I should really plan to be in bed before midnight.

I touch my face below my eye. Is it just me or am I getting bags? I seriously hope not. I'd better get going, this lecture's an important one. My morning routine is quite streamlined. A few things had to change since getting ten new roommates, but otherwise it's the same. What isn't the same is having to change outside the bedroom, but it's preferable to stripping in front of an audience. The very idea makes me blush.

Once I grab my clothes from my room, I head into the bathroom. I go about my business then enjoy a brief, steaming-hot shower. Shortly after, I get dressed in a comfortable outfit and proceed to freshen up. I bring my face close to the mirror and look for any spots or blemishes. I find none, thankfully.

"Good. No bags, either."

I smile at my reflection. They say the more you smile, the happier you'll feel. True or not, I hope that's the case. It's best that I appear as cheerful and friendly as possible to the Lillis. Isn't that what a good host does?

I check the time as I enter the kitchen. Last night I prepared a sandwich for myself so I wouldn't have to leave without breakfast. I eat it and follow it up with a cup of coffee. A short time later, I grab my things and head out the door. For the first time in ages I can take the bus, free of guilt. I won't be saving money again for a while. Gone are the days of icy-cold walks to campus.

Not even twenty minutes later I take my seat in the lecture hall. I pull out my laptop and prepare to take notes. If I recall correctly, today's lecture will be about international relations. I already read this chapter in advance a few days ago. Still, I chose to attend, sparing no effort in staying on top of my studies. The professor, a middle-aged, Asian lady, enters right on time, greets us and then begins.

Halfway into her presentation I find myself losing focus. It's clear that I could have used some more sleep. 

Either that or a second cup of coffee. Resisting the urge to doze off at my desk becomes a battle. I need something interesting to keep me focused. I look left and right at the other students. Most are either on their phones or already fast asleep, nothing out of the ordinary. I allow myself to rest my head in my hands. My eyelids start to feel heavy. 

"I wonder what the little ones are up to right now..." I mumble.

Just before I nod off, a girl one row down from me raises her hand.

"Professor Lam, why do we even bother with relations? I'll never understand why even consider those mites to be worthy of the rights we enjoy."

Her bold, unashamedly racist statement wakes me right up. My previously tired eyes are now wide open, glaring at the back of her head. I can't say I'm surprised that she thinks that way. Hell, it's practically part of our culture, but it does nothing to quell my building rage in my chest.

The class murmurs in agreement. I notice the professor trying and failing to hide her amused smirk.

"Who knows? Maybe one day we'll wake up and realize exactly that. But until then, our three nations live in 'peace'." She emphasizes her statement with air-quotes. Her smirk fades and becomes serious again. "Just remember that legally you must treat them with respect. Whether you kill a fellow Brob or a pathetic, little Lilli, the crime of homicide is the same."

"It's absurd..." The girl groans.

"We will be covering Lilli-related topics for the next three lectures. I suggest you study the material well, lest you fall behind. We'll be back to our usual, domestic topics as of next month."

Dr. Lam resumes her lecture, going on and on about the history of the largest and smallest races. Her casual, racist remarks only increase once she realizes that everyone in the room feels the same way towards tinies. Unafraid of being reported, she speaks her mind. She goes so far as to comment on their biology, comparing them to actual insects. The lecture devolves into a discussion in the last fifteen minutes. 

I hear other students quietly chatting about what they would do if the law protecting Lillis was ever lifted. It truly sickens me, down to my core. I want to respond, but I reluctantly bite my tongue.

Arguing with them won't change their minds, nor their hearts. It would be a waste of breath. My one voice will only be drowned out in this echo chamber of stupidity. Not to mention, I also don't know how Dr. Lam would respond. From what I've observed, she's not the type you can debate with, let alone argue with. Even if I disproved each and every one of her unfounded and unscientific claims, which I know I could, it would only result in her taking it out on me for the rest of the semester. Instead, I think I'll keep my 'A' and hold my tongue.

Class finally ends, I happily leave. On my way out I hear that same girl telling one of her friends about how her boyfriend bought some Lillis for them to 'play with' later. My anger quickly turns to sadness. I have no doubt those poor things will be meeting a horrific end at her hands.

"What a bitch." I whisper. "No, what a damned monster. Why are people like this?! Sometimes I wish we didn't share a race."

Sadly, I'm powerless to stop her. There's only so many I can protect right now. I'd do so much more if I could. A welcome distraction comes in the form of thoughts of the Lillis I saved. At least I can find peace knowing that they will never have to deal with people like her. 

Not if I can help it.

I catch the same bus back to my apartment, arriving home at last. That class drained energy out of me that I didn't even know I had. Unsurprisingly, my appetite is long gone. All I want to do right now is collapse into bed and reset. But not just yet. I still must check on them. They must be hungry by now. I grab another food vial from the fridge and head into my room. 

"I'm back, guys. You wouldn't believe how bad that lecture was. Ugh. So happy to be done."

I kneel and pour the food and water out for them once more. My drowsy eyes scan around for any changes. I think I see some form of tilling. It would be amazing if they could get some agriculture going. Other than that, I see that many seem to be clothed now. That's a huge improvement compared to the rags I found them in. I'll need a magnifying glass or something similar if I want to see details.

“You guys are making stellar progre-”

I stop when I notice that something is off. No, that can't be right. Six... seven... no more? There's three missing! I do a headcount two more times. It's the same each time. No way. They didn't... Did they? Please let it be a miscount. 

My body tenses up. I don't dare move a muscle apart from my neck. Slowly and with extreme caution, my wide eyes scan around my legs. The mere idea of seeing a red dot right now makes my stomach turn. My head feels dizzy, and I realize that I've been holding my breath. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself before resuming my search. 

There are no signs of life around the boundary or where I'm kneeling. Once I've checked the immediate vicinity, I slowly lift my body into a crouch. There are no dots on my knee or beneath where my foot was. Still crouching, I turn and look around behind me. My eyes look around the entire floor of the room. Unsurprisingly, I don't see them anywhere. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack, except they're not even as big as needles. They're more like needle-tips, really.

Panic begins to take over. Even while keeping my breathing under control, my head is spinning. I put my hand on my chest and feel my heart racing. It's going crazy in there… Like I've never felt before. I stay low, looking around as I advance slowly. It's starting to feel hopeless.

And then I see something.

A movement out of the corner of my eye. My head whips around to the leg of my bed. I get closer, squinting hard. It was just some dust, apparently. However, I see some tiny dots moving around a few inches from it. I bring myself close and lean in to confirm. Yes, those are definitely Lillis. My god, how did they get all the way out here? This distance must have been miles to them. 

Why? Why did they break one of my rules?

My relief quickly turns to anger. I could have crushed them. Their foolish decision would have cost them their lives and made me a murderer. How could they? Did they not agree to stay here of their own will? My face looms over them. They're motionless, staring up at my clearly frustrated expression.

I lay my finger down before them, resisting the urge to slam it. Honestly, it's taking all I have to restrain myself. 

"Get on… Now!"

The three of them quickly obey. Once they're safely on my fingertip I stand up, holding them out before me. I turn and walk over to the square, stopping just before its border, but never taking my eyes off the three tinies I'm carrying. A dark impulse urges me to make a fist. They'd be gone without a trace. I quickly push such horrible thoughts right out of my head. I will not abuse my power over them. 

I'm beyond furious. The look on my face must be expressing that clearly. I bring my finger closer--enough that I can make out their body language. The three of them are huddled together in fear. It seems like one of them is even crying. How angry must I look right now? Hopefully less angry than I feel.

My expression softens. I don't want to be scary. The fact that they think I'm going to hurt them is troubling. They clearly don't know me all that well yet. I would be afraid too if our roles were reversed.

I kneel and lay my finger in an open spot on their plot of land. They hurry off me before I even tell them to. I then pull my hand away and cross my arms over my chest. This time I show my disapproval without looking as angry.

"You know, if you wanted to leave you had the chance. You still can, just not like...that." 

I pause and think. How best should I go about this? It'll set a precedent.

"Let me be clear. I am not your owner, nor a kidnapper. Those who wish to leave can do so with my assistance. I'm aware that you may not trust me yet, but the rules are the rules. If you break them, there will be consequences."

Another pause to let that sink in.

"However, I think it would be unfair to assume the worst. Maybe you had a good reason? I can't know since I simply cannot hear you... Yet."

There's a small, kids' toy on my desk. I reach over for it and hold it out to show them. 

"This is a walkie-talkie I bought the other day. I don't know if any of you are good with electronics, but I was hoping that you could turn this into something more useful for me. I want to hear your voices. These one-sided conversations are so dull. Even I get tired of my own voice."

I smile, no longer angry.

"Thankfully no one was hurt. I won't be punishing anyone this time, but don't ever pull any stunts like that again. You had me worried sick!"

I place the toy down near the corner of the plot, away from any tinies.

"Once you've repurposed this thing, I expect each one of you to voice your complaints directly to me. No more sneaky business. Agreed?"

I uncross my arms and stand back up. 

"This was the last thing I needed after that class. Alright, I'm going to go cook and do some work. Like yesterday, I'll be leaving you all for a while. Same as yesterday, okay?"

I pick my bag up and leave the room. Despite my anger, I think I handled that well. I didn't do anything aggressive and I didn't yell. Frankly, I'm proud of myself. It was kind of regal and queen-like. Hehe...

The afternoon is spent working on my assignments, doing laundry, and preparing food for the next day. It's my usual routine, though I do miss working at my desk. I'm trying to give them lots of space and time to get used to me, but it's already becoming inconvenient. I'll need to reevaluate these living arrangements sometime soon. 

Whether they like it or not, it's my room and they're going to have to live around me. There will be an awkward period but that's par for the course. It can't be helped, really. Adjustments, transitions--they take time. I'll be patient for now, but not if it's going to disrupt my lifestyle.

"There must be something I can do. Something to move things along faster. Or to get closer to them… Meh, I'll think of something, eventually."