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Author's Chapter Notes:

Hey guys, so my busy season is done so I'm back into writing again. The story is getting a little darker, so I apologize now if that's not your cup of tea. It's just what I love writing though! Anyways, I went back and added an addendum to the last chapter "Family Drama" to give it a more natural ending. I included that in this chapter too so you don't have to click back. Anyways, enjoy! Leave a comment or email me (gtscarnage@gmail.com) if you liked it! Thanks.

- Changes -

Added Oct 9 2021 [Feet, Humiliation, Entrapment]

Natalie walked into her bedroom and tossed her slippers on the floor, not caring where they landed. She sat on her bed with a sigh and slowly rubbed her temples. She couldn’t stop thinking about her interaction with Aubreigh and the tinies just a few moments ago. She was so unbelievably pissed at Thomas right now.

A sound from off in the distance caught Natalie’s attention. She looked over at the tiny house on the top of her dresser and saw her tiny husband coming out the front door.

“Honey?” the tiny man asked. “Where are the kids? I thought you were bringing them back up here, weren’t you?”

“Not now, Andrew,” Natalie sighed and dropped her hands on her thighs.

“But I thought-”

“I said NOT NOW, Andrew…,” Natalie said through gritted teeth, her eyes widening as she glared at the tiny man.

Andrew stopped and didn’t say another word. He knew all too well to never challenge his wife when she used that tone with him. That fact was even more important now that she was gigantic.

Natalie turned her head back and stood up, focusing on her routine now. She took her cardigan off, letting it fall to the floor. Then she pulled her shirt off and then let her pants drop to the floor too. She wedged her thumbs between her thigh and her underwear and shimmied them off her body, gyrating her body as she did so. Andrew stared in awe at the gigantic naked body before him. He was so turned on by her, yet, he was slightly afraid of her. Although, he didn’t know if that fear was warranted or if it was just all in his head. Just a little bit ago they were having sex as best a giant wife and tiny husband could. But now she wasn’t even talking to him. What the hell happened down there, he wondered?

Natalie didn’t even so much as glance in Andrew’s direction as she walked around their bedroom. She knew subconsciously that he was getting a show, but her mind was elsewhere. She was still thinking about what had just happened downstairs. She was still in shock that she had injured one of Aubreigh’s tiny little friends. And the more she thought about Aubreigh’s reaction, the more exciting it was to her. Aubreigh didn’t get mad at her, curse her out, or even cry. Sure, she could tell that Aubreigh was a little distraught, but who wouldn’t be if their friends just got nearly crunched? But still, Aubreigh reacted… surprisingly well...

Natalie smirked as she opened her closet bi-fold door and grabbed a robe. She thought about the words Aubreigh had said to her. Her daughter literally told her that she ‘understood’ her frustration, and that she was mad at the tinies too, especially her little brother. Had Aubreigh finally broken, she wondered? Natalie didn’t want to get too far ahead of herself. It would be naïve on her part to think that Aubreigh had just suddenly ‘switched sides’ and went from being their biggest advocate to someone who knows how to put those tinies in their place.

Still, the possibility tantalized Natalie.

Natalie walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting steam fill the room. Even if Aubreigh hadn’t been completely won over, Natalie didn’t see it as an impossibility anymore. With just a few more careful nudges and pushes, Natalie could have Aubreigh see her point of view. She would see, and finally understand, that she is a powerful woman and that she doesn't need to tiptoe around little people. One by one, the hurdles were coming down, Natalie realized. The water beat against Natalie’s chest, cascading down her body and splashing on the shower floor. The dirt and grime from her feet flowed down the drain. Natalie closed her eyes and smiled to herself as she let the water hit her face. 

And all Aubreigh had said was that… she understood. Natalie laughed even harder. Whether Aubreigh knew it or not, she had flipped sides. Natalie kept giggling to herself, thinking about how obvious it was to her now. She just needed to make her daughter realize that a switch had been flipped inside her. She looked forward to finally bonding with her daughter over their newfound value system.

Out in the bedroom, on the dresser, Andrew Beaumont sat alone on the ground by the front door to his tiny house. He was tired and a little confused as he heard maniacal laughing coming from the bathroom. He had never heard his wife laugh like that before. It would almost be comical if it weren’t so scary. He stood up and looked nervously at the bathroom door. Had Natalie lost it? Was she overwhelmed at the prospect of having to take care of a tiny husband, as well as that of her two shrunken children? It probably was a lot for her to take in, and he was worried that she wasn’t going to handle it very well.

He stepped inside the tiny house and went to the built-in miniature phone system. He pressed a button and put the receiver to his ear. He let it ring for a while before it went to voicemail. He heard the voice of his son, Thomas, on the other end of the line. He hung up and pressed another button. He let it ring again for several seconds before it also went to voicemail. This time the voice of his daughter, Julia, was on the other end, telling him to leave a message and she would call him back.

Frustrated, he hung up the phone and thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by the almost manic laughter in the distance. Getting another idea, he picked up the phone again and hit another button. The other end picked up and a very sleepy voice answered.

“Lindsey?” Andrew said, covering his mouth over the receiver, as if his giant wife could hear him.

“Yes, Mr. Beaumont?” the sleepy voice said. “Can I help you with something? It’s 11 at night.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry to be calling so late” Andrew said, looking out the window at the bathroom door. “But listen, can you swing by the house tomorrow?”

“Sure, is everything okay?”

“Um, I’m not sure,” he responded. “I just feel like something’s not right… but I can’t quite put my finger on it...”

“Okay, I’ll be over first thing,” Lindsey said.

“No, no,” he said. “Wait till mid-morning. And um, don’t tell Mrs. Beaumont that you’re coming, okay?”

“Um, sure,” Lindsey said. “You got it.”

“Thanks Lindsey,” he said, holding the receiver away from his ear as he heard the distant shower water stop.

“Are you okay, Mr. Beaumont?” Lindsey asked on the other end. Andrew was distracted and absentmindedly hung up on her. He slowly walked back outside his house and onto the dresser, watching the bathroom door in the distance. He couldn’t take his eyes off it. And every second that passed raised the tension in his heart as it slowly beat harder and harder. He wondered if he dared to speak to Natalie again.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened and out walked his giant wife in a haze of steam. Her wet hair was pulled behind her ears and the white robe covered most of her body. His fingers tingled with nervousness and his legs felt like jelly. Mustering up a bit of courage, he drew in a pained breath.

“So, what’s so funny?” Andrew asked, his heart beating harder and louder. He was sure his voice was shaky too.

“Hmm?” Natalie asked, turning her head toward him in annoyance.

“I heard you laughing in the bathroom,” Andrew said, pausing to catch his breath and calm his voice down. “I just wanted to know, what’s so funny?”

“Ugh,” Natalie rolled her eyes with a sigh and took two steps toward her tiny husband. Her magnificent figure loomed higher and higher over him with each step closer, her breasts nearly blocking his view of her scowling face. It was a sight that he wasn’t used to yet. The rest of her imposing glare was blocked out of sight as Natalie pushed her giant finger into her tiny husband and knocked him flat on his back. “You need to go to bed, okay?” she said, starting to walk away.

“Don’t push me like that Nat,” Andrew said, getting back up. “I’m serious.”

Natalie stopped in her tracks and turned around. Her ears burned at the insolent words she just heard her tiny husband utter.

“Don’t tell me what to do, Andrew,” she said, slowly approaching him again. Her eyes pierced straight into him as her brows creased into a scowl. “Don’t tell me what to fucking do, Andrew!” she said again, more forcefully this time. “You lost that privilege when you shrank and then sold our company.” Her finger pressed Andrew to the dresser again. “So now, you don’t get to tell me what to do. Got that?”

Andrew squirmed and wheezed beneath the weight of his wife’s massive finger. The rubbery flesh nearly covered Andrew’s entire body. “Please, Nat…” he coughed, “I can’t breathe…”

“I know! That’s kind of the fucking point!” Natalie spat. “Now answer me, do you understand that you don’t get to tell me what to do?”

“Yes!” Andrew choked.

“Do you?” Natalie angrily asked again, pressing down ever so slightly harder.

“Yes!” Andrew cried even louder as even more air was forced from his tiny lungs. It felt like he was about to pop.

Natalie released her tiny husband from under her finger and he gasped in a breath of air.

“Good,” she said. Her face loomed over Andrew. Her glare of annoyance and anger penetrated so strongly into the heart of the tiny man that he didn’t dare speak another word. “Now get up,” the giant woman said, softening her face only slightly. Andrew promptly did as he was told. “When I tell you to go to bed, what should the proper response be?”

“Why are you treating me like a child with a bedtime?” Andrew wheezed.

He was scared of his giant wife, but he was still brave enough, and stupid enough, to question her. Natalie was going to fix that. She pursed her lips together and exhaled through her nose with disappointment. The air from her nostrils swirled around him. He was bold enough to make eye contact with her as her giant face hovered above him. But then the sight of her monumental face was replaced by her incoming hand.

“Oh God, Natalie, please don’t!” he said, but it was too late. Natalie flicked him with her finger, sending him flying up against the side of the model house. He landed on his side and did his best to catch his breath. Things were a blur for Andrew now.

“Why don’t you take a minute to think about what the correct response should be, Andrew. And not some smart alec reply,” the giant woman said, stepping away. “I’ll be back, sweetheart.”

Andrew’s sides hurt immensely, but luckily there were no broken bones or anything serious like that. He coughed and sputtered a few times and sat up and rubbed his neck. He felt sore from head to toe. He knew what Natalie wanted, but he didn’t understand why she was playing such a cruel game with him. But now having been stuck in her slipper, pressed under her finger, and then flicked by that same finger, he realized all he had to do was play her stupid game by her rules and just wait for Lindsey to come in the morning. That was it, he gave up. He was ready to give his giant wife what she wanted. He heard and felt the booms of her walking around as she changed into some pajamas. He laid there, tired and extremely sore, just waiting for her to come back. He knew he wouldn’t be lucky enough for her to just ignore him until the morning now.

“Well?” her voice echoed. “Did you have some time to think about it?” Natalie said, walking toward him in a t-shirt and panties. She casually kicked her slippers toward the bed and looked down at him, curling her lip.

Andrew watched as the tumbling slippers came to rest, it was a very sobering sight. They were complete monoliths that had been so effortlessly moved by his wife’s casual movements. It was an extremely vivid reminder of how small and insignificant he was now. He wouldn’t have been able to even budge them with all of his might.

Natalie’s eyes lowered to his level, but something caught Andrew’s eyes. One of his wife’s slippers landed with the hard rubber sole turned upward. And on that sole was a very red squishy goo. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach and his throat swelled up with a lump. He began to quake as an uneasy trepidation washed over him.

“D-did you step on them?” the tiny man quivered. 

Not expecting that response, at all, Natalie’s eyebrows furrowed. “Huh?” she asked, squinting her eyes in confusion at her tiny husband.

“Did you step on them?!” he said again, his voice was louder but still shaking and about to give out.

Natalie shook her head at him, completely mystified, still not sure what he was talking about. She looked back to where he was looking and saw the squashed pulp still stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

“Andrew Beaumont!” she snapped, looking back at him. “Are you asking me if I stepped on our children? Are you fucking serious right now? You better be kidding me!”

“I don’t know Natalie, I don’t know what’s going on! The kids aren’t here, you won’t tell me what happened! You nearly squashed me with your finger! H-how am I supposed to know? What am I supposed to think?”

“You should think, ‘hmm, I know my wife, and I know that she loves our children and would never do anything to hurt them,’ that’s what you should think, Andrew!

“Can I see them?” he asked. “Can I see the twins?”

“No!” Natalie scoffed. “They are with Aubreigh. It is late and it is time for bed.”

“But-,”

“I cannot believe you thought I would hurt our kids like that!” Natalie folded her arms and shook her head.

“I’m sorry, babe, I’m just scared,” Andrew explained.

“Don’t ‘babe’ me,” Natalie said scornfully. 

“Babe, I-,”

“What did I just say?” Natalie picked up the tiny man between her fingers and held him before her scrunched up face. “You know, I thought that having you spend some time in my shoe earlier would have taught you to show me some respect. But now I know that was incredibly short sighted of me. I should have known you wouldn’t learn that fast. You always were an obstinate one, Andrew Beaumont. You don’t leave me with any other choice.”

“What- what do you mean?” Andrew asked in confusion. “Any other choice for what?”

Natalie sat down on the bed and ruffled through her clothes that she left on the floor.

“Here we go!” she smiled, holding up a dirty sock. “If my slipper wasn’t enough to teach you to respect me, then I’m going to up it to spending the night with my foot.”

“Spending the night with your-,” Andrew said before Natalie squeezed him with her fingers and forced the air out of his lungs, cutting him off.

“Yep! Now, in you go!” she said with a smile, dropping him in her sock.

Andrew tumbled down the fabric of the giant sock. This was an old trick for Natalie that she had used many times before on the poor tinies. But for Andrew, this experience was brand new. He never in his wildest dreams thought that he might be inside one of his wife’s giant socks someday. Everything was weird and frightening. He landed in the toe section and opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the smell. It was strong. It smelled like his wife’s feet, but it was also strong with the smell of her sweat. The other thing he noticed was how stiff the fibers of fabric were, no doubt where the moist sock had absorbed her foot sweat and then dried out. He tried to stand, but the sock moved as Natalie lifted to her face and looked at the little lump of her husband wiggling within.

“Whew...,” she said, waving her hand in front of her nose, “that IS strong, so sorry about that Andrew. But just like I didn’t get a say in selling the company, you don’t get to have a say in how I discipline you.”

“Is that what this is about?” Andrew yelled from within the dirty sock. “Selling the company?”

“Well, that, and for not listening to me when I told you to go to bed, and for thinking that I squashed our kids,” she said, sticking her toes in the opening and pulling the sock over her foot. “But yeah, I’m pretty pissed about you selling the company. But at least my feet are pretty clean for you, dear.”

Andrew could still clearly hear his wife’s terrifying voice as the hot soft flesh of her foot pressed into him. The rubbery pads of her toes flexed and squished around him, gripping him tightly under the arches. They actually were very clean, just like she said, no doubt to Natalie having just gotten out of the shower. But they were incredibly warm, which was going to heat up the sock and soon create a weird mixture of smells.

“You know, Andrew,” she said, “it’s strange. I never imagined I would have you, of all people, under my toes like this. Not in a million years.” She let out a slight chuckle. “I always thought we were immune. But I guess that didn’t apply to you or the twins, huh?” Natalie squeezed her toes, squishing her tiny husband's body over and over again. It was incredible to feel him struggle against them. But they were way too powerful for him. He would never be able to escape their grip. “It’s also just so crazy to think that, a little over a year ago… it had been ages since I’d had any interaction with a tiny. I only ever went to shopping centers and malls that weren’t integrated with tinies…, the twins were normal…, and you hadn’t even started the company yet. And now, here we are,” she said, pressing her foot into the mattress to feel Andrew squirm again. “It’s just so funny how things can change, isn’t it? For instance, just an hour ago you were in my pussy… and now you’re stuck in my sock. That’s pretty funny if you ask me,” she said with a chuckle as she kept squeezing her toes around on Andrew.

There were some muffled screams from within Natalie’s sock that she couldn’t understand. But it didn’t matter.

“Shhh,” Natalie whispered. “Just relax baby. You’re not going anywhere for a while.” With a smile, she lifted her toes and set them back down on him. “I don’t want to do this to you, but it’s for your own good. Soon you’ll learn to respect me and do just as I say. In fact, there’s going to be some big changes around here.”

Natalie turned off her light and laid down in the bed, pulling the covers over her. She felt pretty optimistic about Aubreigh, and that was enough for her to close her eyes with a happy heart. And so, with the faint feeling of her tiny husband wiggling under her toes, she drifted off to sleep.

***

The next morning, the sun shone brightly through the kitchen window as the sound of eggs sizzling filled the air. The 10 tiny souls in the tank sat in solitude as they watched Aubreigh make an omelet. She had set their enclosure on the kitchen island so she could make them breakfast.

“Ben!” she said, turning around with a huge smile. “I know you don’t like peppers, but does anyone else not like them?” Hovering her head over the tank, she eyed each of them individually. Her bright beaming face never faltered. The tinies just shook their heads. No one verbally answered her question. Aubreigh smiled bigger. “Okay then!”

She turned around and grabbed a pepper and started chopping away. “I think maybe you can just eat around it then Ben… if everyone else likes them, I don’t see why I shouldn’t add them.” She picked up the green bits of pepper with her fingers and sprinkled them on the hot gooey egg in the frying pan. 

“Oh!” she said, turning around to the tiny people again. “And what about onions? Anyone here not like onions?” The reflection of the chopping knife in her hand shined brightly down on the tinies. Seeing the giant teenager holding such a gruesome weapon made them nervous and apprehensive. And again, no one really responded. “Come on guys,” Aubreigh said, still retaining her smile. “You’re not making this very easy for me.”

“Uh, I don’t like onions, Aub,” Ben mumbled.

“Thank you, Ben!” Aubreigh sighed with relief. “Anyone else?”

Again, there was silence as she eyed each tiny person individually, looking for any sort of response.

“Everyone else likes onions? Wow, well, it just looks like you are striking out Ben. Well, I’m just going to add them anyways,” she said, turning around and chopping two small white onions, “and you can just eat around them too.”

“Dang, I hate onions and peppers…,” Ben said. “This is going to be the worst omelet ever…”

“Trust me…,” Brian said, “that’s not the worst omelet ever. It could be worse.” His harrowing experience of nearly being eaten in Aubreigh’s omelet just yesterday was vividly imprinted on his brain. 

“Ha!” Ben laughed, looking at the others. “I suppose one of us could be stuck in it. That would suck wouldn’t it?” Ben chuckled to himself but saw that no one else was even humoring him with a courtesy laugh. He composed himself and stopped laughing out of embarrassment. “Geez guys, I’m just trying to lighten the mood and make the best of our situation. It’s absurd right? That we’d be IN AN OMELET? And then either Aubreigh or Mrs. Beaumont would-”

“Jesus Christ, Ben!” Nate said. “Shut the fuck up, will ya?”

“It’s okay,” Brian said, pausing and smiling to himself. “It’s kind of funny now.”

“What is?” Ben asked.

“No, it’s not funny,” Kelly said, punching her brother in the arm and scowling her face. “You almost died yesterday!”

“Okay,” Ben said, “what’s NOT funny then?”

“If we can’t laugh at these crazy things that keep happening to us, then we’re going to have a REALLY rough time,” Brian replied. “Our whole tiny life is laughable.”

“I don’t understand-,” Ben stopped mid-sentence and gasped, putting both his hands over his mouth. “Oh my god!” he said with eyes wide open. “Did? Did you?” Ben exhaled in disbelief. “In an omelet? But how? Why? And… how did you survive?”

“I guess god had other plans for me,” Brian shrugged.

“Geez, I guess so,” Ben said, completely mortified by the thought of being stuck in any kind of food.

“I don’t believe in god,” Nate said stoically.

“Um…,” Brian paused, caught off guard by Nate’s statement. “Okay?”

Nate shook his head. “I mean, if god was real, this wouldn’t be happening to any of us.”

“Well, I know for me, my belief in god is the only thing that gets me through being tiny. I don’t think there are any tiny people in heaven,” Brian replied.

“Yeah, Nate,” Ben said. “Why do you always have to crap on other people’s beliefs?”

“Sorry,” Nate replied. “Whatever helps you get through this hellish life.”

A colossal shadow loomed over them. They looked up to the sight of Aubreigh’s bright smile shining down on them.

“What are you guys talking about?” she asked in a chipper tone.

“Nothing/god,” the tiny voices simultaneously mumbled.

“Well, what’s the discussion about?” Aubreigh asked. “I have opinions about god too.” 

“Nate doesn't believe in god,” Ben said. Nate turned his head toward Ben and stared daggers at him.

“Dude, if you weren’t my girlfriend's brother, I swear I could kill you,” he muttered.

“Nate?” Aubreigh asked, genuinely shocked. “You don’t believe in god? Wow, I’m surprised to hear you say that. I mean, you’ve gone to church ever since we were kids. So how can you say that?”

“I-, I don’t know,” he said despondently. “It just doesn't make sense to me anymore. A magical sky wizard? You might as well be praying to that spatula in your hand. They both will respond the same way… not at all. I used to pray to god every day, since I was a kid, that I wouldn’t be a tiny person anymore, that I would be cured, that I could just be normal. God never responded.” Nate scoffed. “Because he’s not fucking real. It’s just a fairy-tale for stupid people.”

“That’s so interesting. I thought you little people would want to believe in a god, you know,” Aubreigh said, gesturing at them, “because of your situation and what not.”

“How-, how would that help?” Nate asked in disbelief.

“I don’t know Nate, some people like believing in that stuff, you know, for hope and whatever,” the giant teen said, flipping the omelet over. “Polls say that an overwhelming number of tinies believe in god or some sort of higher power. But I always thought that was weird… I feel like you do Nate… I mean, who wouldn’t lose their faith if their life turned out so crappy and horrible?”

“Gee whiz,” Nate said. “You really are doing a great job of making us feel good about our lot in life. Bang up job, Aubs.”

“Come on,” Aubreigh sighed, “knock off the sarcasm, okay?”

“Well, I mean, come on,” Nate scoffed, “how stupid do you have to be to make a comment like that? Like, can’t you not read the room?”

“Oh really?” Aubreigh said, “So you think I’m stupid, Nate?”

She looked down in the tank at the tiny teenage boy and raised her eyebrows expectantly.

“Yeah, I do…,” Nate said without hesitation. He looked right up at the giant girl. She frowned her lips and narrowed her eyes in response to him.

“You better take that back, right now,” Aubreigh sternly scolded him.

“Or what?” Nate scoffed. “Are you going to put me in your shoe again?”

Aubreigh shrugged her shoulders flippantly. “Who knows. I might!”

“Nate, just take it back,” Chloe pleaded with him. The last thing she wanted was for her boyfriend to be on the receiving end of Aubreigh’s wrath.

“Okay,” Nate sighed, calming down and rubbing the bridge of his nose, “Aubreigh, I’m sorry I called you stupid, okay? Now can we just move on with breakfast? I’m getting hungry.” He smiled up at the giant teenager, trying to salvage his standing with her.

“Why are you being so difficult right now?” Aubreigh said with exasperation

“I’m not being difficult, I just-”

Nate stopped talking immediately when he saw the colossal fingers of the teenage girl coming toward him, opening up and revealing her sweaty palm. He tried to duck but her fingers still managed to pinch his tiny body between them and pluck him out of the tank.

“You know,” Aubreigh said, setting the tiny man down on the counter next to the tank, “I can handle you being a dick to your little friends, but when you disrespect me, that crosses a line.”

“I wasn’t being a dick!” Nate yelled back.

“You called me stupid, you moron, uh yeah, that’s called being a dick where I come from,” Aubreigh responded, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, well you just called me a moron, so what about that?” Nate replied defensively.

“You little…,” Aubreigh said, stomping her foot in frustration. She grabbed the spatula and held it over Nate, as if it were a giant fly swatter, ready to slam it down on him and squash him. She watched with amusement as Nate’s face turned from one of smug arrogance to one of sudden defeat. It made her chuckle. “You know, I can swat you like a little bug right here and now. Do you realize that? Is that what you want?”

“N-no…, no…,” Nate said shakily.

Aubreigh could also hear the tiny voices of his peers squeaking away in the tank. But she promptly ignored them. She smiled and slowly lowered the spatula. Nate looked up and saw the shiny metal surface getting closer to him. It was still covered in grease and small bits of egg and other pieces of onions and peppers. The giant girl slowly pressed his body under the flat metal surface.

“I can swat you like a fly or I can splatter you under it, your choice!” she said smugly with a smirk.

There were some brief muffled yells from under the colossal kitchen utensil, which made Aubreigh giggle. Nate felt an immense crushing pressure from the spatula. There was no forgiveness in the hard metal surface that was pressing down on him harder and harder. The bits of freshly cut onions and peppers were overwhelming to the tiny. His eyes watered and his nose began to run as every breath became an excruciating exercise with inhaling the potent chemicals. Aubreigh had neglected to think about the effect that freshly cut onions and peppers would have on a tiny person.

Suddenly, the spatula was whisked away. There was a wave of fresh air that Nate counted as a blessing. That alone was enough to make him reconsider that maybe there was a god. However, his moment of faith was short-lived when he saw Aubreigh sliding the utensil under his legs. She flicked his limp body on top of the flat surface with her finger and lifted the spatula over the frying pan.

“Oh come on, I can’t stay mad at you!” she said mockingly. “Why don’t you have some food, you said you were hungry, right? Well here! Have at it!”

She started to giggle as she began to rotate the utensil. As soon as Nate could feel the surface starting to tilt, he dove for the rising edge, grabbing it with his hands. It became harder for him to hold on tight as more of his body weight lifted off the surface and dangled over the hot stove. The only thing preventing him from falling into the hot pan below was his grip on the edge of the spatula, which was starting to slip on the greasy residue.

“Well, come on, aren’t you hungry?” Aubreigh chuckled. “Are you going to eat or are you just going to kick your legs in the air like a dang fool?”

Nate’s face was turning red and his arms were burning from having to hold his body weight up for so long. In reality, it was only for about 3 or 4 seconds, but to him, it felt like an eternity. Then finally, Aubreigh turned the spatula back flat so Nate wasn’t dangling any longer. He didn’t let go of his grip for fear that she might do it again. Aubreigh just smiled down at him and watched him panting away, trying to catch his breath.

“You should probably start working out,” she laughed. “That way, something little like this doesn't wind you and just totally wipe you out,” she giggled. “Oh! In fact!” she said, raising her eyebrows with excitement. “I know just the PERFECT way for you to build up your stamina!” She hurriedly plucked him off the spatula and brought him up to her beaming face. “Can you guess what it is?” she asked in a sing-song voice.

Nate used to love that sing-songy voice of hers. Back when she was nice. Back before her mom corrupted her. Before their friendship was strained… But now, that voice just grated on him. It was haunting and infuriating at the same time.

“I said…,” she sang, getting his attention again, “can you guess what it is that you can do that will build your stamina?”

“No Aubreigh,” he said shakily, “I-, I don’t know what that would be. What is it?”

“Here, let me give you a clue,” she said, smiling brightly. “Umm, okay, so, you mentioned it earlier… that’s your clue.”

“P-prayer?” Nate said, shaking his head in bewilderment.

“Nooooo…., not quite…..,” she said as she tilted her head and pursed her lips. “Why don’t you try thinking about back at the condo when you went up my shorts without consent?”

Nate’s lips quivered and his heart sank. Aubreigh smirked when she saw his eyes well up with tears.

“That’s right,” the teenage goddess said, “you know what it is, don’t you. Come on, just say it!”

“You’re going to put me in your shoes…,” he said dejectedly.

“Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!” Aubreigh laughed. She excitedly and quickly lowered Nate to the soft fuzzy surface of a giant insole. Her bare foot was already out of her slipper and propped up against her other leg, anticipating it’s new visitor.

“Spending some time in my shoe will be one hell of a work out, I guarantee it,” Aubreigh giggled from high above, standing back up, looking at the tiny man panicking in her shoe. “I mean, you can feel free to try praying too, if you want. Maybe you could pray to my toes or something? Who knows, maybe they’ll hear you better than god does.”

“Please Aubreigh, no,” he pleaded. “You don’t do things like this! That's your mom! She is the one who is mean to us, not you! This isn’t who you are!”

“I’m not being mean either!” Aubreigh said, bringing her massive toes over the tiny man. “I’m helping you,” she explained. “This will toughen you up and make you stronger.”

“But-,” the tiny boy tried to yell.

“Now the first thing to do is to get running!” she grinned as her toes chased after the little teenage boy. “I would hate for you to get trapped under my sole, I think that’s something you have to work your way up to. Maybe after you’ve built up some experience and stamina under my toes. You know, baby steps.”

Nate ran s hard as his wore out body could and reached the end of the teenager’s slipper. Just like before, it was dark and smelled strongly. He turned around with his back up against the wall and watched helplessly as her sweaty toes inched their way closer and closer to him. The temperature rose as they closed in and settled in place, each toe settling in their respective established toe prints. Nate found himself squished tightly between the tip of Aubreigh’s big toe and the fabric of her shoe behind him. He wiggled his way out and was now in front of her second toe. At a little less than an inch, the edge of her toenail was just in front of his face, one wrong move and he could be sliced in two. Or at the very least, seriously maimed by it. He dropped to the floor and an all too familiar feeling overcame him. He took a deep breath, knowing things were about to get bad. The air quality was horrible, it was incredibly hot, super humid…, and had somewhat of a salty sour flavor to it. But it was all he had.

“There we go Nate,” Aubreigh smiled, “ now get ready for the workout of your life,” she said, wiggling her toes and positioning Nate under them. She turned around and took the now complete omelet off the burner of the stove. Her first step was gentle, allowing the tiny boy in her shoe plenty of time to prepare for the crushing weight of her toes to come down on top of him. She stood there for a few more moments as she added salt and pepper to the still sizzling egg. When she was finished, she turned around and set the plate next to the tank and looked in at the 7 remaining tiny people.

“What’s the matter little bro,” Aubreigh asked with a plain expression, “it looks like you want to say something.” She popped her finger in her mouth and cleaned it off, looking directly at her tiny brother, waiting for a response. “Well, come on, I’m waiting…,”

“It’s nothing…,” he replied dejectedly.

“Oh come on,” the giant girl teased him, “where’s that random burst of bravery and courage you usually get? Just say what it is, I’ll grant you immunity, I swear.”

Thomas sighed and rocked his head back and forth, trying to think of the right words to say. He knew his sister had just said he was granted immunity, but he didn’t trust the giant teenager at all.

“It’s just that,” he started, “watching you just now, you didn’t seem like our big sister anymore...”

“Mmmm…, meaning what, exactly?” she said, scowling at him.

“Meaning that,” Thomas paused, “it was like I was watching our mom instead of you. That whole thing with the spatula, the putting him in your shoes and claiming it was for exercise… that was just really mom-like. It was just super weird to see my sister, who always defended us and always protected us from giants, now doing that to a tiny herself. Especially to someone we both know.”

Aubreigh paused and frowned slightly, “You’re going to make me feel bad, Thomas.” She said, drumming her toes over the lump of a tiny person beneath them.

But then Aubreigh remembered how it made her feel when Nate called her stupid, she didn’t appreciate that either. Just thinking about those things got her chest burning again. And then, as if on cue, the squirming of the tiny resumed under her toes again. But this time, it felt liberating to Aubreigh, almost as if it were a way to release her frustration.

“But thankfully Thomas,” Aubreigh sighed, “I’ve had a lot of time to think, and I’ve changed my viewpoint a little bit, just slightly. I mean, I’m not exactly like mom per se, for example, I could never kill a tiny. I mean, come one, you guys are still people to me,” she said with a smile. “However, I realize now that I have to stop treating you with kid gloves.”

Just then Natalie walked into the kitchen. She was dressed in a business suit and skirt with tall heels. She saw the freshly made omelet sitting on the kitchen island in front of her seat.

“Oh Aubreigh, you are such a dear,” she said, taking a seat and reaching for a fork. “This is so wonderful because I’m already running late.”

“Um, yeah, sure mom,” Aubreigh said, she couldn’t tell her mom now that the food was for the tinies and not for her.

“Now,” she asked, smiling at her daughter, taking a big bite of the egg omelet, “what are you talking about?” 

“Oh, we were just talking about how things are going to be, you know, between me and them from now on,” Aubreigh said dismissively.

“Oh?” Natalie asked. “And how is that going to be exactly?” she said, cutting another piece of omelet with her fork.

“You know,” Aubreigh stammered, “I still love them and all, I just need to be a little tougher on them.”

“Being tough on them is the best way for them to learn, isn’t that right guys?” Natalie asked, directing her gaze at the horrified tinies in the tank. 

“Right...,” Aubreigh said with a sigh, half agreeing, “but I could never kill a tiny, I just don’t have that in me…,” she said with a grimace, looking at her mom.

“What?” Natalie asked with a surprised look on her face and talking with her mouth full of food. “Of course you have it in you! Don’t you remember that pervert from the resort?”

“Oh right…,” Aubreigh said, “I forgot about him…,”

“Remember,” Natalie said, swallowing, “you crushed him without hesitation!”

“Ok- okay,” Aubreigh said, holding her hand up, shushing her mom in embarrassment.

“What?” Natalie asked. Then she looked over at the tank of tiny people and smirked. “Oh, right…,”

Aubreigh swallowed hard, “yeah…,”

“Aubreigh, honey,” Natalie said in her most reassuring voice, “it’s okay, it happens. It’s just a part of life. And trust me, that won’t be the last time either. Even if you try your hardest, there’s always an accident waiting to happen. These little people just have to learn to deal with that.”

“I suppose…,” Aubreigh said.

“You little guys don’t be giving her a hard time now, you hear?” she said, grinning down at them. “I promise you that you would rather have Aubreigh being hard on you, than me being hard on you. That’s a fact.” The tinies stayed still and somber. Not saying a word for fear the giant woman might lose it again. And they had very little faith in Aubreigh to intercede on their behalf and protect them.

“Hey,” Natalie said, scrunching her face, “I thought there were 10 little tinies left, why do I see only 9?”

Aubreigh laughed a little at the irony. “I’m uh, actually being tough on one of them right now,” the teenage girl said, smirking.

“Really?” Natalie asked, eying Aubreigh up and down. “Do I even want to know?”

“He’s in my shoe mom, nothing like that!” Aubreigh giggled for the first time since her mom came in the kitchen. That was a major relief to Natalie. She had decided to act as if nothing had happened, and so far, it looked like it was paying off. But she was still unsure if Aubreigh had forgiven her.

“Oh, in your shoe?” Natalie said, smirking back at her daughter. “And what did the young man do that earned him that privilege?”

“He called me stupid,” Aubreigh said, crossing her arms and shaking her head. “I don’t know, maybe I overreacted…?”

Natalie pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, stifling a laugh. “Oh honey, if I were your age and a tiny called me stupid, he’d be saying hello to the bottom of my shoe, no questions asked. In fact, if I were my age NOW and a tiny called me stupid, they’d still be saying hello to the bottom of my shoe!”

“Okay, so you mean to tell me I’m not a heartless bitch like you then,” Aubreigh asked, smiling and laughing. Natalie was surprised by her daughter’s words, but found them to be a strange form on comradery. 

“I told you, they’re lucky to have you and not me!” Natalie laughed back in response. “Which is more than I can say for your dad. By the way honey, would you mind checking on him today and getting him some breakfast?”

“Of course,” Aubreigh said. “How was he this morning?”

“Hmm?” Natalie asked, taking a sip of coffee. “Oh, I have no idea, I didn’t really talk to him this morning.”

“What, why not?” Aubreigh asked, visibly confused.

“I was in a rush, I didn’t have time to talk to him,” Natalie said, finishing her coffee. “But had I known you were making me breakfast I might have taken the time and responded to him.”

“Respond?” Aubreigh asked, stifling a laugh again. “Mom, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh, I mean that he tried talking to me but I didn’t talk to him. I heard him, I just ignored him, that’s all. I had to get ready!”

“Mom, you are terrible!” Aubreigh laughed.

“Me?!” Natalie said, overdramatically acting taken aback. “You’re the one with one of your friends in your shoe, not me!”

“Okay, mom,” Aubreigh said, pausing and trying not to laugh. “Answer me truthfully and don’t lie…,”

“Okay…,” Natalie said, looking her daughter in the eyes. “What is it?”

“We’ve been home for less than a day; has dad been in your shoes already or not?” Aubreigh asked, raising her eyebrows and grinning.

“Aubreigh!” Natalie explained. “That doesn’t prove anything, what your father and I do is none-,”

“Ah-ha!” Aubreigh said, pointing to her mom. “That right there proves it! Oh my gosh, poor dad.” Aubreigh said, shaking her head and smiling at her mom.

Natalie smirked and rolled her eyes, “Okay, make his breakfast extra good for him, will ya? Maybe make up for my bad mood last night.”

“Of course,” Aubreigh said. There was a slight lull and Aubreigh took advantage of the silence. “There is just one thing though,” Aubreigh said, scrunching her face in awkwardness.

“What is that, honey?” Natalie asked, looking into her daughter's eyes.

“I don’t know…,” she started, “maybe Thomas just got under my skin, but I have to know; what would happen if I shrank?”

“What, what do you mean, honey?” Natalie asked, surprised by Aubreigh’s question. “You’re immune, pumpkin. Every yearly test says that.”

“I know that,” Aubreigh said. “But I mean, what if I wasn’t? Would I be just another tiny under your feet then? I mean, I know we’ve joked before, but in all seriousness… would you do that to me?”

“Aubreigh,” Natalie sighed, “of course not! You’ve never done anything to deserve that. Your brother and sister are lazy slackers and disobedient on top of that, especially your brother,” she said, eyeing the tiny twin from the corner of her eye. “And the others are either disrespectful, rude, or worse. No one goes under my feet unless they deserve it!”

“Well, what about dad?” Aubreigh asked.

“Uh, he sold our company without even so much as talking to either of us about it,” Natalie said, scowling again. “THAT’S the kind of behavior that will put someone directly beneath my feet.”

“Okay, I thought so…,” Aubreigh said. “I just had to know for sure.”

“Of course, honey,” Natalie smiled. “I understand. No, not ever would you be under my feet.” 

“Okay that makes me feel better,” Aubreigh said, glancing at the clock. “Well, I guess I better get started on dad’s breakfast,” Aubreigh said.

“Yeah, I’ve got to get going anyways,” Natalie said, getting up and setting her dishes by the sink.

“Where are you going anyways?” Aubreigh asked, cracking more eggs for another omelet.

“Ugh,” Natalie sighed, “to Marley Industries. I’ve got to figure out what your dad did with our company. I want to get our portion back or I don’t know, something…,” Natalie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Every time I think about that bitch, I get so angry,” Natalie laughed. “You know what, I changed my mind, don’t do anything special for your dad’s breakfast!”

“Mom, quit being terrible, okay?!” Aubreigh smiled again.

“Oh alright…,” Natalie smiled in defeat, “good-bye sweetheart, I love you. See you tonight.”

“See you tonight mom.”

Aubreigh turned back around to focus on making her dad’s breakfast. The front door slammed as Natalie walked out. The tinies sat in defeat and looked at each other. There was a sense of relief that the giant woman had left, but there was still some apprehension because they were still in the presence of the terrifying teenager.

“Well… that didn’t take long…,” Thomas muttered.

“For what?” Brian asked, the others looking at him.

“For Aubreigh to change like that,” he replied, “I didn’t expect Aubreigh to change so fast!”

“Yeah, they’re like best friends again…,” Julia shook her head.

“Your mom always talks her way out of these things, how doesn’t Aubreigh hate her?” Brain said.

“There’s nothing we can do about that now,” Kelly added. “But at least she’s nowhere near as bad as your mom.”

“Easy for you to say,” Chloe said angrily through her tears, “your boyfriend isn’t inside her shoe as we speak.”

“Right…,” Kelly sighed, “I’m-…, I’m sorry…,”

“The only way out of this situation is if a miracle happened,” Thomas sighed.

None of them had any hopes of ever escaping now…

 

Chapter End Notes:

 

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