Chapter 17

***Jacen***

            I awoke in complete darkness, unable to move. I started to panic immediately forgetting the situation that I was in. I struggled to move my limbs for a frantic few minutes before everything came rushing back to me, the images of being thrust into something as pitiful as a stuffed animal.

            As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I found myself staring directly into Al’s t-shirt. I looked from left to right hoping there was some way I could get out but it was hopeless. I was a prisoner until this giant felt otherwise.

            I still found it odd to think of Al as my sister. She is just so large. It’s unsettling to think that I use to be bigger then her. That I could lord over her with an iron fist. I couldn’t imagine taking away something of hers now and holding it above her head making her jump for it like a dog jumping for a treat.

            My thoughts were interrupted but an electronic wailing. A monstrous grunt echoed across the room and I felt everything shake and jumble around. A few shards of light started to make there way in as I heard a loud slam from the slapping Al’s hand against her alarm clock.

            “AL” I screamed as she started to sit up in bed, her iron grip on Henry the Kangaroo begin to lessen allowing a few inches of separation between her body and my kangaroo prison.

            I screamed Al’s name again as she stood up. I begun to realize what was about to happen, but I noticed it much too late and there was nothing I could do about it. Al released the hold she had on her stuffed kangaroo Henry.  Henry and I started tumbling end over end towards her unmade bed. The G-forces from the fall pressed me firmly into the stomach of the stuffed kangaroo. It is not until the kangaroo smashed into the bed I felt the forces of gravity subside.

            “Al! Get me out here! Get me out of here right now or you’re gonna be in a world of pain.” I screamed towards her not even thinking about my current predicament.

            My voice was easily drowned out by Al’s yawning as she walked out the room. I tried flailing my limbs hoping that my situation had somehow changed but nothing had. I laid there on Al’s bed staring up at the ceiling hearing the sounds of the water from the bathroom running and giants rushing back and forth down the hallway as they readied for there day.

            I finally heard Al enter her room. I could hear her walking about, but I couldn’t see her. I yelled futilely a few times but my voice was just too weak for her to hear. Sounds of her combing her hair and then a hair dryer interrupt the silence of the room. I can feel my anger level rise as each moment passed by. I wanted to jump out of this confounded pouch of this stupid kangaroo and wring Al’s little neck for leaving me like this.

            I finally hear her start to walk towards her bed. Slowly I see Al come into my field of vision. At first, I just see the top of her head, and then her golden blonde hair bouncing back and forth, as she walks towards the bed. I finally spot her blue eyes staring down towards me. I gulp slightly as a feeling of trepidation creeped into me. My heartbeat started to quicken as my muscles tensed.

            “Hey Jace, did you sleep well? I have a question for you. Which one do you think smells better?” Try as I might I can’t seem to get out of the way before a perfume bottle larger then me is lowered toward me.

            “Wait stop! Al..AL!!!” I scream with a terrified look spread across my face. My eyes lock onto the opening on the perfume bottle. I gulp as Al depressed the top of the bottle and scented rain fell down on me. The smell was horrendous as I struggled to move, but I still can’t seem to free myself from this hell..

            I can hardly believe she put that stuff on her. This has to be one of the worst smelling things I have ever come across in my life.

            “Do you remember the scent? This is the stuff you use to make fun of me for wearing. I believe you refer to it as Le-stench. I had to save up a lot of money for this stuff Jace. It hurt my feelings when you ripped it apart like that.” Al said as she blasted me with another squirt from the bottle.

            Words escaped me as I looked up at her. I wanted to apologize, as my thoughts of anger were already nothing but a memory as I stare up at this giant.

            “You smell so good now. I might have to give you a dusting of this every morning. Anyway, I will ask that new girl I was telling you about last night and see what she knows and pop over to the library and see if I can find anything about your little problem.”

            “Alright, I still don’t see what this girl at school is going to know. It’s not like she some shrinking professional.”

            “You’re so silly, you know I can’t possibly hear you when I’m standing up and you’re ALL the way DOWN THERE.”

            I felt so small as the giant, I mean my little sister looked down at me. She smiled a bit and stuck out her tongue at me before she sat down and lowered her face near me.

            “was that really necessary.” I shout as loud as I could.

            “Of course it is. So anyway, did you sleep well? You look pretty comfortable, but do you need your little kid sister to help you out of her baby toy?”

            I felt so demoralized as Al used my own words against me. Each word was like a stab in the heart. I can remember so clearly mocking her with those very words and now here I am at the other end.

            “Yes” I mumble.

            “What? I couldn’t hear you. It sounded like no you can get yourself out.”

            “Yes I need your help.” I shout as loud as I can.

            “I still didn’t quite catch that. It sounded like you might have said yes, but it’s hard to tell. Your voice is just so soft.”

I knew she wasn’t going to let me out of this easily. I didn’t want to say the words but I knew I was going to have too. As I wasn’t going to let her leave me like this for a moment a longer.

            “Yes, I need my little kid sisters help out of her baby toy because I can’t get myself out.” I hadn’t ever felt so humiliated in my life as I looked up at her waiting for help.

            What made the whole process more demoralizing was the fact Al plucked me out with ease. It was nothing for her to get me out and if I had to get myself out, I would have died of starvation and dehydration.

            As her hand enveloped around me, I felt a warmth wrap around me. It felt good as I lay on her hand. Part of me wished I could lie here all day. I pushed those thoughts out of my head right away as I felt myself lifted up to her face.

            “So where do you want me to leave you?” Al asked as she looked at me with a rather impatient look on her face.

            “What do you mean leave me? I’m going with you. We are going to find a way to reverse this remember?”

            “Oh of course we are, but that doesn’t mean you are coming to school with me. I’m not gonna let my little brother hang out with me. You’d cramp my style kid.” Al said in her best imitation of me.

            “Al! I’m not going to sit around your sty of a room all day waiting for you to come home like some puppy dog.”

            “Of course you are, now pick a spot or I will pick one for you. Remember, part of me helping you out was you doing what I say. So you better start doing. I don’t think you could last too long around the house without me.”

            “Just put me down on the desk.” I sighed in a defeated tone.

            “Don’t sound so sad. When your little taller, maybe you can come with.” Giggled Al as tips her hand forcing me to slide out of her hand.

            “I will bring you back some breakfast,” Al says before she ran out of the room.

            I wait a few moments to make sure Al didn’t come back. As soon as I heard her bound down the stairs a smile crept across my face as I looked at her uniform draped over the back of the chair.

            I rushed over to the far end over desk towards the discarded sock I had seen earlier. As I grab the toe end of the sock, I start to regret it right away as a wave of funk wafts towards me.

            “She needs to clean this place, but for once Al’s messy nature is going to help me.” I say to myself as I start pulling at the sock. It’s slow going but after about fifteen minutes I have the sock pulled right in front of the chair. I pushed it towards the edge of the desk and watched it fall into a pile on the computer chair.

            I gulped as I saw how far down it really was. I started to wonder if this is a good idea when I think about if I really want to be like this forever.

            “Here goes nothing,” I shout as I leap over the edge. I quickly crash into her sock. I lay there for a few moments stunned that I survived. As soon as I realize that I’m okay I quickly scamper away from her funky sock. I take a few steps and stare up at her dark blue jacket of her uniform. I take a deep breath, grab onto the plaid skirt, and start to pull myself up.

            I continually grabbed handful after handful of plaid as I pull myself towards her jacket. I find myself staring straight at the plaid skirt as not too look down, but my thoughts start to drift towards the lunacy of this situation. Here I am, not only climbing a giant skirt, I am doing so that I can sneak into school. Who sneaks into school?

            As I reach the jacket pocket, I look down into the pocket and wonder if this is such a good idea. I let go of the material before I can second guess myself and tumble into my sister’s jacket pocket.

            I lie there for several minutes before I hear her walk into the room calling my name. Everything shook slightly as Al walked by and called for me again.

            “Oh are you pouting cause you can’t come with? Well here is a piece of muffin if you’re hungry. I’m just gonna leave it on the desk. I will see at the muffin around five.”

            I hear my sister’s pajama’s fall the floor and her fling on the uniform. My heart was racing as I hear her readying herself. She finally grabs the jacket that I am in. I am flung against the wall of the jacket as she slips it on.

            I look up in horror as my sister’s Ipod is hovering above the pocket. I cringe and dive onto the floor as she drops into her pocket

            “Cya Jace” I hear Alyson bellow as she slips her ear buds on.