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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry about the wait. My reserve on this story ran out. So, it'll be a little while between updates but don't worry. The story shall go on! From this point on things are gonna start picking up.
Trouble In A Bottle: Chapter 6

Shaun woke up with a pounding headache. He rolled over and almost fell off the couch. " Ugh, what happened last night? " As he rose up to a sitting position, bits and pieces of the previous night came back to him. Shaun sighed, propping his head on his hand. " I need an ibuprofen. " Shaun shuffled into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. He got the bottle of ibuprofen and unscrewed the cap. He shook out two pills and swallowed them dry. While he closed the medicine cabinet, he noticed something strange in his reflection. His head wasn't as high as it usually was in the mirror. Shaun shrugged, blaming it on the hangover. He undressed and hopped into the shower.

Immediately something felt off, normally he had to tilt his head forward to get his hair wet. Now, the water was falling directly on his head. Shaun didn't think much of it, continuing with his shower. He stepped out a few minutes later and started to towel off. Shaun didn't notice it, but the towel covered a little bit more of his body than usual. After that, he went to his bedroom and threw on some clothes. He chose a striped blue T-shirt and jeans. Shaun returned to the living room to find Zarelda laid out on the coffee table asleep. She had gotten a few inches bigger over night. Shaun guessed she was almost 8 inches tall now. He sat down on the couch and poked Zarelda in the stomach. She jolted awake, sitting up quickly.

" Hm? Oh, it's you Shaun. What's the matter? "

" Nothing. I woke up a while ago and thought I'd wake you up too. "

" Oh, alright. "

" Looks like someone couldn't hold their wine very well. " Shaun grinned.

" You're one to talk. After you got nice and drunk, you picked me up and waved me around singing some song about a Barbie girl. "

Shaun's face turned red. " Um... Sorry about that. "

" It's okay. It was actually quite humorous. " Zarelda laughed.

" Anyways, I think I'm gonna try to get some unpacking done today. What do you wanna do? "

" I think I'd like to sleep some more. Could you put me on the couch when you get off? "

" Sure. " Shaun cupped his hands and placed them in front of Zarelda.

She climbed over them and sat down. He traded places with her on the couch. " Alright, I'm gonna make some coffee then get to work. "

" Okay. See you later. "

With that, Zarelda closed her eyes and got comfortable. She leaned back on a couch pillow and crossed her legs in front of her. Shaun went to the kitchen.


Zarelda sat on the couch quite comfortably. Her plan was in full motion. All she had to do was sit back and wait. Shaun could work all he wanted to, it would only increase the speed of the powder more. Zarelda hated it, but she knew she would have to continue to act nice around Shaun for a couple days. At least until she was so much bigger than him that he won't be able to do anything to her. It was worth it to be normal sized again and have her powers back. This new world she was in would soon be bowing at her feet. The first one to be doing that will be Shaun.


Shaun wiped some sweat off his forehead. He quickly cut open another box. So far, he'd already gotten through about five or so. This one contained another batch of his book collection. He slid it over to the bookcase he had assembled earlier and started putting the books on the shelf. He was almost done when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Shaun slid his phone out and unlocked the screen. There was a text message from Kyrie. It said " Do u want 2 get some lunch? " Shaun replied saying yes and when. A few seconds later, Kyrie answered saying she would be over to pick Shaun up soon and to be ready. Shaun was already dressed so all he had to do was put on his shoes. He continued to unpack for ten minutes until a sudden thought occurred to him.

" Oh, shit. Kyrie can't see Zarelda! " Shaun scrambled to his feet. He'd already wasted ten minutes and it didn't take Kyrie that long to get here. He rushed into the living room, stopping in front of the couch.

" Zarelda! You have to wake up! " Shaun said in as loud a whisper as he could manage.

Zarelda's eyes opened lazily. " What is it? " she grumbled.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. " Crap, I need to take you to my bedroom. Kyrie and me are going out to lunch. I'll be back in an hour or so. Okay? "

Zarelda stood up. " So be it. "

Shaun gently scooped her up. Pretty soon he wouldn't be able to hold her in his hands. She was getting big. He hurried around his bed and set her in her box. " Alright, I'll be home as quickly as I can. Bye. "
" Good bye, Shaun. " Zarelda said dully.

Shaun opened the front door to see Kyrie standing there with her hands in her pockets. Today her hair was loose around her shoulders. She was wearing a purple blouse, dark blue jeans, and black Vans.

" Hey, you ready to go? " Kyrie asked pointing her thumbs toward the stairs.

" Just need to get my shoes on. " Shaun said turning away.

" Hold on, turn around. "

He did as she asked. " What? "

" You are totally getting shorter! I couldn't have grown that much in a day, Shaun. "

Shaun smirked at her " Kyrie, I'm not even wearing shoes. Calm down. People don't just shrink. "

Shaun's thoughts immediately went to Zarelda. " Well not nowadays anyway. " he thought. Shaun picked up his shoes and went to the couch. He pulled them on, then double knotted them. Oddly, there was a lot more room in the shoes. Now that he thought about it his clothes were loose too. " Come on. Don't let Kyrie get to you with all this. " He shook his head. Shaun grabbed his keys off the table and stood up. " Okay, let's go. " Shaun locked the door behind them. As Kyrie walked towards the stairs, he couldn't help but notice his field of vision was lower. " What the hell is going on? "


Shaun practically ran up the stairs to his floor, taking them two at a time. Something was definitely wrong. Not even five minutes ago, he'd made a very disturbing discovery. Kyrie had given Shaun a ride home from the restaurant and everything seemed fine. They both got out to do the traditional goodbye hug. They embraced and then Shaun noticed it. Usually, he was a full head taller than Kyrie when they hugged. He could rest his chin on top of her head. This time, however, his eyes were a couple inches above the top of her head. He nearly fell over from surprise and disbelief. Kyrie must have picked up on it because she let him go, taking a step back.

" Are you alright? " she asked genuinely concerned.

" Y-yeah, I'm fine. I think something I ate didn't agree with me... I-I gotta go. " Shaun turned and quickly walked away.

" Hey! Text me later and let me know how you're feeling! If it gets worse I'll take you to urgent care, okay? " Kyrie called after him.

" Uh huh, sure. " Shaun said over his shoulder.

When he got to the stairs, his composure completely shattered. Now, he was wrestling the locks on his door open as fast as possible. After a few mistakes, he got it open. He slammed the door shut, locking both locks. Shaun leaned back on it and sighed. " What's happening to me? Why is this happening to me? " he put a hand on his head, raking it through his hair. " What do I do? " Shaun said defeatedly, sliding to the floor. He sat there for awhile, thinking about what to do. The answer came to him suddenly. He felt stupid for not thinking about it sooner. Shaun climbed to his feet, going to his bedroom. He sat down on the side of the bed next to Zarelda's box. " Hey, Zarelda. I need to talk to you. It's important. " Zarelda had gotten bigger since he saw her last. At this rate the box wouldn't be big enough for her much longer. She was sitting in the corner of the box, braiding her hair.

" What is it, Shaun? You seem upset? "

Shaun took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. " I... think I'm shrinking. No, I know I'm shrinking. You have to know something about this right? "

" No, Shaun I don't. I'm sorry. It might be a part of the sorceresses curse. I must be taking your size from you. I wish I knew how to stop it. "

" You're sure you don't know anything? " Shaun asked desperately.

" No, I'm truly sorry. "

Shaun looked at the floor, still trying to accept the situation. " Alright then. I think I need to be alone for awhile. " Shaun got up and left the room. " Shouldn't be too much longer. " Zarelda thought happily. Out in the living room, Shaun decided he wanted to know just how much he'd shrunken so far. He grabbed a tape measure, pulling it out next to him. He pinched it where it leveled with the top of his head. Shaun looked at the measurement and almost fell over. He was 5'3! A couple days ago he was 6'5! Shaun sunk down onto the couch. His heart was beating rapidly. He was terrified. How small was he going to get? Pretty soon Zarelda would be the one carrying him around in her hand. Shaun put his head in his hands. " Oh, god. "
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