Tricia’s Choice === Tricia looked up past
City Hall and towards the city’s downtown area. In the center, rising like a
black monolith from among fanciful and disco-lit buildings, was the Swift Tower,
with its reflective façade. Sure, Tricia felt like a giant since entering
Lilliputian Lakes. But looking at the tower, she felt eclipsed by its size. At
half the height of a telephone pole, even Tricia felt intimidated by the
structure—a hard fact to wrap her mind around ever since entering the miniature
community. “The clock is
ticking,” Pearson said, snapping Tricia back to the ripped-out room. “You’ve
already wasted a minute. She’ll be dead in less than nine minutes unless you’re
there to catch her. And if your hand comes anywhere near me, I won’t hesitate
to shoot.” Silence surrounded
them as Tricia contemplated her choices. The only reason she was in Lilliputian
Lakes was because Mateo’s mother wanted her to save her son. But this weasel of
a mayor had her in an inescapable quagmire. Mateo saw Tricia’s
dilemma, and it bothered him that she wasn’t making the obvious choice. “Trish,
I’ll be okay. You gotta save Emma.” “I can’t leave you,
Mateo!” “Trish, seriously,
I’m okay.” Tricia felt her nose
becoming runny as her emotions overtook her. “No, it’s not. I’ve already left
you before, and it was the stupidest decision I’ve ever made. I can’t make that
mistake again.” “But was it?” He let
the question hang in the air. Mayor Pearson and the
others didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, but if it got Tricia out
of there, then it worked for their benefit. So, they let the two friends talk. “I’ve seen you with
K—” Mateo corrected himself, almost saying Kamila’s name. “—with Emma. You’re
so happy with her, and you both get along so well. I don’t think you would’ve
ever found her if you didn’t leave me.” “But I can’t leave
you, Mateo.” “You can and you
will,” he said, speaking with more confidence than anyone in that group had all
day. “Back then, you let hate make your decisions and you left me. Today,
you’ll use love to save my friend’s life. You’re not the same person, Trish.” Tricia’s eyes welled
up. Even though he was as tall as her pinky, he had the biggest heart of anyone
she knew. “Besides,” he said
with a smirk, completely unconcerned with the gun to his head. “I think Hazel
would kill me if anything happens to Emma. Now get going! You have little time
left.” Tricia nodded and
stood up to her terrifying height. Her kneecaps, right above their heads. She
looked down at Mateo and stopped herself from saying goodbye. “If anything
happens to him or them,” she said to Pearson, her voice carrying ferocity,
“then a permit-less reconstruction of your building will be the least of your
concerns.” - With Tricia gone,
Pearson sighed and gave the gun to one of his men. He pushed Mateo, Isaac, and
Roslyn into a group and ordered them down the hall and to the bottom floor. “Finally,” he said to
his men. “With that human out of the way, we can get out of the city.” “And go where?” he
asked. “Matheson City. It’s
the closest community, and I doubt they’re having human intrusions like we
are.” “Wait,” Mateo said.
“You’re planning on killing Emma as a distraction so you can leave the city?” “Keep up, kid,”
Pearson said, shoving Mateo’s shoulder, so he turned to face down the stairs.
“I wasn’t about to fly out of here while that girl was running around.” “Fly?” The Towering Inferno === Tricia’s bare feet
dodged cars, trees, lampposts, and downsizers. She was one block away from City
Hall when she ran into something unexpected. There, between two brick-and-stone
buildings, about shoulder height, was another human. Same height and build as
herself. “Who the hell are
you?” “I’m Evie. DPS
agent.” And so this is how it
ends, Tricia thought. She knew her free
rein inside the city was limited, despite Sofia helping her sneak in. But
Tricia thought she’d have enough time to rescue Mateo and Emma at the very
least. But the entire city seemed to have problems that needed her intervention.
If it wasn’t for them, maybe I’d have Mateo in her hands by now, she
thought. “Okay, okay,” Tricia
said, speaking a mile a minute. “But can you arrest me later? The fucking mayor
is gonna have Emma thrown off Swift Tower.” Evie took a second
take. She pulled her head back, closed her eyes, and did a little shake. “He’s
what?” She nearly yelled. Down at both human’s bare feet were swarms of
downsizers looking up, taking photographs and gathering in groups. “I can’t explain it
right now, but I have to get to Emma before they throw her off. Can you get
Mateo and Beth’s parents? They’re still with the mayor. He’s got a gun, by the
way.” “Yes, go, go.” Both giantesses split
up, causing panic on the streets, but both Evie and Tricia were cognizant and
careful where their feet landed. It didn’t stop their booming steps from
knocking downsizers off their balance and their chests getting rocked by every
reverberating thud. - Tricia yelled at the
downsizers—who at this point lost their fear of her after all her heroic
deeds—to get off the roads and make space for her. Electric cars slowly drove
to the side to allow her feet, the length of a medium-sized RV, to step down. Upon making it to the
front of Swift Tower, Tricia had to crane her neck back to see the entire
50-story structure in her periphery. To Tricia, the tower was almost
two-stories tall. The glass edifice looked slick, and the building material
looked high-quality, unlike City Hall. If Emma were to fall
from the top, Tricia wasn’t sure she’d survive the fall if she caught her in
her hands. Even if Tricia had a soft pillow, that fall from 16 feet high for a
two-inch girl seemed deadly no matter what. “Fuck!” Tricia cursed aloud. Time
was running out. How the fuck am I going to get you? The building rose
like a series of blocks, each level slightly smaller than the one below,
creating a stepped design. Swift Tower's architects seemed to go for a
brutalist design that favored harsh geometry with its flat surfaces and sharp
edges over curves. Tinted glass formed a grid pattern with a sprinkling of
office lights lit, making it look like a dance floor. Those stark
architectural ledges jutting out at regular intervals caught Tricia's eye.
Where King Kong scaled the Empire State building 1930s, Swift Tower was her
modern-day equivalent. After all, the Empire State building had similar ledges
and wasn’t a perfect rectangle. Scaling the tower was possible. The first ledge was
on the left side of Tricia, and about head high. She could use her fingers to
hold on to the ledge, while her legs wrap around the 4x4 foot base. It would be
like climbing a thick tree. Possibly easier. Though the height of this tree
was uncomfortably high for Tricia. With time running
out, Tricia made the first move and grabbed the ledge with her left hand, while
her right hand laid on the other side of the building, flat against the glass
façade. She positioned her legs and gripped them between her thighs. Like a bear
hug, Tricia wrapped her limbs around the building and began to pull herself
upward. Down on the streets,
downsizers gasped when they saw Tricia start her climb. They thought she was
trying to take out the building, but to their bewildered realization, the human
was climbing the tower. With wide-eyed fascination, they recorded Tricia the
higher she went up the tower. Inside, it was a
unique experience. Office workers, tenants, and others enjoyed the views from
Swift Tower. Especially the spectacle that was two giant humans roaming
Lilliputian Lakes. When Tricia started climbing, they felt the building bear
the weight of the titanic girl. Fortunately, humans constructed this structure
with material strong enough to support her weight. Yet the building swayed and
groaned because of the uneven weight distribution. From the seventh
floor, office workers on the late shift saw the sole of Tricia’s dirty foot
plant itself across 15 of their windows. Her toes flexed as the ball of her
foot pressed hard against the structure, enough to crack the windows. Those higher up were
treated to the view of her inner thighs, as her flesh flattened and conformed
to the building’s surface. Straining metal and glass under pressure filled
their ears. And since high winds were rare in Lilliputian Lakes, the building
lurching caused by the giantess’s climb caused a few screams to escape their
lips. As soon as their view of the city was cut off by Tricia’s crotch, it was
gone, replaced by her legs, and then feet. Workers on much
higher floors could see Tricia face-to-face. Her pretty features magnified
36-fold. Tricia’s expression was full of determination and concentration as she
focused on her climb and not the tiny downsizers on the other side of the
windows. It didn’t stop some men and women from admiring her alluring
beauty. - “The fuck is she
doing?” Tom asked, half his body over the railing as he looked down at the
giantess climbing the building. He had one firm hand around Emma’s arm while
his attention was on the side of the building. “I guess you weren’t
safe up here like you thought,” Emma said with a smirk. “Want to give up now—or
would you rather talk to Tricia? Because lemme tell you something about that
human; I’ve seen her angry before, and I gotta say, you’re so royally fucked
right now.” “Shut up!” Tom
snapped. He looked back down the side of the building. “She’ll fall before she
makes it halfway.” Because they were on
the observation deck, at the top of the building, every sway and reverberation
caused by Tricia far below was pronounced and enough to make Emma and Tom’s
stomach sick. - “Fuckin’ hell.”
Tricia had to stop and flex her fingers several times before continuing her
ascension. The higher she climbed, the smaller the girth of the building
became, and the easier it was to wrap her bare legs around the structure. Swift Tower didn’t
feel like a firm piece of steel but more like a flagpole, swaying because of
her bodyweight. Tricia felt the need to take her climb slower and more
methodically, as a haphazard climb could threaten the integrity of the building
and send it crumbling down. Tricia looked down at
the streets. She saw what could’ve been thousands of downsizers gathered,
looking up at her. They were six feet below her, and she could no longer make
out individuals, let alone any of their details. Tricia was never afraid of
heights. For one, she jumped out of her second-story bedroom window when
escaping her mom. But this felt different. Falling from this height would hurt
and maybe break a bone. Why am I doing this? A faint high-pitched
scream from high above caused her head to snap up. Emma’s life was under
threat. She had to hurry. Tricia reached out and grabbed another ledge that was
hardly within her grasp. Her fingertips found purchase and then she pulled. Inside, downsizers
stared at her breast and midriff as they shot by their field of vision in a
flash. Her hips stayed close to the building’s surface and her legs squeezed
the structure like her lover. Tricia’s toes found the lower ledges she climbed
earlier and used that to help push herself up higher. Tricia quickly
encountered an issue. The slimmer the building became, the more brittle it
felt. Tricia worried it may snap under her grip, preventing her from reaching
the top. Additionally, the ledges became far too narrow for her fingers. She
was about two-thirds up on Swift Tower, and she worried she may have gone as
far as she could go. She paused with her arms hugging the building and her
thighs pressing up against the windows. “Emma?” she said,
tilting her head back. “Emma, are you up there?” “Tricia!” Tom yanked Emma by
the arm and pulled her back. Emma struggled with him and screamed. She shouted
for help as what started as him yanking her became a struggle. With a shove at
his lower stomach, Tom lost a momentary grip on Emma, which was enough to pull
herself away from him. Emma ran back to the
ledge of the observation deck and shouted back at the giantess. “Tricia, help
me!” “I can’t climb any
higher.” Emma cursed to
herself. Tricia was probably a hundred feet below the top of the building.
“Can’t you grab me?” she asked. “I’m going to fall if
I let go,” Tricia said. She slid downwards a couple of inches. The building was
far too slick and skinny for Tricia to climb any higher. Not to mention
brittle. “Can you use the stairs and come lower? I can pop these windows out.” Before Emma could
answer, Tom grabbed Emma and spun her around. He slapped the side of her face
so hard, Emma spun and collapsed on the railing. “Emma!” Tricia
shouted. Anger flared as she witnessed her defenseless friend get struck so
hard. Tricia shimmied herself higher on the building, inching herself closer to
the top. But as she did so, she felt the entire structure swayed violently
under her off-centered weight. The two downsizers at the top lost their balance
and held onto the railing for dear life. “Fuck!” Tricia froze again. She
couldn’t risk climbing higher. Emma was crying,
having never been hit in her life. “Asshole!” Her arms flailed as she tried
fighting back. Tom easily dodged and
blocked her weak little arms. “Time’s up!” He grabbed Emma by the waist and
pushed her over the railing. Emma’s screams
renewed. She clawed and scratched Tom’s face. His arms lifted her off her feet,
and she felt the railing below her waist. “No! No!” she screamed. Tricia looked on in
horror. She removed one hand but felt herself sliding, so she snapped her hand
back around the building. The vibrations from her jerky movements, again, made
the top of the building swing like a pendulum. Tom, trying to shove Emma over
the side, lost his center of balance with the struggling girl and felt himself
go over the railing. Emma’s shouts echoed
throughout Lilliputian Lakes as she and her assailant went over. Tricia’s eyes
bulged, fearing for Emma’s life. Emma and Tom
miraculously grabbed onto the railing before falling over. They hung for dear
life, some 680-feet in the air. And yet, despite hanging for dear life, Tom
fought with Emma. “Don’t touch me! Let
go!” Emma shouted as her weak arms strained to hold on. “You fucking bitch,
just die already!” He struck her face with a closed fist this time. Emma screeched and
used one hand to slash at his eyes with her nails. They both lost their grip in
the ensuing struggle. They fell onto a four-inch ledge on a window and nearly
lost their balance. Emma and Tom held onto an aluminum frame as they continued
to fight haphazardly. Meanwhile, Tricia
moved her head back and forth, trying to keep up with the action. She felt so
helpless, hanging to the side of the building. She might as well have been on
the ground because of how useless she felt. Tom’s left hand
darted and gripped Emma’s collar. He then pulled his arm outward, taking Emma’s
upper half with it. “Go to hell.” Both Emma’s hands
gripped his wrist. “No,” she struggled to say. “You first!” She took a
calculated risk and jumped while holding tightly to Tom. The sudden jerk and
weight threw Tom off. His one-handed grip on the aluminum siding was not
enough. He fell. They both screamed as they went over the window’s ledge. Emma
let go of Tom, and caught the window’s ledge one story below. This time she was
hanging by two hands, legs dangling in the air. Tom was less
fortunate. He went airborne and fell off the side of the building. Terror in
his eyes, he fell backwards, arms and legs paddling through the air. He
screamed as he fell, his eyes fixed on Emma, unaware of where he was falling. Tricia licked her
lips and opened her mouth wide. She adjusted her head and caught Tom in her
mouth. His screams renewed as he saw teeth and a pink cavern surrounding him.
The ambient light from the evening closed off as Tricia shut her mouth. Her tongue coated Tom
with saliva, and while she did that, she manipulated his arms around her
molars. One at a time, she used her tongue to dislocate each of his shoulders,
bringing with it a renewed scream from that man. With his arms unable to fight
back, Tricia rolled him onto her tongue. She tilted her head back and let Tom
slide head first under her uvula and into her esophagus. His screams bounced
off the wet and pink tunnel that led to her stomach. He begged her to stop. He
pleaded for mercy and confessed he was only following orders. Whether
Tricia heard him or not, it didn’t matter. Tricia saw what he did to Emma, and
there was no coming back after that. She swallowed. A lump traveled down
her throat, and that was the end of Tom. A pool of saliva in her mouth still
contained his taste. Tricia savored it and swallowed that too, chasing it after
the man that tried killing her friend. Emma screamed. She
saw it. She saw everything. Tricia just swallowed a man whole! “Oh, my God!
Somebody help me!” Emma looked upwards and tried figuring a way out of there.
Tricia now frightened her more than falling to her death. At least the impact
would kill her immediately instead of being digested alive for however long
that took. “Emma, I can save
you,” Tricia said. “Get away from me!” Tricia’s arm and legs
strained. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold on before her muscles
gave out. Seeing Emma dangling so precariously off on the side made her heart
race. “Emma, listen, I
can’t reach you. But if you let go, I can catch you in my mouth.” “What?” she screamed
the loudest yet. “You just ate someone!” “Okay, but I’m not
going to eat you.” “You just swallowed
someone! Get away from me!” “He was a bad guy,” Tricia
said, defending herself with a tone that suggested she didn’t understand why
Emma was so scared of her. “Please, Emma, I’m slipping. Jump into my mouth, and
I promise I won’t fucking eat you.” Emma cried. “Someone
… help.” “I’m someone!
I’m here to help you.” “You just want to
kill me.” Tricia sighed. “I’m
sorry, Emma. I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever done in my life. Prison is too
good for me, and I know by the time all this is done, they’re gonna hang me for
it. I’m okay with that. But I’m not okay with you getting hurt. I wouldn’t have
broken into this dumb tiny city and climbed this building just to kill you. I’m
here to save you and take you back to Hazel in one piece. That’s all I want.
When I say I won’t eat you, I really mean it.” While tearing up,
Emma felt her fingers loosening around the edge. “God … Please.” She sniffled
and looked below. Somewhere around 75 feet below was Tricia’s face. “I don’t
want to die.” “You won’t.” Tricia
gave her a solemn smile. “I promise.” Emma’s cries renewed.
Her life flashed before her eyes and the thought of not seeing Hazel again were
especially gut-wrenching. “Okay. Fine! You better not eat me.” Emma took
several breaths. “Here I go.” “Ready,” Tricia said,
licking her lips while her mouth salivated. Emma pushed herself
and let go of the ledge. She screamed as she fell towards Tricia’s open mouth.
The wind zipped by her ears, and her eyes stung from the fast-moving air.
Looking down she saw the pink mouth that had just eaten someone get closer and
closer. She landed squarely
on Tricia’s tongue. Her lightweight body bounced once before Tricia snapped her
mouth shut. Emma screamed again as she was in complete darkness. She heard
Tricia breathing through her nose above the roof of the mouth. The human’s heartbeat
thumping like the rhythmic chopping of helicopter blades. “Don’t fucking eat
me!” she pleaded as she thought about Tom’s last moments in the same mouth she
was in. Surrounding her, a pool of saliva inched itself up past her legs while
she sat on the undulating tongue. Like a trampoline,
the tongue bounced and flipped Emma over onto her stomach, so that her face
smacked against the tip of Tricia’s tongue. Emma used her hands to push off the
tongue, but the pink, slimy muscle curved upwards, giving Emma a peck on the face.
The girl turned away in disgust and spat out Tricia’s saliva. “Tricia, stop!” she
screamed. “Sowwy,” Tricia said
quietly and with an open mouth. The fresh air felt
like ice to Emma, making her shiver. Lucky for Emma, Tricia took good care of
her teeth and mouth. It smelled like minty gum, and there was no sign of plaque
on her pearly white teeth. Emma was still unsure
about her decision. Tricia’s tongue kept sliding around her body like a curious
python. Saliva dripped all over her like a wet cavern, and occasionally
Tricia’s tongue pinned her against the roof of her mouth to swallow excess
saliva. Tricia had eaten Tom relatively fast after he fell into her mouth. But
Emma wondered if Tricia was taking extra pleasure in tormenting her, or maybe
she was savoring her, before she swallowed her. Hazel had often told Emma how
delicious she tasted, so she wondered if that played into what was happening. Tricia, meanwhile,
slowly climbed down the tower, taking extra care with her footing. Her arms
were close to giving out, and the angular edges of the building bruised her
legs. The crowd on the streets cleared an area for Tricia the lower she came.
Tricia aimed her bare feet and stepped onto the empty section of the road. Relief came over her
as she got off the building. She looked at her hands and legs, noting the red
marks that dotted her rather immaculate body. Then, looking past herself, she
saw the eyes of hundreds of downsizers looking back at her. Did they see
everything? she wondered. Tricia’s mind raced and wondered if, from the
street level, if they saw her catch two downsizers in her mouth. Her cheeks flushing
red with embarrassment, Tricia slowly opened her mouth and brought her the heel
of her hand to it and spat out Emma gently. With a glob of salvia adhered all
over Emma’s body, she plopped onto the palm in the fetal position. She was missing
a shoe, her jeans and shirt completely soaked through, and her hair was in
disarray. “Sorry for drooling
so much,” Tricia said with a wry smile. “I thought only Kamila had that effect
on me. I mean—well, you know what I mean.” Emma lay panting on
the human’s palm. There was a lot to unpack in the last ten minutes. Trembling,
her hand touched her saliva coated cheek and felt the sensitivity of where Tom
struck her. Someone had hit her: slapped and punched her, and then tried throwing
her off a building. And now that person was writhing in agony deep inside
Tricia’s stomach while the girl made jokes. The very girl that almost killed
her on Mateo’s first day of school. What was Emma supposed to feel? Thankful?
Grateful? Tricia’s giant index
finger came down on her, with the fingernail facing her. With greater precision
than a Japanese robot, the digit of the finger brushed her sticky hair off to
the side. “That looks
terrible,” Tricia said softly. “How do you feel? Want me to take you to the
hospital?” “I’m fine,” Emma said
after countless moments. “Um, Tricia?” “Yeah?” Emma sat up and
brushed Tricia’s finger away. “Why did you come for me?” “What do you mean by
that?” “You saved my life,”
Emma said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I thought you hated me, and all the
other downsizers, with a passion. Just a second ago, I thought you were going
to eat me, because of who you are.” Emma looked at the giant human palm she sat
on. Hazel’s palm had always provided comfort to her, and after many reluctant
moments, she felt the same comfort when with Beth. And as she sat on Tricia’s
palm, after a harrowing rescue, Emma felt protected from the most unlikely
human. “At least … I thought that’s the type of person you are.” Many thoughts flooded
Tricia’s mind after hearing Emma’s words. Even after risking her neck to save
her life, Emma still thought she was out to kill her. She understood the
sentiment and didn’t fault Emma. Rather, she felt disappointed in herself.
Emma, with her bruises and the state of shock she was in, made Tricia see the
tiny girl in a different light. This poor girl almost died—because of her. The
bathroom scene of her taunting and pissing on Mateo and Emma looped in her
head, over and over, tormenting her mind. The guilt, palpable. “I don’t hate you,
Emma.” She spoke both ashamed and frustrated with herself. “I hate myself more
than anything. But hey, you won’t have to worry about me soon enough. You’ll
get your wish.” The sound of the
ambient city filled the pause between Tricia’s words. As Emma’s ears picked up
the sounds of distant sirens and thousands of downsizers murmuring hundreds of
feet below, her skin picked up the cool breeze of the evening. Tricia’s damp breath
felt warm and tempered her shivering. “My wish?” Emma
asked. “I told Mateo’s mom I
tried killing her little boy and you. What do you think she’ll do to me?”
Tricia asked with a self-deprecating smile. “I’m good as dead. She shrunk my
mom for killing an unregistered downsizer and even offered executing her. If
she’s willing to do that for an unregistered stranger …” Tricia shook her head.
“C’mon, we got to check up on Mateo.” “Wait, Tricia, wait!”
Emma wiped the excess saliva from her face. The night air made chillier from
the clear molasses. “What the hell made you confess that to Mateo’s
mom?” Tricia shrugged. She
then turned her attention to the streets and waved her hand like she was
swatting away mosquitoes. The gawking downsizers got the hint and parted the
road like the Red Sea. Tricia’s bare foot came down just as it cleared. Her
chipped purple nail polish glinting in the city lights. “Why do you care?”
Tricia asked as she planted each foot like she was walking a tightrope,
ensuring not to squish any careless downsizers. “She’ll downsize me, imprison
me, maybe execute me. I don’t know. Whatever she decides, I don’t care.” Emma was at a loss
for words. Yes, Tricia deserved all that. Drowning in her piss was the worst
experience of her life—until she got hit in the face and thrown off a building.
Even after Beth saved her life, Emma wasn’t quick to forgive Beth and didn’t care
for her. Tricia didn’t expect they’d be friends right away, did she? “Why’d you save my
life?” Emma looked up at Tricia. Mateo sure had fine taste in women. “Is it to
get even? Are you trying to balance things out between us?” Tricia didn’t respond
right away. She continued walking between high-rises and keeping her eye on the
streets. She had to shove a car here and there with her toes in order to set
the full length of her bare feet down on the street. “It’s kinda simple,”
Tricia said. “I didn’t want you to die.” “That’s why? Not
because of the bathroom—” Tricia interrupted
with a laugh. “Just accept it, Emma. I didn’t want you to die, so I didn’t let
it happen. That’s about it. You don’t have to say thank you or be my friend—you
don’t even have to talk to me. I don’t give a shit. All I care about is getting
you back to your weird girlfriend, and that’s it. I mean, c’mon Emma, how come
you haven’t been calling me names and yelling at me to let you down? My tongue
assaulted you because of how good you tasted. Don’t you want to chastise me
about that? Be angry. Fuck. I deserve it.” Emma heard a hint of
remorse in Tricia’s tone. She could tell Tricia was scared and on the verge of a
breakdown. Emma could see Tricia’s mental anguish through her subtle
expressions and the way she spoke. Thinking back to what Mateo said, Emma
believed she was seeing the change in Tricia in real-time. Few people ever
change their prejudiced ways. And even fewer act selflessly helping people they
once hated. Emma shivered in the
cool breeze. Tricia’s finger instinctively curled up her fingers to shield her
and provide more body heat. Emma couldn’t believe this was the same Tricia. And
it troubled her that it took humans saving her literal life to see what was so
plain to Mateo. The giant index finger came close and touched her shoulder; it
swiftly pulled away, but Emma grabbed it, pulling it closer. Tricia’s eyes
looked down at the tiny girl with curiosity. The tiny girl was
done talking. She allowed Tricia to be her protector, and that spoke more than
words ever could. The Great Escape === Evie approached City
Hall just in time to see two black SUVs pulling out. “Hey,” she called out. But
the two shiny vehicles took off with squealing tires. Evie jogged after them
when she saw two downsized women running out of City Hall, trying to flag her
down. Evie kneeled beside
them. They were unafraid of her and looked as if they had something to say. “Are you here to
catch the mayor?” Felicia asked. “Yeah! Was that him?”
Evie asked the fiery redhead. “Yes. He has Mateo
and Beth’s mom and dad. You have to catch them before it’s too late.” “Too late? He’s got
nowhere to go.” “The mayor has a
drone. They’re planning on flying out of here.” “Fuck!” Evie sighed.
She looked out into the streets and saw the two blacked out SUVs take a ramp
that took them into an underground highway that cut through the city. “Do you
know where the drone is?” “The mayor’s
mansion,” Felicia said. “I don’t know where
that is.” “Pick me up, I’ll
take you right to it.” Before Evie could
finish lowering her hand, Felcia jumped on. Evie looked over at Kamila who
shook her head. “I’ll wait for
Tricia,” Kamila said. “If she comes back, I’ll tell her what happened.” - “Go that way,”
Felicia said, pointing down a busy boulevard. The redhead got on her belly and
moved to the edge of Evie’s hand. She watched with fascination as Evie’s bare
feet with polished black nails stomp on the road below. “I love your nails.” “Thank you,” Evie
said with a smile. “I’m a fan of your hair color. It suits you!” “Aww, thank you. I’m
Felicia, by the way.” “Evie.” They chatted as
Felicia acted as a live GPS. The city became less dense the further out from
downtown they went, and soon they were in an upper-class neighborhood that was
surrounded by an 18-hole golf course. Evie felt much more comfortable walking
through the green empty field than she did stomping around near downsizers. Felicia belly-crawled
over to Evie’s index and ring finger. She placed her own tiny hands between the
two large fingers and spread them. Evie smiled at the inquisitive downsizer and
parted her fingers slightly. Felicia stuck her head between the giant fingers
and looked straight down. Evie left 30-foot long footprints on a par four
course as she walked in a straight line to the mayor’s mansion. With a sigh, Felicia
rotated on her back and looked up at Evie longingly. “I never wanted to
downsize,” she said. “But I’m glad I did. I can’t tell you how much fun it is
to ride on the palm of a caring human.” “Aww, thank you. And
I just love handling and protecting downsizers. It’s my passion.” - The drone was a
quadcopter with a wingspan of 1.5 feet. In the center was a cabin large enough
for a dozen downsized passengers, including the pilots. The SUVs stopped at the
copter pad and abruptly opened their doors. “Hurry!” Pearson
shouted. He looked out in the distance and saw another human in his
city. She was a lot older than Tricia and was just as tall. She carried a badge
on her waist, had her jeans rolled up, and was walking barefoot across a field
that led to his home. “Evie,” he said under his breath. Two goons worked on
removing the charging cable from the drone while the others forced Mateo,
Isaac, and Roslyn to sit in the passenger seats at the end of a gun barrel. It
took concentrated effort on the two pulling the charging cable, which was
designed for humans more than it was for downsizers, before they got it to pop
off. “Where do you think
you’re going?” Evie’s voice boomed. She was getting close, but still more than
two dozen paces away. Pearson and the
others jumped in. One henchman got into the cockpit and started up the electric
motors. The damn computer took an agonizing minute to boot. When Evie saw the
propeller blades spin, she took off in a run. “Go, go, go!” Pearson
shouted. The copter bounced in
the air a couple of inches as the computer adjusted to the weight, air density,
and wind speed. Once the calculations were set, the pilot hit the throttle.
Pearson gripped his seat as he saw Evie getting closer. He yelled more obscenities
as they elevated straight up. “Higher!” he yelled. When they were about
head-height with Evie, she was only four paces away. “Turn!” The pilot shoved the
joystick all the way to the right and pushed down on the throttle. From inside
the cabin, looking out the left window, everyone saw Evie scowling as she took
off in a sprint. As the quadcopter banked to the right, their view tilted upwards
until they saw the nets that draped over Lilliputian Lakes and the night sky
beyond it. They felt the g-force
of the quadcopter taking them in a different direction when suddenly it wasn’t.
Evie had taken a running start and leaped into the air, catching the cabin in
her right hand. The propeller blades were useless against the giantess’s strength. Evie placed Felicia
on her right shoulder and told her to take some of her hair and tie it around
her waist for safety. Felicia did as she was told and took several strands of
Evie’s light brown hair and wrapped it around her body with several loops before
double knotting it. Satisfied she was secure, Evie removed her hand from the
redhead. Felicia stood by with one hand holding onto Evie’s hair. This was a
fascinating experience for Felicia because it felt like she was on a tall mast
of a pirate ship as she looked on at the world from a fantastical height. Evie slid open the
cabin doors and saw the men in suits fumble for their guns. The seats faced
each other, and conveniently, the goons sat across from the hostages. One in a
brown suit was faster than the rest and pulled out his gun, only to aim it at
Mateo. Evie’s eyes darted and analyzed the situation. With only a fraction of a
second to process—she acted. Evie tilted the
quadcopter 90 degrees on its side towards the open door. The propellers whined
but were useless. There was a scream as the brown-suited man with the gun, the
only passenger without his seatbelt, tumbled over another goon and the mayor.
He grabbed hold of the door with one hand but fumbled holding on with his
bodyweight under his hand. His fingers slipped off the railing. Evie watched
without emotion as the would-be murderer plummeted. The brown-suited man
screamed as fell 177-feet to his death. Evie’s giant body zipped by his
peripherals. Starting from her breast, past her flat stomach, then her tight
jean-clad legs, and then finally the ground. His body splattered between Evie’s
feet. The giantess tilted the quadcopter back and ensured the hostages were
safe. They had the common sense to strap themselves in. “If I see another
gun,” Evie said, “you’re dead.” She squinted her eyes at Mayor Pearson. “Taking
off somewhere, Pearson?” Mateo lost count of
how many times he had a gun shoved in his face since entering Lilliputian
Lakes. He felt no sympathy for the brown-suited man. He didn’t look like he was
going to threaten Mateo with the gun but shoot him before the giantess could do
anything. Free falling hundreds of feet in the air might seem harsh, but Mateo
was ultimately relieved that goon was out of the picture. Isaac and Roslyn’s
seldom encounter with a human resulted in that human killing a downsizer. After
four years of captivity and their lives destroyed because of the mayor, seeing
swift justice from a human DPS agent felt satisfying. Isaac and Roslyn held hands
and gave a playful squeeze once the giantess righted the copter. Though the
mayor was wetting his pants under the giantess’s gaze, Beth’s parents saw her
as an angel. Could all this be over by tonight? “Hey, let’s talk,” Pearson
said. “I don’t think so.
You sent a man to downsize and kill me. You think I’m going to let you talk
now?” “I … I don’t know
what you’re talking about.” Evie smirked. “You
really don’t care about anyone but yourself, do you? Come on—ask me. Ask me
where Agent Johnson is right now.” Pearson felt sweat
beading on his forehead. “Where is he?” “In my stomach,” Evie
said proudly. She looked at the hostages and felt a tinge of shame. She had to
explain herself. “Johnson forced me into a downsize machine. He threatened to
shrink and dispose of me. When Sofia refused to go along with his plan, he shot
at her.” She told them the rest of the story. “I hope you understand I’m not
fucking around.” Tricia came out of
nowhere and stepped alongside Evie. “Oh, you ate one of the mayor’s guys?”
Tricia asked. “Me, too! Guy almost killed little Emma here. He ended up as my
snack instead.” Tricia lifted her hand to show off Kamila and Emma in her palm. Out of all the
horrified looks from the downsizers inside the quadcopter, Mateo was the only
one with a look of intrigue on his face. He sat at the edge of his seat,
looking out at the giantesses and trying to glimpse at their midsections. They
both … ate a bad guy? There were downsizers in their stomachs at that
moment? Mateo was beyond fascinated. “Ooo, Mayor Dipshit
looks kinda tasty. Can I gobble him up?” Evie cringed. If it
weren’t for the innocent downsizers around them, she’d play along with Tricia
to torment the crooks. But she knew it was far too traumatizing for a downsizer
to hear about a human eating one of their kind; she would rather Tricia keep
her mouth shut—in more than one way. “Tell her yes!”
Felicia whispered into Evie’s ear. “Huh?” Evie turned to
the redhead on her shoulder. “Well, if you don’t
want Tricia to eat him, maybe you should? Or you guys can split them. I see two
other guys in there you can eat.” “Okay, nobody is
eating anyone, unless they try to kill someone again,” Evie said looking at the
mayor. “Now shut off the fucking drone. We got some business, you and I.” - While Evie dealt with
the bad guys, Tricia sat alone with Kamila, her back resting against the mayor’s
ostentatious mansion. She spotted Mateo walking from her foot, down the length
of her leg, and up to her side. He waved, signaling
he wanted to be picked up. Tricia set her palm down, and with him onboard, she
brought him up to her face. “Sup,” she said. “Emma told me what
you did.” Tricia shrugged.
“Least I can do.” “Tricia … I know
we’re ex-boyfriend and -girlfriend now. But nothing says we can’t be friends.” “You shouldn’t be
friends with a loser like me,” she laughed. Kamila whacked her on the thumb,
which felt like a tickle. “You’re not a loser.
I’m proud and thankful for you, Trish. I just knew you’d pull through, and you
didn’t disappoint.” Tricia rolled her
eyes. She hated the praise. It was misplaced, and she certainly didn’t deserve
it. “Mateo, were you not listening earlier? You’re looking at an evil human who
can’t stop killing. I’ve eaten four downsizers. I’m a criminal—face it.” Those were heavy
words and Mateo wished he could dwell on them, but there were more pressing
matters. “Emma told me how scary it was up there. How that guy punched her hard
in the face. And how he was trying to throw her off the building. Someone
trying to kill a tiny high school girl like that—there’s no coming back from
that. I think you did the right thing, Tricia.” Tricia shook her
head, her eyes welling up again. “Dude, quit it. I mean it. Just—fucking stop
already. There’s no hope for me. I’ve done fucked up stuff, and I’m ready to
face the music.” “Don’t say that!”
Kamila said. “That was a different Tricia that was suffering from mental
illness. I, Mateo, and even your dad knew deep-down, you’re a good person.
Everyone sees it, Tricia.” Kamila stroked her giant finger. “You’ve been tested
your entire life. And tonight, you proved who you really are. I will not hear
any talk about you downsizing, going to prison, or being executed.” “But that’s what I
deserve!” Tricia cried. “I don’t deserve to live.” “Bullshit!” Mateo’s
voice deepened back into his commanding tone. “You don’t get to take the
cowardly way out of your problems.” “Cowardly? How’s
downsizing, becoming a prisoner, and getting executed cowardly?” “Because getting
killed is the easy way out! You want a painkiller for the guilt you’ve been
lugging around, and you see the death penalty as your prescription.” Mateo
shook his head. “Do you really want to atone for what you did, Trish? Because
if you do, it means living each day with the consequences of your actions. And
I’m telling you now, it’s gonna fucking hurt. You’ll be in pain. But you’ll use
that pain to drive change and help those you can.” Tricia hated how
right Mateo was. She couldn’t look at downsizers without thinking about how she
treated and hated them. They were a constant reminder of her fucked up
treatment of them. Mateo continued talking, interrupting her train of thought. “The Tricia I knew
wouldn't have felt this guilt at all. She wouldn't care about what she did to
those downsizers. She would’ve let Emma fall to her death and laughed about it.
But look at you now—you’re tearing yourself apart over it.” “Okay, so fucking
whatever,” Tricia said in frustration. She couldn’t find the words. “You want
me to live with this monkey on my back for the rest of my life? Hmm? Is it so I
can save Emma’s life when she inevitably gets into trouble again?” “You’re looking at
the reason for living.” Mateo placed a hand on Kamila’s back and gave her a
slight push. “Kamila is reason number two. Every other downsizer is reason
number three.” “Wait. What’s reason
number one?” Tricia asked. “Your dad.” That hit Tricia in
the gut. Her eyes teared in a split second as images of her feeble father came
to mind. “I think your dad is
here with us, Trish. I know he’s proud of you and who you’ve become.” While
Tricia cried, Mateo walked to the heel of her hand. “So instead of seeking
punishment, how about you continue your atonement with the support of the
people that want to help you?” - Felicia told Evie
that she and Kamila sneaked into the mayor’s office and secretly recorded
incriminating evidence against him. It also contained his confession of a
conspiracy between the elite business owners of Lilliputian Lakes and the CEO
of NanoHabitats. Evie held Pearson up
to her face, holding him by the waist, and giving him a shake. “Didn’t I say
you’d be dangling from my fingers?” “You don’t know who
you’re messing with Evie!” Pearson shouted. “Yes I do. A little
criminal with a mountain of evidence against him. Don’t be surprised if you end
up unregistered in less than an hour.” - The giantesses headed
out of Lilliputian Lakes by walking to the supply yard. They carried their
downsizers with them, plus three criminals. Felicia asked to stay on Evie’s
shoulder, and Evie was cool with it. Evie stuck the mayor
and his two goons in the back pocket of her jeans. She carried Isaac and Roslyn
in her palm and reassured them things would get better. Emma and Mateo
insisted they ride with Tricia. Kamila rode in her other hand alone. She was
having intimate times with Tricia’s fingers, caressing and kissing them. “Trish, can I ask
something?” Mateo asked, his usual confident voice softening into something
more inquisitive and apprehensive. “What’s up?” “What was it like
eating that guy?” he asked, his face contorting like he asked an intimate
question. “Why would you ask
that?” Tricia raised a brow. Mateo fumbled with
his words and let out a series of uhms and grunts. During the first few
days of his downsizing, Emma recalled all the human training she did
with him. All the interactions with Hazel, from trusting her hands to playing
with her landscape of a body. Hazel, in private, told Emma that Mateo might
have a thing for being eaten alive. After Mateo helped clean popcorn from
between her teeth, she saw him climaxing when she playfully suggested she’d eat
him as a snack. It was an oh
moment between Emma and Hazel. The giantess skater girl stopped asking Mateo to
clean her teeth, not because she was shaming Mateo’s kink, but with her sexual
orientation and her dating Emma, it didn’t seem right. Instead, they kept
Mateo’s kink a secret for his privacy and swept it under the rug for his
benefit. But when Mateo asked
Tricia about eating that man, Emma knew why. With Tricia shooting back another
question at Mateo, Emma could see her friend struggling to cope with his
feelings. Even backing out of the question. Beth would probably never eat a
downsizer for Mateo and would certainly not eat him. Tricia eating the would-be
killer was the closest he’d get. Emma smiled. She had her friend’s back. “I want to know!”
Emma said, brushing her sticky hair back. “That motherfucker gave me a black
eye. What did your stomach do to him?” Tricia smirked. She
brought both her hands together so that Kamila could join in the conversation.
“I gave him more than a black eye, that’s for sure.” Emma gave Mateo a
side glance. She muffled her laughter watching Mateo fixation on Tricia as she
spoke. She could tell Mateo’s eyes were glued to her mouth and neck. “Did you feel him in
your stomach?” Emma asked. “I need to know,” she added quickly. “You should’ve
seen the death stare he gave me while shoving me off the railing.” “Yeah, he was alive
down there,” Tricia said, with her eyes looking up as she recalled. “Felt like
a lump in my stomach. But the kinda lump that moves around and bounces off your
stomach walls. He was panicky in there.” “Thank God he
suffered,” Emma said. Mateo let out a
suppressed breath. He perspired and shifted in his seat to hide his erection. “Sounds awful!”
Kamila said. “He deserved it,”
Tricia said. “For trying to kill Emma, he was a piece of shit … literally.” “Fuck!” Mateo
whispered aloud. The group heard him but ignored him. “Tricia!” Kamila
scolded but then laughed. “That’s disgusting.” “It’s true, though!” “Oh dammit,” Evie
said. She was walking
alongside Tricia and heard the entire conversation, though she chose not to
participate in it. She thought the downsizers would be petrified to know that
their two human rescuers had downsizers traveling through their digestive
systems. But they weren’t. Felicia kept whispering in her ear that’s hot
with everything Tricia said. The downsizers in Tricia’s palm weren’t frightened
but intrigued. Roslyn and Isaac were too busy talking amongst themselves,
hugging and kissing to bother caring about what Tricia said. “What?” Tricia asked
Evie. “I’m really going to
… poop out Johnson later, ain’t I?” Evie asked, with concern on her face. “It’s how things
work, yes.” Tricia was unconcerned. Emma looked over to
Mateo who had his eyes shut. Smiling, she asked, “You okay, dude?” “Yup!” he blurted. - When they reached the
supply yard, Evie turned to Tricia and said, “Shoot!” “What?” Tricia asked. “I left my shoes in
the city!” “Oh. Yeah, I kinda
left my sandals somewhere. Should we go get them?” Evie chewed her lips.
“No,” she said after thinking about it. “We’ve caused enough disruption to
their lives. It’s probably better if we just leave.” - Evie’s light pink
Converse were the site of a very open and public orgy. Her rich pheromones
caused the downsizers to go into a sex-crazed frenzy. Inside both her shoes,
downsizers were nude, fucking each other and giving strangers oral. Even
outside her shoe, downsizers coupled up and fucked against the cute footwear.
Those on top of the toe section enjoyed the smooth material as couples fucked
doggy-style. The scent was richest
deep inside the shoe, especially where Evie’s toes rested. Sweaty bodies rubbed
up against each other as Evie’s thick pheromones rewired their brain chemistry,
giving them the wildest pleasures imaginable. Only once they were exhausted
with dehydration would they stop fucking. Only to be replaced with fresh
downsizers, curious about what human pheromones could do. - “Yeah, I’m sure
they’ll be fine,” Evie said. “They’ll probably put my shoes on the back of the
truck and haul it over here. I wish I could see it, because it oughta be super
cute.” They crawled through
the chute and came back to the big world. First Evie and then Tricia. Sofia
helped the humans up. Tricia handed Mateo over to Sofia, and the giant Latina
cried out in joy. “M’hijito!” she said
with a raspy voice as she showered him with kisses and hugged him against her
cheek. “What were you thinking?” “Mom!” Mateo whined.
“You’re embarrassing me in front of Beth’s mom and dad.” He pointed to the
couple on Evie’s palm. Sofia shook her head.
“Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry!” It hurt to talk, since her throat was still raw
from when Johnson choked her. “I’m just so happy you’re safe and with me right
now.” Reunion === “Emma! Emma, are you
okay? Where the hell are you?” Hazel asked. Emma turned on her
camera, displaying her cute face on Hazel’s phone. Felicia flanked Emma to the
right side of her. “Told ya I’d get
her!” Felicia shouted before Emma could answer her girlfriend. “You didn’t get me,”
Emma said, wagging her head. “Tricia saved my life.” “What?” Hazel
screamed. “Tricia? She tried … Tricia? Wait, was your life in danger?” Tricia leaned in. Her
ginormous face taking up the entire background of the video call. Hazel’s
stomach dropped as she realized Felicia and Emma were standing on Tricia’s
palm. “Sup,” Tricia said. “Where are you?” Emma
asked. “Can you meet us in the lobby? We’ll let you in.” - “Mateo!” Beth shouted
as she ran up to Sofia. They were in the dark
lobby of the Lilliputian Lakes, right past the main human entrance. It had the
same aura of a sleek international airport after hours. Lots of glass, polished
stairways, and signs pointing to the downsizing machine and the meet-and-greet
area among other places. Sofia gave her son one last kiss before handing him to
Beth. “Mateo, what were you
thinking?” She kissed him like a woodpecker on a tree. Mateo smiled softly
as he heard Beth parrot his mother’s words. “I was thinking about you, Beth.” “You scared the shit
out of me. Mateo, I can’t … you can’t leave … I felt so helpless with you in
there.” “Good thing Tricia
was around, then, huh?” “Tricia?” “Hang on,” Mateo said
with a wide smile. “We met some unregistered downsizers that are eager to meet
you.” “Who?” Evie walked up to
Beth, holding up her cupped hands like a priestess providing an offering. In
the center, seated cross-legged, were a man and a woman in their 40s. Beth’s
lips quivered, recognizing her parents the instant she saw them. They were so
small. “Mom? Dad?” A single
tear tracing down her cheek. These were the people she was willing to sacrifice
to protect her village. “Babe,” Mateo said
while Beth stood frozen, looking at her silent mom and dad, “they downsized to
protect you.” More tears ran down
Beth’s cheeks. “I know.” When Evie was a
couple of paces from Beth, she stopped and held Isaac and Roslyn up high to
their daughter’s face. Beth lost it. She
covered her open mouth and cried hard. The big athletic girl whimpered,
sniffled, and wailed. Wiping her face with the heel of her hand, Beth composed
herself the best she could. “Mom, dad? I’m sorry.
Felicia told me everything. Of course, you didn’t abandon me for something
selfish like retirement. I love you so much!” “Beth, we’re so
sorry,” Isaac said. Two-inches tall, but his voice carried that thundering
voice Beth remembered from her childhood. “If it wasn’t for your mother and my
activism, none of this would’ve happened. It’s our fault we weren’t there for
you.” “I don’t care,” Beth
said, sniffing back her runny boogers. “Can I hold you?” “Of course, sweetie!”
Roslyn said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for the last four years!” Sofia came up and
took Mateo from Beth. The tall, athletic girl then took her mom and pressed
them against her cheeks. Evie let out an aww and held her clasped hands
against her melting heart. Mateo sighed in
relief. This was the best outcome. All the shit with sneaking into Lilliputian
Lakes was worth it. “Mateo,” Sofia said. Mateo felt his
mother’s voice vibrate his body and blur his vision. He swallowed a cold lump
and rotated to face her. She raised her hand up closer to her eyes. His
mother's steady palm lifted him skyward like he was riding on a cloud, a stark
contrast to the rapid acceleration and deceleration from before, showing how
far she’s come along with handling downsizers. “M’hijo, I should’ve
never hit you,” she said, cringing as soon as the words left her mouth, “or
trapped you in the house like a prisoner. What I did was wrong and … downright
evil. There’s just no excuse for what I did and I’ll never forgive myself for it!”
Her crestfallen eyes tugged on Mateo’s heartstrings. “And I don’t expect you to
forgive me, either. But I want to say—” Sofia cleared her throat. Mateo leaned in and
cocked his head. He wasn’t rushing his mother but eagerly waiting for her
words. Sofia's eyes wandered
around Mateo’s figure but never landing on him. Even before this downsizing
mess, Sofia never showed weakness in front of her son. Never admitted she was
wrong. Sofia wasn’t that person anymore. “I’m s-sorry.” She
let those words echo in the lobby. “I mean it, m’hijo. I’m sorry,” she said
louder, “for being an awful mom when you needed my support most.” Mateo looked at his
mother with mouth agape. It was the first time she’d ever said sorry to him.
And this admission of wrongdoing was huge. It wasn’t sorry I accidentally
unplugged your phone from the charger; this was sorry for her cruelty. For
those weeks of torturous hell. Mateo dropped to his
knees and patted his mom’s palm. “That’s all I ever wanted to hear,” he said.
“You admitting to it. Sorry mom, but I didn’t think you had it in you. I’ve
never been happier to be wrong. I accept your apology.” She kissed her son
with glee. - “Em, you little
bitch,” Hazel said, snatching her girlfriend from Tricia. “Do you realize how
much I cried for you? And what’s this about you almost dying? What did Tricia
do to you? Why are you wet?” “I’m my own person,”
Emma said. “I can make my own choices, and in this instant, I chose to help
Mateo. Almost got myself killed, but Tricia saved me. She ate the person trying
to kill me, by the way. And afterwards, I jumped into her mouth. Did I mention
I was hanging off the side of a building? Sorry I made you worry, babe. Want to
eat Thai for dinner?” - “Didn’t I just hand
you Felicia?” Tricia asked Jack. “Uhm, yeah.” “Where is she?” “She’s around.” Jack
squirmed and moved his legs like he needed to urinate. “Eww, is she in your
pants?” Tricia asked. “It’s what she
wanted.” Jack suppressed a moan. “More like demanded, actually.” “Fucking gross.” “Oh, c’mon. Just
accept it already.” - Evie hung up her cell
while walking up to Sofia. “Just got off the phone with IT. Comms inside
Lilliputian Lakes should come up soon.” On cue, Sofia’s cell
buzzed with a million notifications. She checked her phone while smiling at her
son. “It’s Charlie!” Evie and Mateo gave her a questioning look. “My
boyfriend.” She clicked on his contact card, which was a funny photo she took
with her macro lens while he was standing on her shoe. “Charlie, are you okay?” Mateo couldn’t hear
what his mom’s boyfriend was saying, but the look on his mom’s face made him
think it was enthralling. Sofia turned to face Tricia who was talking to Hazel
and Jack. “Tricia!” she yelled. Tricia looked over
her shoulder and swallowed. “What is it, mom?”
Mateo asked but went ignored. Tricia, holding
Kamila close to her heart, walked up to the tall Latina. “Sup?” She was nervous
and cracking at the seams. “Is it true?” Sofia
asked. “You saved over a hundred downsizers when the gondola wires snapped?” “It is!” Evie
answered before Tricia could. “Tricia is a real hero. Hundreds would be dead if
it wasn’t for her.” Tricia bashfully
nodded. Kamila and Mateo looked at her and gave her a knowing nod. Tricia
caught a glimpse of Mateo, whose expression said, I told you so. She
laughed internally to herself. - With the trains down,
Charles had no real way out of Lilliputian Lakes. Kamila, overhearing the
conversation with Sofia, suggested Hazel’s car which they left at City Hall. Charles drove the
Shelby out of the chute and right into Sofia’s hand. She lifted the car up to
her face and tilted it so she could give her boyfriend a kiss. Full of
happiness, Sofia showed off Charles to Evie and Mateo. - “Back to my place!”
Beth said to everyone while holding her mom, dad, and Mateo close to the
chest. Hazel and Jack
followed Beth closely. Tricia moved to follow but a hand on her shoulder
stopped her. She turned to face Sofia. “We need to talk,”
Sofia said sternly. “About?” Tricia
asked. Kamila shivered in
fear while sitting on her knees in the middle of Tricia’s palm. She wasn’t
looking forward to what Sofia had to say. “About your
confession: torturing your dad, eating three downsizers, trying to kill my son
and Emma in the toilet after you peed on them!” Sofia’s shout caused everyone
to face her. Tricia stood her
ground and stared back emotionless. “Got nothing to say?” Evie walked between
Sofia and Tricia. “Sofia, this might not be the right time—” “I think it is,”
Sofia said, easily looking over Evie’s head and down towards Tricia. “There’s a
downsize machine nearby. I can settle this right now. It’ll be the fastest case
I’ve executed.” “Don’t interrupt me,
Sofia.” Evie held a stern finger up. “Now, all you have are words. Any proof of
these crimes? Have you interviewed Tricia at all? How about interviewing your
son?” Evie turned to see everyone circling around her. Humans holding their
downsizers like altar boys holding up candles. “Sofia, you’re judging Tricia
far too quickly and harshly without ascertaining the facts. Much like you did
with Miguel.” Charlie, listening
from within Sofia’s cleavage, perked up his ears. He knew Miguel by name only
because Sofia had mentioned her ex-husband. “That’s a low-blow,”
Sofia said in a rigid but hurt tone. “I’m sorry. But I
know your judgement gets clouded when things hit close to home.” “My judgement is
fine.” Sofia crossed her arms and squeezed her chest, giving her boyfriend a
boob hug. “Tricia said she murdered three unregistered downsizers. That alone
is enough reason for me to downsize her.” Evie shrugged with a
smile and relief. “Well, who cares then? If they were unregistered,
there’s no need to bother the girl.” “Hey!” Kamila shouted
from Tricia’s palm. Now the stage lights were on her. “Are you saying the lives
of unregistered people aren’t the same as others?” “No, no,” Evie said,
backtracking and stumbling on her words. “Not what I meant. But as far as the
DPS is concerned, we don’t—” “I know about the DPS
and their awful practices,” Kamila said. “Just now, you’re showing us how
fucked up your system is. Between two agents, you can’t decide what to do with
Tricia. And now, you showed me your true feelings towards the unregistered.” She
was riled up and almost shouting. “I’m unregistered!” Evie lowered her head
and met Kamila at her eye-level. “I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me to say
and I take it back.” Sofia smirked. For
once, she had the moral high-ground with Evie. “Kamila, I care about all
downsizers. I, for one, brought justice to your unregistered father. And I will
bring justice to the three unregistered downsizers Tricia claimed to have
eaten.” Kamila winced. Did
she make things worse? Had she kept her mouth shut, would Evie have let Tricia
go? “Guess I picked the
wrong agent to talk to,” Tricia said, smug as ever. “Wait,” Kamila said
to Sofia. “This is still wrong. You can’t just go by what Tricia said. She was
probably lying to you. And you don’t have evidence, Tricia’s medical history,
any evidence. You can’t downsize her based on one statement. You can’t be judge
and jury.” “Hmm,” Evie mumbled
while tapping her chin as she thought. “That’s an excellent point.” Everyone
stared at her. “Doesn’t sound fair that Sofia is the witness, the investigator,
the judge, jury, and executioner.” Sofia let out a
laugh. “You just described an average DPS agent.” “But Kamila raises
good points. What physical evidence you got?” “Well, none, but—” “I’m sure your son
and Emma would like to testify. I know some downsizers inside Lilliputian Lakes
that would like to be character witnesses.” Kamila perked up when
she understood what Evie was getting at. “And unregistered downsizers should be
a part of this … this trial.” Evie smiled widely at
Kamila. “The unregistered should be the judge and jury.” Sofia groaned. “Are
you suggesting we—” Evie rotated on her
heels and got on her tippy-toes to face Sofia. “I’ll see you at court!” she
giggled. Tricia said, “This
sounds like too much. Shouldn’t I just—” Evie turned back with
one arm crossed and the other up in the air. “As your defense attorney, I
recommend you remain silent.”
Rated: 🔴 - Sexual Themes and Violence
Word Count: 10748 |
Views: 11 |
Reviews: 0
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Added: 03/16/2025
Updated: 04/05/2025
Story Notes:
Special note: Although the ages of the characters are not mentioned in this story, I want to be clear that all characters are 18+. This story has several arcs, and the arcs dealing with HS students refer to students in their senior year, months away from graduation.