~~~

“Hello, and welcome to the 7:00 news. Let’s start once again with the biggest story of the day, the potentially final update to the trial of Brian Bentley, the man who murdered Timmy Osment, ‘America’s Little Brother.’ As we reported yesterday, Brian Bentley was sent to the ‘Silver Strip’ Chevalier facility today, and we can confirm that Brian Bentley, 21, is now dead, executed by a Chevalier. As per policy, the ‘Silver Strip’ will not release the details of which specific Chev got him, or the details of his execution, but we can only hope that he got exactly what he deserved. Now, we have interviews with the family members of Brian Bentley, and what they have to say about today’s events…”

Jennifer fell to her side on the couch. She felt completely numb, and her world was suddenly devoid of all color. 

Her brother was dead.

All at once, a million memories replayed in her mind. Memories of her brother holding her while she cried, always knowing just what to say. Memories of her brother reading her to sleep, his soft voice putting her mind at ease. Memories of her brother fighting with their mom on her behalf, just trying to make her express any amount of love. Memories of her brother celebrating with her when she aced yet another test, always making her feel like her efforts were appreciated. Memories of her brother being the one person who showed her complete, true, and unconditional love.

Her brother was dead.

Tortured to death at the hands of a sadistic psychopath.

For a crime she knew he didn’t commit.

Believing that she had given up on him.

Jennifer had nothing left. Her universe no longer contained him, which basically meant her universe was now empty. As such, she didn’t cry. She simply laid there in silence, a neutral look on her face.

Her brother was dead.

Suddenly, she realized that the person on the television was no longer a middle-aged newsman, but a middle-aged woman with jet-black hair and striking green eyes. It was her mother, Laura Bentley, and she looked to be standing right outside their house while talking to a reporter. Jennifer’s awareness rebooted just in time to make out what she was saying.

“…time and time again. That man stopped being my son the day he decided to become a criminal. I feel no differently about today than I would any other day. Please stop harassing me.”

With that, Laura turned away from the reporter and made her way inside the house. Just as the camera cut away, Jennifer heard the opening of her front door. A minute later, she was faced with the woman who she had just seen on TV. Laura sensed how deeply distraught her daughter was, and softened her approach. Jennifer, on the other hand, sparked to life as a wave of anger overtook her consciousness.

“Why?” she asked quietly, but with an undeniable ocean of rage. Laura let out a sigh.

“You know why. If I didn’t, we’d just get targeted again. If we can just get through this, they’ll leave us alone forever,” she replied firmly.

“‘Get through this?’” Jennifer repeated. “H-He’s… he’s dead! My brother is dead! Isn’t it good enough for you that he’s dead?! Did you really have to throw him away one last time?!”

The tears that she had failed to find earlier were now flooding down her cheeks as she began to explode. Laura teared up as well.

“Do you think I’m happy about this?” she whispered. “Do you think I’m happy about how broken my family is? I’m not, Jennifer. Every day, I’m wondering what I should have done differently. Every day, I can’t help but think that… if I had been a better m… then he wouldn’t have…”

“HE DIDN’T DO IT!” Jennifer screamed. Laura closed her eyes and let out a shaky sigh, as a tear raced down her face.

“No matter what you think of him, and no matter what you think of me… everything I’ve done since he was arrested was to protect us. Can’t you understand that?! Everything I’ve done, everything I’ve said, it was all to pro… protect…”

She trailed off. Suddenly, a few lines echoed in her head.

“You’re disgusting. You murdered a child. A defenseless child.”

“You deserve to be fucking squished like a bug for what you did.”

“Age requirement be damned, I would even do it myself.”

She found herself unable to continue. She knew that those words were not meant to protect anything. Those words were meant to destroy. But Jennifer didn’t know about those words, so she had to keep up the act.

“What?!” Jennifer exclaimed. Laura snapped out of it.

“A-Anyway, If I even show the slightest hint of sympathy for him, they’ll tear us apart. You won’t have a future anymore, and I can’t let that happen. I just want to preserve what’s left of my family, and that’s you. Go ahead and hate me, but you are my only priority, Jennifer.”

Jennifer’s eyes softened a bit. Her anger dissipated, and was replaced by a tidal wave of grief. All the energy in her body evaporated, and she completely deflated.

“M-My brother is dead…” she whimpered, before collapsing into anguished sobs. Laura approached and wrapped her up in a firm embrace.

“He’s dead… my brother is dead… my brother is… he’s dead…” she wailed, over and over and over again. All Laura could do was continue to hold her close, wishing with all her might that things had turned out differently.

~~~

“Allie…” Brian muttered, while wringing his hands. They were alone in Allison’s bedroom, preparing to make an extremely important phone call. Elizabeth had left to give them some privacy, and was anxiously waiting in the living room. Allison could see how visibly nervous Brian was, and began to pet his back with her finger.

“What are you so nervous about?” she softly asked. “Aren’t you excited to talk to her again? Isn’t her video the reason you decided to go public in the first place?”

“Yeah, but… I just don’t know what to say to her. She probably blames herself for what happened, and I know she feels really guilty about not speaking up on my behalf. I don’t want to lie and say that I knew she believed in me, so… I don’t know,” he replied, letting out a dejected sigh. Allison pondered for a moment, wondering how best to reassure him. She was an only child, and was in no position to offer advice. However, she still had to try.

“Brian, you’re her big brother. You love her, and she loves you. I think, once you start, you’ll know exactly what to say. I believe in you,” she said firmly. Brian looked up at her, and his eyes softened in appreciation. That was what he needed to hear, and he steeled his resolve.

“Okay. Make the call,” he said, his heart quickening in anticipation. Allison nodded, and began to punch in the number that Brian had told her. As they had learned when Brian asked Cassandra to call her, the number still worked. Taking a deep breath, she hit “call.” She then turned it to speaker phone and lowered it to the bed, until the microphone was resting right next to her tiny boyfriend. After a brief silence, a rhythmic beeping indicated that the call was going through. The noise seemed to go on forever, and Brian started to wonder if she wasn’t going to pick up. Just as he began to debate whether or not they should leave a message, the beeping stopped.

“Hello?” came a barely audible voice from the phone. Instantly, a wave of emotion overtook Brian’s consciousness, and he drew one hand to his mouth as he began to tear up. 

It was Jennifer. For the first time in over three years, he was hearing his little sister’s voice.

Brian found himself at an overwhelming loss for words. Despite Allison’s earlier assurance, he truly had no idea what to say. Thousands of potential responses flashed through his mind, but he was unable to decide on any of them. A silence hung in the air for a few moments, and eventually the voice spoke up again.

“Is someone there?” she asked, just a little louder. Now that she wasn’t essentially just whispering, Brian was able to take note of just how tired she sounded. At that, a spark of brotherly concern reigned in his emotions, and he finally decided to speak.

“Hey, Jen,” he said, barely more than a whisper. The silence returned, but this time not because of him. He could not make out a single hint of noise on the other end of the call, as if the person there had even stopped breathing. After a small eternity, she responded. This time, her voice was even quieter, and carried a shakiness that suggested she was afraid of even daring to speak the words aloud.

“W-Who… who is this…?” she asked. 

“Listen to my voice, Jen. It’s me,” Brian replied, keeping his voice as steady as possible. His heart was being shredded, but he was determined not to let it show. After a few moments, he could make out a few vague noises coming from the phone. He quickly realized that they were the noises of someone crying.

“Bean…?” she weakly asked, as if barely able to force the word out of her mouth.

Brian’s tears returned, and he had to fight with his entire soul not to let out a sobbing gasp. Allison noticed this, and once again began to physically comfort him. She didn’t dare speak a single word, but she wanted to remind him that he wasn’t alone.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he replied. “It’s been a while.”

“Oh my god…” Jennifer whispered, almost unable to speak. “I t-thought… I thought you were dead… I thought I’d lost you…”

A few tears finally raced down Brian’s face, and he closed his eyes. At that moment, though, Allison’s earlier prediction came true. Now that he had started, he knew exactly what to say.

“I promised, Jen. I promised that I would find my way back to you,” he said softly. “I’m just… I’m sorry that it took so long.”

At that, Jennifer couldn’t take it anymore, and she instantly broke down into loud sobs. It was a primal outburst of pure emotion, in a chaotic mix of sadness, relief, regret, and a multitude of other feelings that were obliterating her heart. Brian was also crying, but unlike his sister was keeping it completely quiet. Through her own tears, Allison could see that he was trying to act strong for his little sister. After a few moments, Brian began to make out some words.

“I’m so sorry…” Jennifer sobbed. “I missed y-you so much… I’m s-so sorry…”

“Shhh…” Brian soothed. “It’s okay, Jen. I’m here. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. I promise. I love you, y-you know that? I love you so, so much.”

“I-I love you too,” Jennifer choked out. “I’m so sorry I didn’t say so… I love you, Bean… I love you more than anything…”

Just like that, brother and sister were reunited.

~

Jennifer eventually calmed down to where they could have a normal conversation. All she had been able to say so far was how sorry she was, how much she missed him, and how much she loved him.

“A-Are you… are you okay?” she finally asked. Brian couldn’t help but smile at her concern.

“I’m doing a lot better now,” he answered. He could almost hear her widening smile.

“What about you? You doing okay?” he asked.

“I feel like my heart is about to explode,” Jennifer replied with a sniffle.

“Me too, Jen,” Brian replied.

“I’m doing okay, though… I’m just so happy to hear from you,” she continued, her tone darkening a bit at the end. Brian immediately understood why.

“I’m so sorry for making you wait,” Brian replied quietly. “There’s been a lot going on since my innocence was proven. There are a lot of moving parts, and they all move extremely quickly. Please forgive me.”

“O-Of course I forgive you!” Jennifer exclaimed, causing Brian to slightly flinch.

“Uh, good,” he awkwardly replied. “Get this, Jen. I had dinner with a senator last night. Your big brother has friends in high places, huh?”

“Senator Day?” Jennifer asked.

“Yep. She’s really been helping me out. I understand she called you two days ago, right?” he replied.

“Yeah…” Jennifer muttered, before realizing something. “Wait, was that because of you? Is that how she knew my number? Is that why she told me to keep an eye on the news?”

Brian was a bit stunned by her immediate understanding.

“Yeah, it was,” he replied. “I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t miss my video.”

“Bean, everybody in the country was watching your video within a minute of it starting. There’s no way in hell I would have missed it. Why did you really ask her to call?”

After a few moments, Brian sighed.

“Fine, I just wanted her to see how you were doing,” he said sheepishly.

“And what did she tell you?” Jennifer asked cautiously. Brian debated for a moment on how best to word it.

“She said… she said that you were going through a tough time,” he answered. Jennifer was silent for a moment.

“Yeah…” she whispered. Brian decided to change the subject.

“Jen, I’m really sorry you had to find out that way. I know it must have been an enormous shock, and… I don’t even know what to say,” he said quietly.

“Bean, I said I forgive you,” Jennifer replied firmly. “I can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve been through…”

She trailed off. Brian quickly suspected why.

“Jen, just ask the question,” he said. After a few moments of awkward silence, she spoke up in an extremely small voice.

“Are you… are you really…?”

“Yeah, I’m ‘fun-sized,’” Brian replied dryly.

“Oh my god… I’m so sorry…” Jennifer whispered.

“It’s not so bad. Anyway, enough about me,” Brian replied, hurriedly steering the conversation away from his least favorite topic. “I saw your video, too.”

Jennifer went completely silent. Brian imagined that she had suddenly turned bright red in embarrassment.

“O-Oh…” she squeaked. 

“Yeah, I really appreciated it. I especially loved the part where you told everybody what an amazing brother I am,” he continued. He could practically hear the sound of Jennifer cringing out of her skin. After a moment of letting her stew in it, though, his tone darkened immensely.

“However, I absolutely hated the part where you said that you failed me,” he said lowly. “Jen, it wasn’t your fault. You were just a kid, and there was nothing you could have done.”

Once again, Jennifer turned dead silent. At the sound of those words, all of the guilt she had been carrying for three years came flooding back.

“N-No…” she eventually whimpered, indicating that she was crying again.

“Jen, listen to me,” Brian said firmly, but he was quickly cut off.

“N… No!” she exclaimed. “I should have spoken up! You were innocent, and I knew it! I promise, I always knew it! You deserved to know that, Bean! You deserved to know that! I was a coward, and I did fail you! I’m so sorry…”

Soon, Brian could only hear the sounds of her crying. He knew that she was only going to keep spiraling if he didn’t do something, but he had no idea what to say. However, after a moment, he knew just what to do.

“Jenny-bean,” he said quietly. Instantly, she stopped crying. That was something that only Brian was allowed to call her, and as such she had not heard it in over three years. The sound of it stunned her into silence, and gave Brian a chance to speak.

“Jenny-bean, you were only fourteen, and the people behind my conviction were extremely powerful. Speaking out would have only made you a target. Nothing more,” he continued. “That voice in your head? The one saying that the world would have hated you, and I probably wouldn’t have even heard about it? I can’t tell you how glad I am that you listened to it, because that voice was absolutely right.”

“But… even if there was a chance…” Jennifer weakly said, in a feeble attempt at resistance.

“Then I would have learned that my baby sister painted a target on her back and put her future at risk because of me. You think that would have made me happy? Jen, keeping quiet kept you safe. That’s all I’ve ever cared about. You did exactly what I would have told you to do, okay? You did not fail me,” he countered. His voice was as soft as a feather, but the conviction in his voice was undeniable. However, it wasn’t quite enough.

“You were alone, Bean,” Jennifer whispered, trying not to break down again. “Don’t you understand? You were alone, and I could have helped you. Y-You… you didn’t deserve to be alone…”

Brian grit his teeth in frustration. After a second, he closed his eyes and let out a resigned sigh. At that moment, he decided that his desire to comfort her outweighed his desire to completely tell the truth. He shot a glance at Allison, conveying what he was going to do, and she responded with a sympathetic smile.

“Jenny-bean, you were with me the whole time,” he quietly lied. “What makes you think I ever gave up on you?”

“…really?” Jennifer softly asked. Brian closed his eyes again and looked up at the ceiling. Truthfully, he had given up. His mother’s cruel words to him in prison had broken his soul, and thoroughly convinced him that nobody would ever believe him. However, he decided that Jennifer didn’t need to live with that knowledge. At least not right away.

“Really,” he said, his tone not betraying the lie. “Regardless, we shouldn’t focus on the past. I’m alive, my innocence has been proven, and everything is going to be okay. That’s all that matters.”

“But… you’re small…” Jennifer replied hesitantly. Once again, Brian lamented the fact that he had to lie to his sister. Cassandra’s warning from the previous day echoed through his mind, reminding him that he absolutely couldn’t divulge the fact that the shrinking could be undone. Still, he had to try and reassure her.

“Jen, I’ve been small for nearly two months now. I’ve gotten pretty used to it, and it’s not as bad as it sounds. I have some amazing people taking care of me,” he said reassuringly, flashing a warm smile at Allison. However, that smile vanished when he sensed a change in his sister’s tone.

“Who?” she asked lowly. 

“Come again?” Brian replied, a little confused.

“Who’s taking care of you?” she elaborated, an odd spark in her voice. “For that matter, where are you? When can I come see you? I need to see you.”

Brian was slightly taken aback by her sudden barrage of questions, and he exchanged a nervous glance with Allison.

“About that, Jen…” he started, trying to frame it as gently as possible. “I think we should hold off on an in-person visit for a little while…”

“What?!” Jennifer exclaimed, once again causing her brother to flinch. “No way, Bean! I need to see you! I need to make sure you’re okay!”

“I’m okay, sis, I promise,” Brian assured, somewhat intimidated by her anger. “And besides, you don’t want to see me like this. I’m all small and weird.”

“Like fuck I don’t!” Jennifer replied angrily. However, she quickly dropped the anger and adopted a pleading tone.

“Bean, I promise I won’t be weird about your size. I literally couldn’t care less, I just need to see you. I thought you were dead, and we haven’t seen each other for over three years. You seriously expect me to be okay with waiting even longer?!”

“Jen, please. They shipped me to Los Angeles, we’re an entire state apart. It would be a drag for you to-”

“Literally who cares!” Jennifer interrupted. “I’d drive 100 miles every day to make sure you’re okay. You seriously think I wouldn’t come visit you just because you’re not nearby?!”

“I mean, I guess not, but… aren’t you in school? I can’t expect you to put your life on hold just to come and see me. Why don’t we just wait a bit-”

“I graduated early!” Jennifer interrupted yet again. “I’m doing a gap year, so I have nothing going on!”

Brian was stunned into silence for a moment.

“You graduated early?” he asked incredulously. Jennifer suddenly turned bashful.

“Uh, yeah…” she mumbled. Brian’s face lit up as he felt a swelling of pride in his heart.

“Jen, that’s amazing! My sister the super-genius,” he praised. On the other side of the call, Jennifer adopted an extremely emotional smile as she realized that it was the first time in years that her brother praised her for something. Before she could bask in the feeling for very long, though, Brian spoke up again as he realized something.

“Wait, does that mean I missed your graduation?” he asked, suddenly deflating in disappointment. Jennifer did the same as she came to the same realization.

“Oh, I guess…” she replied sadly. A somber silence hung in the air for a moment.

“It really has been so long, hasn’t it?” Brian said, barely more than a whisper.

“Yeah…” Jennifer replied, matching his tone. “That’s why I need to see you, Bean. Please.”

Brian thought for a few long moments, before closing his eyes in resignation. 

“Fine, Jen. You can see me,” he said softly. Jennifer was silent for a moment, but he could tell that she was absolutely beaming.

“Tell me where you are, I’ll come right now,” she quickly said.

“Slow down, sister, at least give me a day to prepare myself,” Brian replied. “Look, I also wanted to wish you a happy early birthday. Why don’t you come and visit tomorrow? We can call it my birthday present to you.”

“…you remembered,” Jennifer whispered, slightly overcome with emotion.

“Of course I did,” Brian replied dismissively. “My sister is turning eighteen, how could I forget that? Listen, I’ll send you the address. This is top-secret stuff, though, so tell nobody.”

“Got it,” Jennifer replied firmly.

“Take the time between today and tomorrow to figure out how you’re going to get here. If you need some help, I can probably get Cass- er, Senator Day to organize something. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Brian continued.

“Okay. I can’t wait. I love you so much, Bean. I can’t wait to see you,” Jennifer responded.

“I love you too, Jenny-bean. I’m looking forward to it. Just… don’t be too shocked by my size, okay? It’s kinda embarrassing…”

“I promise, I won’t be weird about it. Probably,” she replied, just a little teasingly. She could hear Brian sigh through the phone, and she smiled widely. After a moment, though, her face fell. She realized that she needed to ask him something really important.

“Um…” she started, suddenly extremely nervous. “Do you… do you want to talk to Mom…?”

Brian’s expression darkened. Suddenly, he was about as robotic as he had ever been. Jennifer couldn’t see it, but the following silence told her everything she needed to know. Allison, on the other hand, grew extremely concerned. She knew that his mother was the absolute sorest of subjects, and thus had been too afraid to ask him about her beforehand. So, she simply watched on with great anticipation as both she and Jennifer waited for an answer. After a small eternity, Brian spoke. His answer was simple, and his tone was flat. However, it carried all the emotion in the universe.

“No.”

“…okay,” Jennifer whispered, knowing better than to push it. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Bean. I love you.”

Brian snapped out of his haze, and returned to a normal tone.

“I love you, too. See you tomorrow.”

With that, finally, they hung up. Once Allison pulled the phone away, Brian flopped over on his back and let out a colossal sigh. Allison laid down on her side, so her face was right next to him. She reached over and began to rub his cheek, and he leaned into the comforting sensation.

“You did so good, baby,” she said softly. “I can’t imagine how hard that was. I’m so proud of you.”

“Yeah,” Brian sighed, looking vacantly at the ceiling. A few emotions were competing for control of his heart, but none were winning out. All he wanted to do was just lay in silence, so that’s what he did. Allison scooted closer and nuzzled him to her cheek, and for a few minutes just rested in comfortable silence. 

Brian and Jennifer were reunited. However, he knew that the hardest part was yet to come. Next on the agenda: an in-person visit.