Alvin Bell sat on the couch at his family home. He lived there with his single mother, Alexandra, and his younger sister, Aubrey.

Alvin absentmindedly watched the TV as he scrolled through his phone. The TV played a news broadcast covering the Shrinking Virus.

When the virus initially spread, it seemed like the world was ending. A strange disease shrinking friends & neighbors down to pocket-size; it was madness.

But now, three years after the first few cases popped up, the Shrinking Virus seemed like a normal part of everyday life. Most shrunken victims, or as they were commonly called, "Tinies," were shipped off to Special Care Centers. There, they were kept safe & well-cared for at their diminished size. The TV screen showed rows of tiny sterilized rooms, each occupied by a Tiny.

Alvin ignored it & focused on his phone. Suddenly, Aubrey flumped on the cushion next to him. She kicked her jean-clad legs across his lap. She often did this when her brother was in her spot. The girl teasingly stretched & wiggled her toes. Alvin shoved her bare feet off his lap & back onto the floor.

"Quit it!" The oldest sibling harshly demanded.

Aubrey crossed her arms & pouted.

"Oh my God," she whined, "You're so boring, bro. All you ever do is sit here on your phone."

"And all you ever do is sit here & annoy me," Alvin brazenly retorted.

Aubrey huffed & smacked his shoulder with playful annoyance. 

"You're such a jerk!" She groaned.

Aubrey turned her attention from her brother to the TV screen. She loved seeing all the Tinies. They were like cute little dolls! Secretly, she often fantasized about what she would do if she ever got her hands on a Tiny.

"Did you know Jess from school said her boyfriend caught the Shrinking Virus?" Aubrey enthused.

Alvin shrugged in response.

"Well, anyway, when someone shrinks all tiny, their clothes don't shrink with them," Aubrey giggled innocently, "So Jess found him all tiny & naked, trapped in his underwear! And then she carried him around in her bra for the rest of the school day. You should have seen him. He was so little & cute!"

Aubrey looked at her brother for a moment. He was so engrossed in his phone that it seemed he wasn't listening. She rolled her eyes & turned back to the TV. Then she gave Alvin a devilish smirk.

"You better hope I never find you tiny & trapped in your own clothes," she mused tauntingly.

This statement finally got her older brother to look up from his phone.

"I bet you would feel great squirming down my throat & into my belly!" She taunted, parting her plush lips & revealing her pearly whites.

"Gross!" Alvin objected with disgust, "What is wrong with you?"

Aubrey giggled childishly at her brother's reaction. She turned back to the TV with a cocky smirk.

"I wouldn't actually swallow you, probably," she teased, "I'd probably just nibble on you for a bit, maybe bite off an arm or leg."

For a moment, Alvin stared in wide-eyed shock at his little sister. Then he noticed the little smirk hiding behind the shroud of her long blonde hair. Aubrey was a mischievous & cheeky little girl. She couldn't resist poking fun at him, especially when the house was quiet. He stifled a smirk. Two could play at that game.

"You little rascal!" Alvin accused in a teasingly irate tone.

His muscular arm encircled Aubrey's neck in a controlled headlock. Aubrey squealed & weakly pushed against Alvin's larger & more burly body. But she couldn't escape her big brother's fist as it noogied her head. She hated it when he did that. It always messed up her hair. She finally freed herself from her brother's armpit. She groaned & patted down her ruffled hair.

"I hate you!" Aubrey whined like a scorned child, "I wish you were actually tiny! Then you wouldn't be such a big jerk!"

The younger sister stormed off to her room. The older brother shrugged his shoulders. His attention returned to his phone.

"Whatever," Alvin grumbled, "She'll get over it. She started it anyways."

But he had a sinking feeling. It felt like he was literally sinking, falling into the world around him. The room seemed to expand. And why did his shirt suddenly feel so loose? He looked up at the TV & noticed his reflection on the screen. He was a Tiny.