"Megan" Linda said "Don't you have other duties you should be attending to?" She of course meant waking everyone up. It was Megan's role to prepare everyone for the day as if she were their mother. 

"Of course"

Megan walked up stairs and started knocking on peoples doors, informing them that it was time to wake up. Lastly she got to Steven's room but found that he wasn't actually asleep. Instead he was at his desk doing some kind of work on his laptop and he didn't even turn to greet her when she opened the door.

"It surprising to see you awake so early" She said, although Steven didn't reply. "Mother wants me to wake everyone up. Breakfast is ready"

Without so much as a nod of the head or a wave of the head Stenen stood up from his chair and went to exit the room, not looking at Megan even when she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Wait ... I have to to ask you something"

"What? ..."

"What's wrong with you-"

"Nothing's wrong with me!" He still didn't look at her and made to pull his arm out of her grip but found she had uncharacteristic strength. "Let go"

"First tell me what's wrong. Why are you so called?"

"I'm not"

"Why don't you talk to me"

"I do!"

"You won't even look at me"

Steven turned his head and looked into her eyes and his stomach turned. It was true that he had been avoiding looking at her out of fear that he had shrunk so when finally did look at her he saw just how far he had fallen. Luckily Megan didn't notice anything and Steven quickly yanked his arm out of her grip and walked away. Megan watched as he disappeared down the stairs before something caught her eye in his room. It was his computer which he had forgotten to turn of and had left it on the last page he was looking at.

There were dozens of pages open but none of them looked like they were for engineering, instead they looked my biological and medical. "10 ways to help prevent it" ..."Stop its progression" ... "Cure to the 'shrinking virus'"

Shrinking virus? Megan's heart skipped a beat. Why was Steven looking up ways of preventing and curing the "Shrinking virus"? He didn't have ... He couldn't have.

"Oh, dear god." Megan almost collapsed. First she lost her father and now she was losing her brother. Her only other family she had. Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't it be anyone else but him?

Steven was walking downstairs, completely unaware of his sister's discovering, and making his way to the kitchen. He made his way past his diminutive father who truly did look pathetic trapped in his high chair, being looked down upon by everything and everyone. No matter how things turn out, Steven would never become like his father. Someone who submits to children out of fear, who sucks on their wives breasts just to stay alive for a little longer, someone who has no respect for themselves.

Linda wasn't at the table, perhaps she was still asleep or maybe getting ready work. Without her the table was filled with children and their usual morning noise ranging from Clara and Jake continuing their "Who can yell the loudest competition" to Jade quietly insulting Scott while Linda was away. However, Steven didn't care about any of this. He didn't give a damn about the yelling or the insulting or having to eat or going to school. And so he just sat down and ate a piece of toast, more for giving his mouth something to do rather than for actually eating.

Scott looked over at Steven with eyes that clearly said "Please, help me" but what it really looked like to Steven was "Look at me, I'm now pathetic and you're just like me. Like father like son". Steven turned away and focused on something else.

"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!!" Jade yelled at Clara and Jake who both ceased their antics and sat down to eat. Maybe they were too use to Steven's kind and gentle method of talking to them and were surprised at Jade's reaction.

"Jade" Steven said, turning his head and looking at her "Don't yell this early in the morning, you're making more noise then them" His tone was not aggressive, mean or dominant. it was the voice of a person who had been deflated.

"Why don't you mind your own business? You didn't stop them so it's my job to" Steven didn't argue back, he didn't care anymore which was something Jade quickly noticed. Steven would never take that from her and they would argue back and forth for at least a minute so him giving up so quickly without even trying to fight was most suspicious. "Woah, what's wrong? Keep up that attitude and you'll find yourself at the back of the bus taking orders."

"I don't care" for the past few weeks Jade has been inching closer and closer to being the dominant one of the house (Aside from Linda). usually that role was filled by Steven who brought order to the family lately he just didn't have the spirit. Because of this Jade has been away to wiggle further into his territory without being challenged and she liked it.

He stood up from his chair, spitting the toast out of his mouth and walking back up to his room. On his way he passed Megan who looked like she had tears flowing from her eyes. For once he showed some concern.

"What's wrong?"

She looked at him, contemplating whether she should tell him she knows or maybe wait until he tells her. Obviously he doesn't want people to know about his condition. He'll tell me when he's ready.

"Nothing. I'm fine, just stubbed my toe on the wall."

Satisfied with that Stephen walked passed her and into his room to get ready for school. Packing his bag he grabbed his car keys and walked outside to his car. Driving was a good time to think and reflect about what was happening to him but really it just made him realize that his life was coming to an end. That's really all he could think about. Tomorrow he'd be smaller than he was today. The same with the next day and the next day and the next day. Wash, rinse and repeat. He was driving towards the stoplights when he saw a group of girls standing at at what appeared to be a bus stop.

A group made up of four people with a older teen, a younger teen and a little girl. However, it was this last one which was what caught his attention as she was obviously a shrinker but was as small as the little girl standing next to her who couldn't have been any older than eight. Steven could tell she was a shrinker because her limbs looked to thin and long to be a little girls and she clearly had breasts.

This was possibly a good chance for him to learn what it was like to be a shrinker, after all he was going to be like her one day. Maybe she knew a really good method to starve off the illness, yeah, maybe she's been shrinking since she was really young but her method has kept her alive for years and years. Steven knew he had to speak with her and so parked his car close to the bus stop and stepped out.

He stepped out of his car and casually walked towards the group of girls. he didn't want to seem like some kind of creep and so he didn't even make eye contact until he was right next to them. Even though the Shrinker girl was obviously the oldest one in the group he first addressed the tallest one.

"Hello, miss? This might seem odd but I was wandering if I could ask this Shrinke- I mean this young girl a few questions about her condition." all he received were weird looks and so thought he should maybe introduce himself. "Oh, I'm Steven, by the way" He held out his hand and shook the tallest's hand.

"Hi" She said, staring at him with inquisical eyes and tilting away from him slightly "I'm Emma, this is Stacy, Amy and Kate" She said pointing to the teen, little girl and shrinker respectively. "You said you wanted to ... what?"

"Oh, um, ask Miss Kate a few questions about her condition"

"Why" The teen named Stacy asked "Are you a shrinker?" Her attitude was very cocky and arrogant. With one arm draped around Kate's shoulder she was learning on the shrinker as if she were talk of sorts. 

"What? Oh, no. I'm just curious. I'm ... writing an article ... for a ... newspaper" Steven bullshitted. 

"Why would a newspaper care about some random shrinker?" Stacy said again. "It's unlike their people"

"Stacy!" Emma said forcefully "Get your arm off of your sister"

"Whatever" She removed her arm and inside leaned on the youngest, Amy"

"So can I ask a few questions?"

"Yes" Kate said, finally saying something. Her voice was strangely quiet as if she lost the ability to speak properly. Great, was she another cowardly shrinker like Scott.

Steven and Kate walked down the path slightly so that they were out of earshot of the group of girl. Steven then got onto his knee so that he could face the tiny girl, she really was very small.

"What do you want to know?" Even though she was looking directly at Steven her eyes showed a person who had clearly been broken. All life in her pupils were gone and her fighting spirit seemed demolished. "I know You're a shrinker, by the way"

This statement caught Steven off guard. She said it with such confidence, even though her voice had none in it. She knew for a fact that she was right and there was no point debating her.

"How'd you know?"

"Your eyes were the same as mine when I first learned what was happening me. Angry, confused and desperate. In case you're wondering I don't have some miracle cure to the virus. Nor do I know some secret method of preventing it." Her voice had so little emotion in it as if she didn't care about what she was saying. She had completely given up.

"Well, how long have you been a Shrinker?"

"Few months" This was very surprising. He had never really heard of a case where someone shrank so far in such little time. Maybe she was really small to begin with? Upon asking her she said she was taller than Emma at the start.

"That's not possible then"

"isn't it?" She said this in an almost sarcastic tone but her voice just couldn't muster than much emotion. How come she was shrinking so fast? Was this going to happen to him? "If you want to prevent shrinking spurts you can always try meditation. I hear that works" She was almost not looking at him anymore as she droned on. Was she always like this or did this illness change her?

"Can I ask you about your "Guardian"?"

"I Don't have a specific "Guardian". Our mother is never really home and so I can't give full custodian over to her. Emma is too young for such a position and so I am under the 'protection' of my entire family. The entire family is my"Guardian". The comment about Emma being too young to be a guardian was strange. By law, anyone can be a guardian no matter what age they are. Even the little girl Amy was qualified. Maybe they meant that she was too inexperienced for such a role.

"Do you know what someone should do if their family are abusing a shrinker" This question seemed to get the biggest reaction out of her as she quickly ended the discussion and went to walk away. "Hey wait" He grabbed onto her arm and she shrieked in pain and fright, did he squeeze her too hard?

Suddenly, something came out of nowhere and smacked Steven in the head, sending him flying into the pavement. Looking up he saw Stacy's foot extended into the air and realized that she had kicked him. She packed one hell of a hit.

"Score!" Stacy yelled, happy with her mark "Get your own toys, don't touch mine!"

"You should probably leave" Emma said, stepping in front of Kate, protecting her from Steven. It was strange, Kate seemed to grab hold of Emma as if she were a mother.

"Please, I just want to ask a few more things"

"Well, Too bad. Come any closer and you'll see that Stacy isn't the only one with a good kick"

"Then please, just take this" Steven held out a piece of paper with his phone number on it. "If you have anymore information can you please call me?"

The little girl called Amy hopped towards him and snatched the piece of paper out of his hand and hopped back to give it to Emma. Steven couldn't believe that he had been taken down by some little teenage girl. She had clearly sent him flying and left what felt like a huge lump on the side of his head. What happened to his opposing and dominant character.

"So I take it I was right. You are a shrinker aren't you" The girl called Stacy said with a sneer. "And you want to know what it's like. Well, when you get shorter you can come over and visit. I'd love to show you what it's like to be less than human"

"Stacy!"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry"

"I'm not a shrinker!"

"Oh really?" Stacy walked over to Kate and put her arm on her shoulder, and asked "So, dear Kate, is he a shrinker? You should know, right"

Kate didn't say anything for a while, but simply shook slightly on the spot. Was she afraid of her little sister? How can that be? The older sister Emma didn't notice this reaction cause her eyes were intently focused on Steven who was still on the ground.  Finally Kate answered.

"Yes, Stacy ... He is a shrinker"

"I knew it! Hey Amy, you can have that one if you want"

"yay"

What do they mean have "Have That one"? Do they believe that shrinkers are like property or something? This brat was really getting on Steven's last nerve. first she insult's him, hits him and now degrades him! Who does she think she is?

Steven stood up off from the ground and brushed himself off, massaging his face where Stacy had kicked him. He was about to yell at Stacy when he felt a strange sensation coming over his body, like his entire body was becoming dizzy and he felt like he was going to fall over. Suddenly everything around him started to expand and he watched the gleeful look on Stacy's face become even more evident. Finally it was over.

"What were you saying about not being a shrinker? i hope that painfully embarrassing kick I gave you didn't cause you to shrink" Stacy said, laughing between her words.

Overcome with fright and humiliation, Steven legged it out of there and ran to his car. He would live a happy life if he never came into contact with that bratty child ever again. As he jumped in his car he could still hear her laughter reverberating in his ears. He was now Only 179cm and had to face going to school.