Karla drove up and parked in the parking lot of the main campus office building, she had to find out where Ms. Fox’s classroom was.  She walked into the building and went and asked the student at the reception desk. 

“Hi! Would you happen to know where Ms. Fox’s classroom is?” Karla asked the student behind the desk. 

“You would go to the science building.” The student replied. 

“Thanks so much, um, Katie.” Karla replied after seeing the nametag.

Karla walked out the doors and towards the science building. 

Unfortunately, the student behind the desk was indeed Katie, the girl Melissa was sitting by the day she shrunk herself and our story began.  Katie had no idea who Karla was other than that she might be a speaker for a class or a friend of a teacher.  The thoughts of Melissa were far from her mind when she had that brief conversation with Karla.  She had her homework on the front burner for now and she needed to get it done so Katie gave no more attention to Karla than she needed too. 

Karla arrived at Ms. Fox’s classroom only to find it empty.  She walked towards the microscopes but that is all she saw.  She walked back towards the classroom door and stopped to look at the neat desk.  With disgust she walked out and walked towards the buildings commons area where she came in at, walking right past the lost and found box.  Melissa’s bag was still in there but since Karla had no knowledge of what it looked like she gave the bag in the lost and found box little thought. 

Inside Karla’s boot Melissa was being pounded.  The heat that Karla’s foot was producing made her feel like she was in the Sahara Desert with nothing blocking the sun.  The sole of the boot allowed the ground to pound Melissa as it did very little to protect her from the steps Karla took. 

Melissa was relieved that the walking had stopped for the moment.  She felt the that Karla had lifted the weight off of her and in fact she could feel a swinging motion.   Melissa listened and she herd muffled sounds from outside the boot.   Melissa could have sworn she hear Katie’s voice from the outside but she could not be sure.  Karla’s boot was very good at muffling sounds as well as keeping all the heat inside.  This did work to her advantage though.  The heat had worked at loosening the tape that Karla had put on Melissa before leaving her house and so this allowed Melissa to make herself loose.    

“I __ed to _i_d a _a_” Melissa heard.  The pressure increased again.  It stopped a short while later but this time Karla put her full weight on Melissa making her have to hold her breath.  Karla shifted her weight about 30 seconds later and Melissa was able to breathe again. 

Karla was so intent at studying the map that she figured that she should sit down to do it since she was taking up half the hallway.  Sitting in the chairs she absent mindedly played with the zipper of the boot that Melissa was in.   This in turn made her boot slide up and down her ankle.   Eventually the boot slipped off her foot and fell to the ground.   It took Karla a minute to realize what had happened before she bent down and put her boot back on. 

Melissa felt the motion of freefalling and then the sudden halt.  To her surprise, that fall had made the tape come off the insole and she was free again.   She ran towards the opening of the boot and peered out of it since it was laying on its side.   She saw that Karla was pre-occupied with whatever brochure she was reading and Melissa made a dash for under the chair.  

“Yes!” Melissa yelled under her breath.   “Now time to get my shrinking gun back.”

Melissa peeled the rest of the tape that was still stuck to her off of her and watched as the boots of Karla shifted and started to walk off.   Soon, Melissa saw Karla round the corner and disappear.   Hopefully for good.