This was supposed to be fun.

It was supposed to be the last party before graduation. Not a big one, only three of Chloe’s closest friends were there. They’d talk, play some games, maybe watch a movie and just hang out, like they’d done so many times in the past. Could you even call that a party?

 High school was ending, meaning of course, they wouldn’t spend time together everyday anymore, so this last gathering was supposed to be special. Different from their previous hangouts.

But Chloe didn’t expect it to be this different.

She could never have possibly predicted that only a couple minutes after setting foot in Grace’s house she’d be where she was right now.

That place being at one of her best friend’s feet, looking up at her shocked, although worryingly amused looking face.

Chloe’s clothes had shrunken along with her, able to cover her now 2 inch tall body properly. She never believed that part when she’d heard about people shrinking on the news a few years back. But, luckily, it was true.

The shrunken girl snapped out of her thoughts when the now 200 ft tall Grace started bending down, her blue eyes focusing on Chloe. The amused smile was still visible on her face while she laid down on the ground in an attempt of being eye level with the shrunken girl.

Chloe stumbled a little as the ground around her shook lightly, Grace’s face taking up her whole view. 

-Look at you!- boomed the colossus in a tone that worried Chloe. -You’re like, this small!- Grace giggled as she brought her pointer finger and thumb in front of the trembling shrunken girl, bringing them together to demonstrate her current height. Her fingernails alone were bigger than her head.  -It’s hilarious! I wish you could see yourself right now.- There was a moment of silence as Chloe was processing what had just happened. She was the first one to arrive at the party, which took place at Grace’s house. They had gone to the living room and were about to sit down on the couch and wait for Meghan and Sarah, but she shrunk. And Grace was acting very strange. Now that Chloe thought about it, she never knew how Grace treated the Affected. They were pretty hard to come by, since the last shrinking wave happened a couple years ago, and most of them were probably already dead. Chloe shuddered at the thought. It probably wouldn’t be long until she meets the same fate, judging by Grace’s reaction.

The morbid thought became a little too real when she started reaching for her.

-Grace! What are you doing? Stop!- The giantess didn’t listen, her fingers still outstretched and moving towards Chloe.

-Oh, come on! This is going to be fun!- The shrunken girl knew well that would not be the case for her. So, in a surge of adrenaline, she turned around, and bolted towards anything in sight that she could take cover behind. 

Grace was a little startled and froze for just a second, but quickly came to her senses and reached for Chloe for the second time. She would have grabbed her if the sound of a doorbell hadn’t startled her once again. Instead her fingers caught the air that the shrunken girl had ran through a second earlier and the giantess let out an annoyed grunt.

-Ugh!- Chloe did not stop running. She quickly dove under the couch. Luckily the gap was tall enough for her to dive under somewhat comfortably, but that also meant it would probably be easier for her giant friend (if she could still be called that) to reach under the piece of furniture and grab her. Looking out into the living room she could see an annoyed Grace slowly get up. -I’ll get you in a second.- She said in a tone that sent a cold shiver down the shrunken girl’s spine, and walked away towards the front door.

Chloe could feel the ground shake just a little with every step the giantess took while walking out of the room. She knew that she didn’t have much time, and that she had to get out of here. She wasn’t sure where she would go after that, though. Family? Her parents were both on a business trip out of state, and her older sister fully lived in another city. Maybe Meghan and Sarah would help her? Grace’s reaction was unsettling, but maybe there still was hope? 

The girl quickly realised that she should get her priorities straight and maybe get to a better hiding place, because she heard the distant sound of a giant door opening accompanied by the voice of Grace, as well as one of her other best friends, Meghan. The two giantesses exchanged greetings, and as the sound of the door closing rung out throughout the house Chloe realised her time to make the call was running out. Grace knew she was under here. She had to move. She rushed out from under the couch, looking around briefly for a place she could hide. 

-Hey Meg! I’m glad you made it!- Chloe panicked when she realised the modern, minimalist living room had no good hiding places. So she turned around and started running for the kitchen, which wasn’t that far away.

-Yeah, it’s good to see you. Am I the first one here?- Sounds of footsteps echoed around her as Chloe dashed for the adjacent room. 

-Well… not exactly.- the voices got louder as the shrunken girl entered the kitchen. She took cover behind the door frame, making sure she couldn’t be seen from the living room. Chloe was breathing heavily as she frantically looked around for a better hiding spot. Meanwhile the two giantesses continued their conversation.

-What do you mean “not exactly”?- asked the confused Meghan as the two entered the living room. 

-I’ll show you in a moment.- Grace immediately laid back down on the ground, inspecting the floor under her couch. 

-What the… she’s not here!- she exclaimed, audibly frustrated. Chloe, not knowing what else to do, started booking it towards the table standing in the corner. It wasn’t the best hiding place, but maybe, she thought, hiding in plain sight is just the best option here. 

-What are you talking about?- 

-Chloe! She shrunk, and apparently ran away somewhere! Ugh, that’s so annoying…- It was unnerving for Chloe to hear Grace speak about her in that way. She was genuinely frustrated.

-What? When? Where is she?- She started looking through the various things laying on the table. Meghan sounded more confused than concerned, but still, there was no sign of amusement. Chloe could still be hopeful, but just in case decided to stay hidden behind the table’s leg until she was sure she could come out.

-Uh, like… Maybe 10 minutes ago, and I don’t know, Meghan! I said that already, Jesus!-

-Okay, sorry. It’s just not what I expected.-

-Oh, really?- Grace remarked, as she was getting up from the floor. 

-So what now?- Meghan ignored her friend’s response and looked around curiously. -Did you try asking her to come out?-

-Asking her to… Of course. Yeah, of course, that’s a great idea Meghan, I’m sure if she ran away in fear of me finding her, asking will do the trick. Let’s try.- Grace cleared her throat and took a very exaggerated breath in. Then she shouted -CHLOE! COME OUT!- 

Chloe was listening to this entire conversation shaking from all the stress. The adrenaline was slowly leaving her system, as there was no immediate threat to her at that moment, but it returned the second Grace screamed. The voices up to that point were distant, and although powerful, fairly quiet. But the sudden explosion of sound not only surprised her, but also hurt her ears a little. After the fact she could feel a ringing in her head. This was scary considering that the giants were in a different room. That surge of adrenaline made her reconsider her hiding spot, so she started looking around again.

Meghan was standing with her arms crossed, patiently waiting for her friend’s tantrum to end. When that happened she uncrossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. -Look Grace, I’m sorry. There really is no need to be so mad. I’m sure she just couldn’t hear you or something. Maybe you should try again? Or I could try, if your throat’s sore.-

Grace took a deep breath in, trying to calm herself down. She also wasn’t sure why she was getting so fired up over this. Chloe couldn’t get away. She’d get to have her fun with the shrunken girl in due time. And now that Meghan was here it would be easy to get her to help. She wasn’t really the smartest, so maybe if she just told her it was a game she wouldn’t ask questions and ruin the fun? 

-You’re right, yelling won’t do us any good. She’d lose if she came out, so I’m sure she won’t, anyway.- Chloe was moving from behind the table leg to a more secluded spot, which was behind the fridge, as the conversation was taking place. What did Grace mean by “she’d lose”? Meghan apparently didn’t know either, judging by her response.

-Lose? What would she lose?- The spot Chloe chose was quite tight and dusty, but a slight crook in the refrigerator’s back allowed her not to be seen from outside. She just had to pray there would be nothing trying to kill her behind there. Meanwhile the conversation continued.

-Well, she said if she’d lose, we get to choose the next game.- What was Grace talking about? She’d never said anything like that. But Meghan wouldn’t know better, she always trusted Grace, even more than she did Chloe and Sarah. The shrunken girl couldn’t help but feel scared. Grace’s behaviour was raising many red flags, otherwise she might have already tried seeking help from her two giant best friends.

-Sounds fun! What’s the game we’re playing now, though?- Meghan’s excitement did little to help ease Chloe’s mind. In fact, it just made things worse. The shrunken girl wedged herself even tighter into the crevice between the wall and the fridge.

-We’re playing hide and seek! And…- There was a pause in Grace’s sentence. Chloe couldn’t see it, but she was checking her phone and staring at it for a few moments. -...it looks like Chloe’s time to hide is up!-