Today is closing on a note I didn't expect. That's not to say it's a bad thing. As I write this, a small girl watches me with overt wonder. Every little thing I do is awe-inspiring to her, a fact that is plainly evident on her face. I do not know what I will end up doing to her, but I suspect it will be a much bloodier fate than she hopes her adoration will afford.

I started the day with a mood for something different. I was not running low on playthings, but my current batch is somewhat inured to my predilections. That's not to say they are without fear; but I had the desire to taint something fresh, something pure. I wanted to truly horrify someone. With that in mind I headed to the nearby high school for prey.

There were about two dozen of them when I finished. It took me the better part of the day, but it was well worth it. I carried them around in a backpack I lifted off one of my initial targets. That, combined with my youthful features proved useful; I was visible, but nobody stopped me to ask who I was or what I was doing there.

I left before the school day ended and brought my prizes back to my house. I tipped the bag upside down and let them all spill out into a Tupperware container. It was on my kitchen table, and I took a seat directly in front of it, staring down at them with my chin resting on the backs of my clasped hands.

There was chaos for a long time within my little box. People pointing up at me and shrieking, cowering in the far corners of the container as if that were any safer than directly beneath me. I wondered what I would do with them. They were truly my playthings, and I wanted to make sure I got the most enjoyment out of them as possible.

One of them stepped forward. He was an athletic-looking black kid with short hair. I admired his physique as he stared up at me. It was obvious he was afraid of me, but he also seemed to acknowledge he was low on options.

“Who are you, and what do you want with us?” He asked simply. I almost wanted to smile at the innocence of the question. I cocked my head to the side, still regarding him silently. His frustration and fear turned to anger, and he repeated himself with a quick stomp forward. “What do you want!”

Without delay, I reached into the box and gripped his body in my left hand, and his head in my right. It was a simple thing to twist his head such that he was facing backwards. A short, satisfying pop came from his body, and then I released him. He crumpled to the floor, blood oozing out of his neck.

From the quiet that had fallen over the box came chaos once more, but over the din of terror a single voice emerged. She let out a keen so passionate even I was slightly startled by it. The girl rushed to his side, falling to her knees and crying into his shoulder. I pulled her head back by her long blonde hair, and saw her face was covered in his blood. A short twist later and she joined him on the ground, lifeless.

I briefly considered returning to my watchful position above them, and letting the crowd calm themselves once more, but I quickly decided against it. I was in the mix now, and I wanted to enjoy myself. I started snatching them up, making my selections by whim. With each new victim I came to love the cracking of their necks a little bit more. It was a satisfying sensation, like popping one's knuckles.

Amidst the utter panic in the small plastic chamber, a single form remained still, standing out against her frantic peers. I stopped, taken aback. She was just staring up at me with an emotion I couldn't recognize. It wasn't anything close to fear, or panic, or even unspeakable horror. I was even more surprised to find her mouth stretched back into a smile.

“You. What's your name?” When I spoke to her, she fell back suddenly, an expression of surprise washing over her face. She quickly picked herself back up. Her tiny peers were moving away from her, suspecting she would be next in line for execution. Truth be told, I suspected the same thing at that point.

Her voice was small, but distinguishable. “Claire.” She called up to me. Her skin was pale, a contrast to her dark brown hair that framed her face and the bright red blood that was spattered across it.

“Aren't you afraid of me?” I asked. She nodded.

“Of course I am!” I could hear a tremble in her voice. I raised an eyebrow.

“Then why aren't you fleeing?”

She looked around before giggling timidly. “Where would I go, miss?” She had a point. All of her classmates' desperate scrambling had been for naught. Not a single one of them had even managed to vault the walls, despite the many attempts I had noticed.

“Why aren't you crying?”

Claire looked uncomfortable. She looked as though I was putting her on the spot for engaging in an act of frivolity. She stared at the ground, hands behind her back. “I... I just... wanted to watch you work before I died, miss.”

Something about that struck a chord in me. Her classmates gasped, but I actually felt the corner of my mouth tug into a smile. I reached down and gently picked her up. She squealed as I lifted her. She trembled against my hand, and I idly ran a fingertip down her side.

“A-are you... gonna... kill me?” She asked through a stutter of fright.

“Certainly. But I think I'll let you live for a little bit longer.” I put her down on the table, on the other side of the Tupperware wall. Several of her classmates pounded on the plastic, yelling to her to go get help. Instead, she just walked up to them, looking at them as though they were exhibits in the zoo. She turned back to look up at me.

“Do you mean it? You're going to kill them all first?” I nodded, and she looked back. “Can I... ask you to kill some of them?” She reached out her hand, placing her palm opposite that of one of her classmates. The other little guy backed away from Claire, unsettled by her growing grin.

“You know I'm going to kill all of them anyway, right?”

“I know, but... it would mean more if I was the one to choose them for execution.” She was staring needles into another girl, a tall blonde with an impressive rack for a high schooler. The blonde was with a small cadre of other girls, all hugging one another for support. I reached in and withdrew her, much to the dismay of her friends who scattered the second my fingers grew near. Claire watched with eagerness as I held the blonde's head between my fingers.

“No! Please! I have money! My father has lots of money, he can make you rich! He can make you so rich, I promise! Please just let me go, I'll get you your money and you'll never hear from me again, I swear it!” She was squirming and writhing. I was contemplating what I would say to Claire when the small brunette spoke first.

“Shut up, Rebecca!” She screamed, irritation in her voice. “You can't buy your way out of this! Your money doesn't matter, your popularity doesn't matter! Nothing matters here, because you're going to die!”

“Fuck you, you rotten cunt! I hope you g-” The blonde's tirade was cut short as I pressed her head to the side, straining all the connections in her neck. She instantly started whimpering, going tense in my fingers.

“You should watch your mouth, little missy. That's no way to talk to a woman, especially not one whom you seem to have wronged.”

“Pl-please...” She begged. It was a delightful sound, and Claire seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. While I do not make a habit of expressing my pleasure outwardly, Claire seemed to have no such qualms. She grinned from ear to ear, drinking in the sight of what I assumed was her bitter enemy made helpless and humiliated in my grasp.

“What's your name?” Claire asked. My expression must have changed because she suddenly became much more timid under my gaze, and quickly reworded her question. “O-or, uh, I mean, what should I call you, miss?”

“You can call me Lindsey.” I said to her. I had no reason to hide my name. She would not tell anyone. If any other normal-sized person ever saw her again, it would be as a corpse.

“Lindsey, can you... do it? Snap her neck. She's said all she needs to say.” The tiny body I held tensed again, trying to struggle free, but she was much too weak. She died with a whimper truncated by a soft pop. I laid the corpse down on the table in front of Claire, who stood over Rebecca triumphantly.

“Call me a dyke again, bitch.” My tiny admirer angrily insisted of the dead girl. “Call me a dyke one more time, see how that works out for you.”

“You two didn't like each other.” I said. It was obvious, of course, but I wanted the little thing to expand upon their relationship. I like to know who I'm killing, but it's such a rare pleasure.

“She was a stuck-up... person.” Claire said after turning to look up at me. She seemed uncomfortable swearing directly at me. “I uh... I asked her out once, and it was the biggest mistake of my life. Well, apart from coming to school today, I guess.”

“You regret being captured?”

“I...” Claire looked back at the box of her classmates. “I don't know. I don't wanna die, Lindsey. B-but I don't mind watching you kill other people. I'd even like to help, if I can.”

“What would you do? You're as weak as them.”

“I know.” She nodded. “I know it. I don't know what I could do, but I'd like to try.” Just then, one of the girls that had been close to Rebecca before I took her threw herself against the clear plastic wall, her face twisted in rage as she screamed at Claire.

“You goddamn bitch! How could you do that to her!? How could you just let her die!? She never meant the things she said, she was just joking you fucking goddamn retard whore!” This new girl's face was beet red, and she was pounding furiously on the box separating her from Claire. My new tiny companion looked up at me with a cocky smile.

“Want to let me practice?”

I stared at the screaming girl for a moment, trying to think of what I would want to watch Claire do. Finally, I nodded. I reached in the box and withdrew three girls; the one who was still screaming at Claire, and the two others who had been huddled along with Rebecca. I dropped the two extras to the table, then pinned the angry one down with a finger pressed against her chest.

“Here's what I want. I want each of you two girls to sit on one of her arms. I don't care how, just make sure it's immobile.” The girls were unsure of themselves, but they did not seem eager to defy me. They did as they were told, one of them whispering a quick “Sorry Tara,” before doing so. I nodded, and released my pin on her.

“Now Claire, go ahead and stomp her throat until she's dead.” Tara's eyes widened, and she vigorously shook her head, twisting her body back and forth in an effort to free herself.

“No! No don't! Don't do this! Let me up! Goddamnit, that bitch is fucking crazy let me the goddamn hell up! Please, I think she'll do it! Let me up!” Her friends turned their backs on her screams, and Clair looked down at her prey with a delightfully wicked expression.

“It was just a joke, huh?” Claire taunted. I remember idly wondering if I'd ever taunted any of my victims like that. She seems to have a delightful outlook on other peoples' suffering. It stirred something in me to watch her tease Tara like that. I wonder if it's possible she has something to teach me about my hobby?

“Claire, can't you see how fucked up this is? Josh is dead. Courtney is dead. People are dead, and you're siding with the bitch sociopath monster? What the fuck is wrong with you?” I could see Claire's tiny little hands ball up into fists.

“There's nothing wrong with me.” She said through clenched teeth. “I'm just pragmatic. You're the one who's too weak to see things for the way they are.” The two stared at each other for a moment, and Claire seemed to calm herself down. Her cheerful demeanor returned somewhat. “And now it's time for me to show you. Ready or not.”

“Claire – Claire NOOO-” Her shrill cry was cut off as her throat was crushed underneath Claire's bare foot. Blood squirted up from her mouth, coming down on her naked body. She spasmed underneath her restraints, and her head rocked wildly back and forth.

“Look at that, she looks like a fish out of water.” Claire smiled, pointing at Tara's mouth which opened and closed randomly, desperately trying to suck in air. Claire gave another stomp, drawing a strained wheeze of pain from the suffering, suffocating girl. I brushed the two others off with the back of my hand, letting Tara free. Of course, it was too late by that point. She just kind of randomly swung her limbs around before slowly going still. Both of the other girls were sobbing.

“Very good Claire.” I said, sliding my finger down her back. Her eyes fluttered briefly, and I did it again, drawing the same reaction. I realized I enjoyed seeing her enjoy herself. I decided then that I would have to include her in more of my games.

“Well, now we have these two to deal with, don't we?” Claire looked them up and down, nodding thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I s'pose we do.” She said.

“Do you care for either of them?”

Claire shook her head. “No, not really. They were always just around, but they never did anything to me specifically.”

“In that case, I want each of you to get on your knees and beg for mercy from Claire. You'll each get as long as I give you to state your case, then she'll tell me who she wants dead, and that will be the end of that. Got it?” Each of the girls was already on their knees, talking over one another, pleading with Claire for their lives. She just looked up at me and grinned, and I winked back at her.

I decided not to interrupt. Both of us were having fun watching the two girls verbally step over each other to secure their lives. Claire stood with her hands on her hips, supporting her weight on one leg. She giggled intermittently, when one of the girls would use a particularly pathetic turn of phrase. When I decided I'd finally heard enough, I tapped the table beside them with my fingernail.

“Okay ladies, that's enough. Claire, which girl did a better job of arguing for her own existence?” She looked to me again, shrugging.

“I don't know, neither of them really said anything persuasive. Can I choose both of them to die?”

At once the two girls started pleading again with renewed earnest, practically shouting over one another. I slammed my palm down beside them, and the noise caused them both to burst into tears, kneeling and covering their heads as they cried.

“Shut up! You had your turns to talk! Now yes, Claire, you absolutely can choose both of them, and both of them it will be.” She giggled and clapped, bouncing slightly on the soles of her feet. I remember my gaze lingering on her as I reached for the victims. They tried to turn and run away but they never had a chance. I held both of them helpless in my fist, my curled fingers pressing tightly against them.

“You're a wonder, Lindsey.” Claire said up to me, although she was focused on the squirming girls. I refrained from smiling, but barely. I closed my fist tighter and tighter, the girls' screams becoming more high-pitched and urgent. As their bones started to snap, Claire closed her eyes and took a step forward, tilting one side of her head towards them.

“Please help us! Oh god please! Please!” Their last words were annoyingly predictable. I wondered when I would get to crush a person who recited a poem before death, or at least came up with some poignant famous last words. Their blood quickly coated my palm, dripping down onto the table below. I squeezed hard, crushing what little was left of them, then peeled them off and let them drop into the Tupperware box. More screams and pleas ensued, but I was deaf to them. I watched Claire, who was slowly spinning in a circle and taking in the carnage all around her. She wore the widest smile I'd ever seen on a person.

“You really seem to be getting into this, Claire. I'm impressed. None of my other victims have ever been so blasé about the lives of their fellow captives.”

Claire just shrugged, looking over the remaining eight in the Tupperware container. She was smiling absently, as if a fond memory suddenly occurred to her. Her classmates were all huddled on the far side of the container. A few corpses lay near them, and those in the front of the group were taking obvious measures to stay as far away from the bodies as possible. They all looked terrified. Claire slowly began walking around the perimeter of the box, and the group watched her fearfully. As she started to draw close, they broke away, scattering awkwardly to the other side of the box. My tiny friend spun on her heel and walked back the way she'd come, and sure enough they ran back to the far side of the box. Claire looked up at me.

“They're like livestock, huh? Just reacting on base instinct at this point.” She commented to me. I nodded my agreement.

“Do you want me to finish them off like livestock?” This drew a soft laugh from Claire. She shrugged, and then nodded.

“Sure.”

I began resuming my task of snapping their necks individually. They never stood a chance. Not a one of them was able to dodge my grasp, and in no time there were twenty-one corpses in the box, laying in a thin pool of blood. Claire was pressed against the side, staring in at them all. I picked her up, pinching her sides, and lowered her into the box.

It was nice, watching her walk through the slaughterfield of her classmates. Her feet would leave little imprints behind her that were slowly filled in by the viscous, drying blood. Occasionally she would kneel beside a person, checking to see who they were. Her smile never faded completely, but it would sometimes grow when I presume she recognized a person she specifically disliked.

At last, she turned back to me. “You killed them all.” She said to me. There was a beat of silence, and her cheery demeanor faded. I could see fear starting to creep back onto her face as she realized where she was, and it delighted me as much as her lilting giggles. She swallowed hard. “You... haven't killed us all yet, have you.”

“No I have not, Claire.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but I suspect she realized how futile pleading would be. It wasn't as though she hadn't just witnessed twenty-three of her classmates plead for their lives before I claimed them. Why should she be any different?

“You like me.” She said. The statement caught me off-guard. I nodded.

“I do. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to kill you.”

Claire shook her head. “No, I think you will kill me. But I think you'll do it later. We have... kind of a chemistry, and that appeals to you, right?”

The girl was reading me better than any therapist ever had. It didn't bother me though. Actually, I was somewhat fond of her for it. I don't know why, but I found myself attracted to her. I still do, as a matter of fact.

Of course, I still wanted to have my fun with her.

“No, it doesn't.” I looked at her seriously. I have quite the poker face, and she practically wilted under my gaze. “I'm a cold-blooded killer, Claire. How else did you imagine this would end?”

She sank to her knees, trembling once more. I plucked her up, wrapping my left hand around her as my right pinched the sides of her head. She was sobbing now, muttering faint pleas for mercy. I twisted her head to the side and she let out an incredibly adorable squeak.

“Please... Lindsey... please...” She whimpered. I held her close to my ear so I would be able to hear her pathetic mewling. It really was cute; it's something I see myself drawing from her for a long time to come.

I set her down on the table, and she looked up at me, confused. I allowed myself a smile. “You're right, I do find you endearing. I'll keep you around for now.” She looked up at me through the tears.

“Y-you were just joking?” She asked. I nodded, still smiling. “You... you jerk!” She shouted up at me. Her anger was very real, but I couldn't help but find it cute. My hands were folded on the table in front of her, and she stood up and rushed over to them, delivering a kick to one of my palms. “That's so mean! How could you do that?”

I laughed. A genuine, honest-to-God laugh. Not for her benefit, not to frighten or appease her, but because I wanted to. I was startled by myself, but Claire didn't see it as anything odd. I swear, I think that girl is doing things to me even I don't understand. I rubbed the top of her head with my thumb.

“Don't worry, you're safe for now. I'll still end up killing you someday, but it won't be today. And most likely not tomorrow, either.”

She stood with her arms folded across her chest, pouting. “Fine.” My teasing death threat seemed to have deflated any playfulness she had in her. It didn't bother me.

“You know, I still have other captives. Tiny little playthings.” At the sound of this, she looked up at me, a gleeful look in her eyes. “If you want to prove your usefulness, we could go play with them.”

“A-are you saying you'll kill me if I don't?” I shrugged, but didn't say anything. She nodded. “Yeah, okay.” She shook her arms like she was getting herself psyched for the coming event. “Yeah! I'd like that!” I took her back to my room, not bothering to clean the blood off of either of us, or the table. It wasn't a large concern for me. I set her down on my desk, and withdrew three captives from my bedside drawer. Two men and a woman. I set them down before Claire, and the two of us regarded them, each thinking of how we'd like to see them suffer.

“I think we should play a game!” She said.

“Oh? What kind of game?”

“I don't know... some kind of competition or something? I've never really played with peoples' lives before, I'm kind of treading virgin ground for myself here.”

The three tiny people were already terrified of me, but when they saw the young girl before them casually discussing their demise, they seemed to lose all will to live. One man just laid flat on the desk, while the other two sat upright, staring blankly ahead. Claire cautiously approached the man laying down, and prodded him with her foot.

“Are you guys even really alive?” She asked. The man sitting up turned to look at her.

“Of course we are... but... not for long...”

Claire giggled. “I don't mean like that. I mean in spirit. You guys have already given up!” She kicked the man before her in the ribs, and he groaned in pain, clutching his side. “Come on, don't you want to live a little?” She was about to kick him again when the woman suddenly leaped up, crossing the distance between her and Claire swiftly. She wrapped her hands around Claire's throat and began throttling her.

“You snot-nosed little shit! These are real people! Show some go-” Before she could finish her thought, I pinched her head with less pressure than it would take to crack a peanut. It exploded between my fingers, and Claire let out a shrill yell of surprise, falling back onto her ass. The other woman's body slumped to the ground. Claire looked at it, chuckling nervously.

“Okay... so she got that out of her system... I take it you two don't have anything to add to her sentiments?” The two men avoided eye contact with her. She got up, still rubbing her throat, and walked over to the man sitting down. He tried to turn his head away from her, staring at the ground, but she forced herself into his view.

“What's the matter? Don't like looking at pretty girls? Are you gay or something?” She laughed, enjoying his obvious discomfort. “Or are you afraid of my big, bad, murderous guardian angel? You know with a snap I could have you dead?” She said to him, and then looked up at me as if for confirmation. I nodded, and she looked back. “One snap. That's it.”

“What do you want?” He asked, sounding like a kid being picked on by a schoolyard bully. Claire stood up, looking down her nose at him.

“I want you to look at me, for starters.” She said. He did as he was told. “Now tell me how pretty I am.”

“Y-you're very pretty, ma'am.” The man had a slight southern twang that I hadn't noticed until just then. Claire posed, turning this way and that while he continued to sputter insincere compliments. At a certain point, with no warning, Claire raised her hand, her fingers poised for a snap. The man's eyes opened wide and he literally threw himself at her feet. “Oh please!” He begged. “Please don't! I'll do anything I swear to God! Anything at all, please!”

“Kiss my feet then, old man. Lick 'em, too.” She was really getting off on the power she wielded, and while I have to admit I enjoyed watching it too. I was also starting to get bored. While her new subject prostrated himself at her feet, I placed my thumb down on the other man. The contact suddenly animated him, and he started squirming and writhing beneath me, but it was far too late to attempt an escape. I slid him in front of Claire, behind the man servicing her feet, and pressed down.

The series of wet crunches was brutal, but worse were the man's gurgling screams. Even through the blood filling up in his throat, he managed to communicate his agony in one of the more impressive howls I've ever heard. Claire had to direct her slave to keep working, but he was clearly shaken by the sound of a brutal murder happening directly behind him.

When my thumb had completely flattened his chest I lifted it back up and held it over the guy at Claire's feet. Thick drops of blood fell from my finger and onto his back, rolling down his bare skin. He shuddered and yelped every time they landed, and Claire and I laughed together at his unease.

“Hey! Old man, stop being pathetic and look at me again.” He followed her instruction, sitting at her feet on his knees. She laughed in his face. “Well, one-out-of-two ain't bad, I guess.” This brought a smile to my face, but I suspect he was too flustered to keep up. “Tell me: do you like my tits?” She brought her arms together, accentuating her modest breasts. The man, at this point completely dry-mouthed, rasped a response I wasn't able to hear. Fortunately, Claire filled in with context.

“You do? That's disgusting. I'm in high school, you pervy fuck.” She raised her hand. He started pleading in his raspy voice, but she just shook her head and snapped. The next second, I was on him. I crushed his legs in one blow, the pathetic limbs cracking like dried leaves beneath my thumb. He screamed in pain and Claire took a half-jump backwards, startled. I rolled my thumb up his body, crushing it as I went. He shrieked and reached out for Claire as if to ask assistance from her, but she just took his hand and shook it.

“Yes, it was very nice to meet you too.” She said. In response, a stream of blood flowed past his lips and down his chin, and he gurgled to his demise. Claire released his hand and clapped again, looking down at him.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” I asked. She turned to look up at me, and I picked her up.

“I did! Oh my God that was so much fun!”

“You're quite the little domme. It's too bad for you that you weren't the one to acquire my shrinking device. I suspect you would have made great use of it.” Claire's expression changed. She started to look upset. “What's wrong?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“W-well... I mean... are you going to return me to my life eventually?”

I shook my head. “I thought we went over this. I'm going to kill you.”

“Please stop saying that!” She shouted at me. I drew my head back. “It's not cute!”

“It's not meant to be. It's the truth, Claire. You're little, and I'm big. That's the way it is.”

“You don't have to kill me though! You can just let me live with you at least, if not return me to my family!”

“Claire, this isn't up for debate. If you'd like I'll kill you now, nice and quick so you don't suffer much. Do you want that?”

“Jesus, no!” She was squirming now. I held her tight out of reflex. She was small and lithe, but I was dangerously accustomed to immobilizing tiny people.

“Then shut up about it. You'll die when I decide to kill you, and there's nothing you can do about that.”

“What about the people I just killed?”

I snorted. “What about them?”

She glared at me resentfully. It was clear she wasn't finished with the subject, but it's hard to argue against overwhelming power and the will to use it. “Fine.” She said, looking down. We were both quiet for a long moment.

“If it makes you feel any better, I like your tits too.” I said. She kept pouting, but a red blush spread rapidly across her face. I noticed her eyes flick towards my own chest, larger than hers even when she was at full-size. She softened somewhat.

“Perv.” She said, but it was a playful jab. I smiled.

“What're you gonna do about it, short stuff? I can kill you.”

Her eyes widened, and again the playfulness vanished from her. “J-Jesus, Lindsey!” She cried up at me. Her outburst surprised me, and I suppose she noticed. “Is that... is that you flirting?”

“Of course! What else would it be?”

She let out a loud sigh, rolling her eyes. “For fuck's sake. Can you just... not bring up killing me when we're like... you know, trying to be happy with one another? Can't you get that freaks me out a little bit?”

I shrugged. I'm sure she'll get over it in time. I made her a special drawer after laying out some kleenex for her to sit in, and another pile to use as she sees fit. It's late, and I think I'm going to go make dinner now. I'll be writing in here more often now though; I thoroughly enjoy reliving events with Claire.