do, I mean I think I do….it’s just….you’re so tall, your way taller than me and I’m like, really tall.”

Jill looked down, a perplexed look on her face.

“No you’re not.”

“Jill, you know what I mean. Yeah you’re over 7 feet but 6’5” is still pretty tall.”

Jill stopped and turned to face Jack. She straightened her back to emphasize her height. Jack did the same, to less impressive results. Jill began to step towards Jack, each step forced her to angle her head slightly more down, and Jack to look slightly more up. Finally, they were face to face, or rather face to collar bone. Standing like this Jill could see clearly over the top of Jack’s head.

“Still think 6’5” is ‘pretty tall’? I’m sorry Jack but you’re not tall anymore. Maybe for a guy, but to women you’re….short. I thought we already had this conversation?”

“We….did. I guess I didn’t believe you back then.    

Jill took him by the shoulders and spun him around, facing the park they had been walking through. 

“Look around you Jack, do you see any girl here shorter than you? I think the shortest one here is about 6’6”. And in another week, there likely won’t be any women over the age of 13 who’s under 7 feet tall.”

Jill was right, again. A week later the new average height for women was 7 and a half feet. Women were growing so fast that society couldn’t keep up. Riots by men who were furious that the drug had been created locked down several major cities. Jack and Jill avoided all that, instead staying in Jill’s home where she could protect him. She herself had reached 8 feet tall by this point. Jack felt like a child in her arms, his head barely clearing her shoulders.