"All right, here's how it works," Art Lassiter began, and instantly every flashlight in the little group was trained on his heavy, raggedly mustached face. "Hold out your plate in front of you and bang on it with the back of your spoon as you run."
"This is ludicrous," muttered Kathy, giggling as her boyfriend Luke Cunningham wrapped his lanky arms around her shoulder. "A snipe hunt? You've gotta be joking!"
"C'mon, Kath, it'll be a blast," said Luke softly in her ear. "Besides, I already told you, Nick's got no clue. Look at him over there! He's eating this up!"
The group of young college co-eds chuckled together, glancing over at the thin, tousle-haired young man a quarter of the way round the campfire. Absently, Nicholas Stinson pushed his thick glasses up on his lightly freckled face, pretending not to hear their comments, though he found it hard not to. Had they had no idea he could make out every word they said? Did they even care if he heard their cruel barbs?
Probably not, he thought. At nineteen years of age, Nick was an incredibly perceptive guy, and yet was horribly naïve. This was his freshman year at college, and since he'd lived at home his entire life, he had absolutely no idea what to expect now that he was out on his own. He was smart, but possessed virtually no social skills whatsoever. He seemed like he was always saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment, and laughing well after the punch line of any joke was delivered.
Some of the others in his dorm took pity on him, trying to include him in their activities, such as this weekend's campout. However, early on Nick figured out the real reason they brought him along was so Luke didn't have to stay back as a hall monitor just for him. Better to just let him tag along and hope he stayed out of the way. Besides, they could tease him and play with his mind, and more often than not his gullibility led to some great laughs.
More than once Nick wondered why he even put up with their antics. He would probably wind up with a 4.0 average without any problems, but it seemed like no one cared about such things in the "real" world. The only things that impressed anyone were expensive clothes, glib words and athletic prowess, and Nick had none of these things. He just couldn't seem to fit in no matter how hard he tried. Every time he thought he'd figured out the right thing to say or do, he managed to embarrass himself even worse than the last time. He was smart enough to recognize his problem, and wanted to fix it more desperately than anything. He just didn't know how.
Perhaps that was why he stuck around, Nick thought, listening to Art drone on about running through the forest, making a ruckus and shouting out "Snipe!" as often as possible. Sooner or later, Nick knew he had to learn the trick of interacting with people, and he could look at this as useful practice. At least this crowd couldn't look down on him any further than they already did. After all, snipe hunts were a joke for young kids and cub scouts--even he knew that! The only reason they were setting this thing up was to make fun of him.
Finally, Art finished off his long-winded explanation and handed off the required equipment to the assembled group. The dozen or so who bothered to show up began to fan out, but it was obvious they didn't all intend to really proceed very far into the woods. Kathy and Luke were already kissing each other passionately, Nick noticed out of the corner of his eye. They were just looking for a chance to get alone, somewhere in the shadowy forest, so they could make out.
Nick sighed resignedly. Kathy sure was pretty, he thought wistfully. Her long blond hair seemed to sparkle in the firelight as Luke ran his lucky hands through it, sucking on her lips as though trying to draw her tongue into his throat. Someday, Nick thought, shaking his head sadly. Someday, I'll have a girl like that, and I'll get to find out what that feels like!
"GO!" Art shouted, interrupting Nick's pleasant little fantasy. With flashlights on and shouts of "Snipe!" echoing from their lips, the group of excited co-eds raced out into the darkened forest.
The rusty bottle cap lifted up and Emily Johnson peered out of the tunnel, metal spear gripped firmly in a gloved hand. The sky far above shone in the glow of a nearly full moon, so she could see easily in the darkness. Giant blades of grass waved around her in the light wind, and she smiled. The night was perfect.
Shutting the door to the hidden access passage behind her, she took one more cautious look around and jogged towards the massive roots of the nearest tree. The fresh air felt wonderful, she thought, and it was good to get out of the colony's confines. She figured the risk of encountering some nocturnal predator was well worth taking if it gave her a chance to get out on her own, away from her parents and all those other stuffy scientists.
Even though over a year had passed since she and her family came to join the microcolony, being out in the giant-scale world was still amazing and awe-inspiring. She was one of the few in the little community who felt that way, actually. Most everyone else was scared to death of the outside. Once Emily's parents learned of her fascination, they forbade her to leave, but what could they do? She was eighteen now, an adult, and could do whatever she wanted.
The colony was an experiment, really--an attempt by researchers to find out if miniaturized people could survive and prosper, should some plague or other apocalypse befall the rest of humanity. Being small did have its advantages--food was plentiful, comparatively, and because of the size difference between themselves and microorganisms, the colonists were all but immune to disease. Still, Emily had to laugh every time she thought about what the experiment was supposedly "proving." Shrinking down a bunch of families to 1/20th scale was all well and good, but they were living in a prefabricated underground tank, with its own electricity and other technological comforts. If they wanted to really try surviving in the giant world, why not try it someplace less controlled? Say, someone's basement, or a shopping mall, or a farm? Or in the open wilderness, with nothing around but raw, unbridled nature? But no, she thought, they'd never be quite so bold as that, would they?
Emily jogged easily along, avoiding several huge insects scuttling along on the rough earth. As she moved silently through the immense forest, she automatically kept her eyes and ears open for clues that some animal might be nearby. Acutely aware of the danger from owls and other airborne predators, Emily ducked under weeds and leaves at every turn. She froze, spear at the ready, as the dry brush ahead rustled, but then relaxed as she saw the approaching creature was only a field mouse. Though the rodent stood almost as tall as she did, she knew it would only attack something her size if starving, and it clearly wasn't. After a moment, the russet-furred critter moved off, paying her no mind at all.
Emily continued along, following a route she knew well. For the umpteenth time, she asked herself why she agreed to get involved in this crazy experiment. When her parents explained where they were going and why, she just thought they were nuts. Why would anyone want to be shrunk down to a few inches tall and live in a secret underground colony for several years? Talk about your really perverse dedication! After a while, though, Emily thought more carefully about the offer they were making. The researchers needed to find out the effects on younger people as well as old, which was why entire families were coming. Besides, when it was all over, her college education would be more than paid for with the salary she was getting!
There was more to it than just the money, of course. After considering the idea for some time, Emily discovered she kind of liked the idea of being small. What an adventure it would be! The very concept of being four-odd inches high was incredible. She could sneak into houses and climb up on giant tables like those "Borrowers" she read about as a child! Oh, sure, it'd be dangerous, but so was getting in a car or walking around downtown at night. As long as she was careful, she'd have nothing to worry about. Why, the whole experience would be a total blast!
The reality proved to be far different, though. The colony was out in a forest, miles from civilization, and way too far to try to walk to the nearest building or street. The only time any normal-sized person came out here was a rare camper looking for someplace to rest after a long hike. In fact, one of the spotting cameras noticed a big group of them down on the south edge of the ridge the night before. Even now, as far away as they were, she could hear the faint echoes of their voices coming up the valley.
Of course, Emily had no intention of going anywhere near them tonight. She was heading for the river. The night was warm and humid, and a midnight swim would feel wonderful. There was something about the flow of the cool stream over her tiny body that just beat the hell out of a shower back in the colony.
As she crept carefully along, she began to whistle happily.
"Snipe! Snipe!" yelled Nick, as though he actually meant what he was shouting. In between calls, he listened carefully to the sounds around him. The rest of the group seemed to be moving directly away from him as quickly as possible, as if his very presence repelled them.
In due course he ceased his inane cries and slowed to a walk. His feet crunched through the underbrush for several long minutes as he meandered along, shaking his head sadly. In the distance, the voices of his supposed "friends" gradually died out as they either went back to camp or found a quiet spot to do whatever else they were planning.
In due course, Nick came to a stream, which seemed to glint and flash under the moon like a cascade of diamonds. He turned off his flashlight and just stood there, awash in the beauty of what he was seeing. Let those idiots back there have their fun, he thought. All their ridicule was worth it just for sights like this one!
He meandered along further, following the rocky shore of the bubbling brook he'd discovered. After a couple of minutes, he found a spot where the water cascaded over a couple of rocks and fell about a foot or so into a little pool. Not bad, he thought appreciatively. This would be a good spot to just kick back and relax for a while. Who knows? Maybe if I rest quietly, a snipe will come out after all.
Chuckling at that crazy thought, he looked around for something comfortable to sit on, but the area was too rocky. He took a few steps up the nearby slope, pushed aside the long grass and settled back against the trunk of a tree. The undergrowth blocked most of his view from here, but it didn't really matter. He figured he'd just hang out for a while until enough time passed that he could go back to camp without looking too stupid. Besides, maybe if he waited long enough, someone might actually get worried about him.
Nah, there's not much chance of that, he decided, leaning his head back into the soft tree bark and letting out a long sigh.
Emily advanced cautiously. A few minutes before, she heard some of the giant voices getting closer, forcing her to take shelter under the curve of a tree root. After a while, the noises departed. There was even something that sounded very much like banging, and the wind carried the word "Snipe" to her from beyond the trees.
That just cracked her up. An actual snipe hunt! When she was much younger, in girl scouts, they did those hunts a couple of times on campouts, and she thought it was a lot of fun. Afterwards, when she realized it was a big joke, she got a good laugh at her own foolishness. The whole thing was really kind of embarrassing, actually. She even remembered wondering what the heck a snipe really looked like, as if she knew it was a trick even as a child, but hadn't wanted to admit it to herself.
Emily shook off those old memories and brought her mind back to the immense, noisy forest around her. Chirps of insects and the calls of night birds sounded all around, but the human voices faded into the distance. When she felt certain the giants were gone, she pressed on. Deftly meandering between huge rocks and plants, she avoided bugs and other dangers with ease, but still took another ten minutes to reach the river.
Since by now she knew the route like the back of her hand, she arrived almost exactly at the spot of the waterfall. The cascading river looked as cool and inviting in the moonlight as it had every other time she'd visited the place. She wasted no time hurrying up to the rocky shore, where she removed her backpack and tossed it aside.
She thought she heard something and froze for almost a minute, looking around cautiously. She would be vulnerable once she got in the water, she knew, so it paid to be as careful as possible. After a bit she decided it was all right and continued to disrobe, pulling off the boots and gloves she wore and unzipping the form-fitting protective bodysuit that passed for clothing in the colony. The steelweave mesh, made of an organic fiber and miniaturized to her scale, was almost impenetrable, making her all but invulnerable to attacks from stray insects or scratching thorns. Plus, the skintight weave preserved nearly all her body heat at her scale. Nonetheless, Emily thought it was a bit boring wearing the same outfit all the time. Oh well, at least she didn't have to worry about keeping up with the latest fashion trends!
She slipped out of her underwear without the slightest fear of being seen in the nude. After all, she thought as she waded into the cool, inviting water, who could possibly see her all the way out here?
The ground underneath Nick slid slightly, causing him to slip down and jerk his head just enough to wake him up. He blinked and opened his eyes, wondering just how long he'd been napping. His neck was already sore, so it must've been more than just a few minutes. A quick glance at his watch, which he could see just fine in the bright moonlight, showed maybe half an hour had elapsed. Well, he thought, that ought to be long enough to convince everybody I was taken in by their little game. If there's one thing I've learned, it's best to humor them instead of argue. That only encourages them all the more.
Sighing, Nick started to rise, but then hesitated as his eyes fell on the little waterfall just ahead of him. Something was moving in the pool! He sat back down, trying to figure out what the creature was. He figured it was definitely a bird or small rodent of some kind, by the size of it, but it seemed awfully familiar. Almost like a--but no, that's impossible!
Nick continued to stare at the tiny thing in the water, which was moving around for all the world like a swimmer doing laps. Part of him wanted to get up and go see what it was, but something in the back of his mind told him to stay put lest he scare it away. He could afford to be patient, he decided, and settled back against the tree, pushing the grasses aside to afford a better view.
After a couple of minutes, the little thing swam over to the far edge of the stream and climbed out carefully onto the rocks. Nick just shook his head, his mouth hanging open. There could be no doubt of what he was seeing, even in this pale light. The creature was a woman--a tiny, naked woman! From the look of her, she couldn't be more than a few inches high.
Nick had never seen a nude woman in the flesh before. His only experience with the female body came from adult magazines and the occasional R-rated film. Considering that this was his first time, he handled it rather well, staring in rapt fascination but maintaining control over his conscious, logical mind. The way her little behind swayed to and fro as she watched, the smooth curve of her hips, and the swell of her miniature breasts as she turned to the side were all totally entrancing.
Yet, even as he gazed in appreciation at her supple figure, the intelligent side of him was baffled by her tiny size. How could a woman be so small? Was he dreaming? He actually pinched himself to be sure, but the spike of pain seemed to prove he was wide awake. Was she a fairy or nymph or something like that? A creature of legend, like a leprechaun or sprite? That seemed impossible, but then, so was a four-inch woman taking a midnight swim in the middle of nowhere!
Besides, that theory was spoiled the moment she dried off using the towel she brought in her little backpack. When she started pulling on her underwear, he knew this couldn't be anything but a tiny human being. As far as he remembered from mythology, woodland creatures didn't have any need for a bra and panties.
He continued to stare, unable to look away, as she climbed into the jumpsuit and started on the gloves and boots. Then he suddenly realized she was preparing to leave! Any moment now she'd hurry off into the forest, and he'd never find her in the heavy underbrush.
Fumbling around at his side, he started looking for his flashlight.
Emily zipped up the boots, her skin still tingling from the sensations left behind by the cool water rushing over her bare flesh. She stood and stretched, sighing happily, and yet not looking forward to the run back to the colony. There was no way she could get back inside without someone noticing her arrival, and by the next day her parents would be informed of her nocturnal journey. They'd have a few good words for her then.
Well, they'd just have to deal with it, Emily thought to herself. I'm sick of those metal walls and taking care of all the younger kids. I was bored, and they'll just have to understand that!
Reaching for her pack, she started rehearsing in her mind what she was going to tell them, when suddenly an unbelievably loud crunching noise sounded just a short distance away. She froze and looked that direction in horror. There was something there--something huge, and extremely close! But how had it closed in without her hearing it?
She whipped around in shock, afraid of what sort of monstrous creature she might see on the other side of the stream, when a tremendous brightness surrounded her. Wincing, she covered her eyes at the light, standing motionless in complete surprise as though paralyzed.
Another crunch sounded almost directly in front of her and something monstrous landed just beyond the range of her vision. Held fast in the glare of the powerful flashlight, she still could only barely see, and too late she realized just what it was that had appeared so suddenly. The immense, white, laced-up thing was a shoe--a sneaker the size of a truck!
At once she turned to run, but it was too late. From above, a hand came down and clasped around her, and she screamed and screamed...
Nick emerged from the forest near the dying campfire and started towards his tent, hoping to get there without being seen. Of course, there was no chance of that. Art and a couple of his jock buddies sauntered over to him, huge grins on their faces. "Hey, Nick," said the much taller man, almost bursting with amusement. "You were out there a long time! Find any snipes?"
Nick just shook his head as though dazed. "Huh? What's that? Oh, yeah," he replied somewhat absently. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "What if I had? What would I do with it?"
Art and his friends laughed at the joke they still thought was a private one. "Oh, if you got one, you should give it to me," he chortled. "We can all play with it, and when we get back to the dorm, we'll make it our floor mascot!" His friends thought this was uproariously funny for some reason.
Nick just nodded, a half-smile forming on his lips. "That's what I thought," he said. "Well, I didn't find any, all right?"
"Sure, whatever," laughed Art, who Nick could now tell was at least somewhat wasted. Whether it was from beer or some other drug, he had no idea. "Hey, geek, don't forget," he called out as Nick reached his tent, "early start tomorrow. If you're not up by eight we're leaving without you!"
"Yeah, yeah," was the resignation-filled reply.
Nick climbed into his tent and zipped the mosquito netting shut. Carefully he removed his jacket, set it down on the ground, and opened up the inside front pocket. Within, the tiny, terrified figure of Emily huddled in the bottom, looking up at him with fear and horror.
"Don't worry," said Nick comfortingly, keeping his voice as low as possible. "I won't let those meanies find out about you. I'll keep you safe. No one else has to know about you, okay?"
Choking back tears, Emily gave a weak little nod. Nick smiled at her and closed the pocket back up, certain that she'd be safe in there for the rest of the night. Once he got her back to the dorm, he'd have to rig up a little house for her or something like that, but he was sure he'd figure it out.
As pulled himself into his sleeping bag, he began to chuckle to himself. They tried to make fun of him, didn't they? The whole hunt was supposed to be a big joke to make him look like a fool, but he had the last laugh in the end.
After all, none of them could say they now had a pet snipe!
"What is this?" asked Dr. Leomund Johnson, one hand clasped tightly around his wife. "What's going on, Dr. Tolliver? Why did you rush us in here straight out of bed?"
"Please, tell us!" gasped his frantic wife, Patricia. "Is this about Emily? Did something happen to her?"
"Just sit down, please." Dr. Arvin Tolliver, chief scientist of the microcolony, pointed at the chairs ringing the metal-walled conference table. During periods of debate, this room might be filled with as many as twenty chattering scientists. Now, it was just Leo, Patty, Arvin, and a long, empty table surrounded by vacant seats.
The two worried parents managed to sit down shakily. Leo took his arm off Patty's shoulder, but the two continued to clasp their hands tightly. "What is it, Arvin?" asked Leomund harshly. "We did what you said--now you owe us an explanation!"
"All right, all right!" said Dr. Tolliver, shaking his hands vigorously and remaining standing. He, too, looked worried, and only now did the two parents begin to realize this fact. "Here's what we know. Last night, at approximately quarter till midnight, your daughter slipped out of the colony through the secondary escape tunnel."
"She did what?" demanded Leo, starting to stand. Arvin's outstretched hand prevented him from rising, but he kept on talking. "Not again! That's the last straw! When I get my hands on her, she's going to--!"
"She didn't come back," Arvin interrupted hastily. "I hate to have to tell you this, Leo, but she stayed out. We've got teams searching for her, but--"
Patty seemed frozen with shock. Leo collapsed back in his chair, face completely drained of color. "W-what does this mean?" he gasped. "Is--is she d-d--?" He couldn't seem to get the word past his teeth.
"We don't think so," Dr. Tolliver went on. "We knew she likes swimming in the river, near the falls, so that's the first place we looked. That's where we found her spear and backpack. There wasn't any blood or evidence she was attacked. There was one other thing, though. One critically important thing."
Patty was by now sobbing on her husband's shoulder. He looked up at Arvin with a pitiful look on his face. "What was it?" he asked, choking back tears of his own.
"A footprint," said Dr. Tolliver sadly, starting to lose control of his emotions as well. After all, everyone in the colony liked Emily, even if she was a bit headstrong. He narrowed his brows and forced himself to continue. "It was--it was a giant sneaker print. We're doing everything we can, but...well, there were campers down in the valley last night, and--"
"And what?" demanded Leo hastily. "What are you saying, Arvin?"
"I'm sorry," said the chief scientist, lowering his eyes and shaking his head. "We think she was captured."
Emily hugged herself tightly as her captor walked briskly along. There was nothing she could do and nowhere to go. Even if she could escape, she didn't even know where she was.
The last twelve hours were mostly a blur. First there was the long, seemingly endless night trapped in the stuffy, nylon-lined, impenetrable pocket. Then came the morning, when the giant called Nick struck camp alongside the other noisy giants, almost shaking her to death inside the coat. He spoke to her only rarely, and quietly, usually to reassure her that everything was "just fine." As if that were really true, Emily thought sadly.
For him, maybe, but not for me...
After a lot of jostling, the campers seemed to finish their work and piled into a vehicle of some sort, punctuated by loud slams that nearly burst Emily's tiny eardrums. After that came the interminable car ride, to where she didn't know. Now Nick was walking again, presumably to wherever it was that would be her new home.
She didn't know much about the young man who captured her. From the brief glimpses she had of his face, he was relatively youthful, probably in his first year of college based on the things she overheard earlier that morning. Nick had thick glasses and a beak of a nose, along with dark brown freckles scattered across his skin. The others treated him like scum, too, so she gathered he was something of a nerd.
Great, she thought, shivering as Nick turned a corner, throwing her momentarily to one side and leaving her briefly weightless. I'm the prisoner of a college geek! Could this possibly get any worse?
The mind-numbing fear had long since faded. Last night, trapped in the zip-up coat pocket, she fought for several hours against her raging emotions and the slippery weave of the nylon jacket in which she was imprisoned. If only she had her spear! Sadly, that was left behind near the waterfall, along with her pack, and everything else she brought along that night except her clothes.
Finally, convinced she couldn't escape from the pocket, she managed to drift off into a tortured sleep interrupted early the next morning by a violent banging from one of Nick's giant friends. Well, not friends, exactly. From the way they treated him, there wasn't much in the way of friendship involved.
Since then, she somewhat came to grips with her situation. There was nothing she could do but go with the flow and hope she could escape later, or somehow get word to her parents. Maybe, if Nick really were a geek, he'd have a computer she could use to send an e-mail. At four inches tall, that would be a challenging task, but not impossible. Perhaps this could even be the adventure she always wanted.
Yet, every time she thought of that, she remembered the grip of that massive hand clenching around her puny little body, and the sight of that huge face looming over her as she cowered in his palm. Months in the clinical normalcy of the microcolony hadn't prepared her for that sudden, crushing feeling of despair as she realized, finally, just how tiny and helpless she really was.
Nick might just be a nerd, but to her, he was a hundred-foot-tall, supremely powerful nerd who could crush her with a gesture. What was he planning to do to her when he finally got where he was going?
Suddenly Nick started to go upwards, jolting and jarring Emily in his pocket with each step. Stairs, she thought, hanging on for dear life until the climb finally halted. After a few more dizzying steps, he came to a halt and keys jangled outside before turning in a lock.
So, here we are, Emily thought. This is his home, wherever that is.
Nick took a few more bone-jarring steps and then a door slammed loudly behind him. Emily heard his breath hiss out in a deep sigh. "Finally," his distant, booming voice said, and the coat began to shake all around her. "I hope you liked the ride, little snipe."
Emily shook her head and shrugged to herself. Does he really think I'm a snipe? He can't possibly believe that, can he? He seems smart, but naïve, so maybe...
She felt herself lifted up and set on something solid. The outside of the pocket started shifting, and then, finally, the zipper moved aside at last. The light flowing in almost blinded her, but Nick's huge, bespectacled face came into view just as suddenly.
"Come on out," he told her in that horrendously loud voice. "You're safe now."
Shakily, Emily got to her feet and stepped out of the pocket onto a grainy, wooden surface. Nick was standing there, looming above, peering down at her in obvious amusement. Emily cast her eyes about, blinking, trying to ignore him and take in her surroundings. She was inside a cavernous room, standing on the wide plateau of a table. In the distance, she could see a messy, unmade bed the size of a football field, and in another direction, several towering cabinets and a warehouse-like personal refrigerator on a countertop. The crumpled-up red mass of Nick's nylon jacked blocked her view of the rest of the chamber.
"This is my dorm room," said the giant, waving a massive arm about to indicate the whole of the place. Emily supposed it was really very cramped, seeing as it was a dorm and all, but to her it looked like a massive, wide-open auditorium or theater. "Fortunately, I'm all alone," Nick went on. "Nobody else wanted to share a room with me. Now I've finally got a roommate, even if she is just a little snipe."
"I'm not a snipe!" Emily yelled suddenly, putting her hands on her hips in disgust at the term. "Quit calling me that!"
Nick laughed, and the sound washed over her like thunder. "You sound like a chipmunk!" he said between grinding sniggers, and Emily realized this was the first time he'd actually heard her speak. So far, until now, she'd been silent, afraid of what might happen if he revealed her presence to the rest of the campers. None of them sounded very nice, actually. If they picked on the weak, like Nick, what would they do if they saw somebody her size?
Emily slumped her shoulders. "Sorry," she complained, shouting as loud as she could. "In case you didn't notice, I'm really small, and so's my voice."
The giant grinned and shook his head. "I shouldn't laugh, but I can't help it," he told her. "I just never imagined anybody could be as tiny as you are. How did it happen? How'd you get all miniature like that?"
Emily paced along on the tabletop, thinking. How should she answer that question? If she told about the microcolony, she could endanger her whole family! Best to just tell a partial truth, she decided. "It was an experiment," she replied slowly. "They wanted to see if we could live like this. Everything was going fine until you grabbed me!"
"Sorry," said Nick with a grin, "but I didn't see any experiment. I just saw a little snipe taking a swim in the moonlight."
"You--you saw me?" Emily turned away, suddenly flushed with embarrassment. He must've been in the bushes, then. He was there when she arrived, which was how she didn't hear him coming! And he saw her--he saw everything!
"Sorry, I didn't mean to peek," Nick went on defensively, sounding a bit embarrassed himself, "but I didn't know what you were at first. Y'know, you just don't expect to see a tiny person swimming, um, naked in a stream like that. Didn't you bring bathing suits along with your, ahem, experiment?"
"Not really," said Emily weakly, not looking at him. She could still feel the stinging in her face. "I could've worn my, uhh, you know, but I wanted them dry when I--oh, never mind! Can we just get back to the important thing? You kidnapped me! Please take me back to the forest! My parents'll be worried sick!"
Nick shook his head. "I can't," he told her with an exaggerated tone of protest in his voice. "I don't own a car. Don't need one, since I live on campus, and who's going to loan me one to drive all that way? Assuming I can even find the place again--I wasn't really paying all that much attention, y'know."
He doesn't sound all that sorry, Emily thought. Obviously he means to keep me here! What can I do about it? I'm only one-twentieth his size. How can I convince him to let me go? Might as well try the pouty look--that always works on Mom & Dad, doesn't it?
With that in mind, she finally turned to look back at the massive face, giving him her best sad, pitiful expression. "You mean I'm going to be stuck here like this?" she asked in as pathetic a voice as she could manage. "Please don't do this to me, Nick! Don't keep me prisoner! Let me go! Ple-e-e-ase!"
"Oh, I can't do that," he told her, barely biting back a laugh at her pathetic, squeaky whining. "You'd never last long out there at your size, y'know. Besides, how would you ever get all that way on your own, even if you knew where you were going? You're better off with me. Now come on, I'll show you around your new home."
"Wait, I--!" she started, but suddenly his hand swept down and plucked her off the tabletop. In an instant she went from independent and free to trapped in the grip of a humongous finger and thumb, pressing against her from both sides. Before she could cry out in protest, he released her into his open palm, where she flopped onto her backside, staring up at him in shock.
"Sorry, I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, still smiling from high above.
Emily sat up on his immense, warm, fleshy hand. The jolting fear that swept across her when he picked her up quickly faded, to be replaced by another emotion entirely. "How dare you do that to me!" she yelled, getting to her feet and wagging a hand in his direction. "I'm not a snipe, I'm a person! You can't just pick me up like a doll, you know!"
He laughed again, which of course only infuriated her further. "You do look sorta like a doll," he chuckled. "I can't hold ordinary people in my hand, y'know."
"It doesn't matter how small I am!" she shouted. "I'm still a person! You can't treat me like some kind of toy!"
"Why not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and leaning down closer to her miniature form. "Why can't I? You look like a toy to me. Finally, there's somebody in this damn place smaller and weaker than I am! If I were you, I'd quit arguing and be a good little snipe!"
Emily missed the veiled threat in his remarks, focusing only on the single word that had by now become a hated insult. She threw up her hands again and raised her voice as loud as she could. "I'm NOT a snipe, damn it! Quit calling me that!"
"I can't help it," he replied sardonically. "You still haven't told me who you are. If you don't want me calling you a snipe, tell me your real name."
"I--oh, all right!" she shouted in exasperation. "My name's Emily Johnson. There? Satisfied?"
"Sure, Emily," he answered, obviously amused by her precociousness. "My name's Nicholas Stinson, Junior, but everybody calls me Nick. You can, too, if you want. Now come on, let me show you around the place."
He lifted up his hand suddenly, causing little Emily to go sprawling amidst his colossal fingers. Kneeling, she could see out over the edge of his palm as he pointed out the various features of his cavernous dorm room. Emily tried very hard not to think about hot his leathery skin felt, or the fact that she was perched in the middle of somebody's hand. Or, for that matter, how high off the ground she was at the moment.
"This is my bed over here, and the kitchenette," Nick told her, droning on for several minutes about various giant pieces of furniture, as though she hadn't seen such things before. Well, she hadn't, at least not in this scale. When Emily first got miniaturized, they took her and the others directly to the colony site. She hadn't been inside a normal-sized building since then. The place was intimidatingly large, but still somewhat fascinating, in a nervous sort of way.
Finally, Nick set her down on the top of the kitchen counter, next to the sink. "Go ahead and explore," he told her. "I don't think you can get down from there, so I'm going to go unpack. After that, we'll have to figure out someplace to keep you where you won't get into trouble."
"Okay," she agreed, shaking her head and recovering from the dizzying ride on his palm. "Are you sure you won't take me home? Please, Nick, I don't want to be cooped up in here!"
"I'll think about it," he replied with a grin, "if you're a good little snipe."
Before she could shout out an angry reply, he turned and walked off across the room, snickering to himself. Even from what quickly became a very long distance, she could still hear his irritating chuckle.
"I'm not a snipe!" Emily grumbled to herself, realizing only just now how much she really, really loathed that word.
Emily stopped at the edge of the countertop, looking down at the distant linoleum far below. Just a few feet...but to her, it was like looking over the edge of a cliff.
To her surprise, Nick didn't interrupt while she explored the kitchen from her tiny point of view. Every now and then she glanced his way out of the corner of her eye. He was unpacking a duffel bag, or at least pretending to do so. Mostly, he was watching her, and trying very hard not to be noticed in the process. A bemused smile seemed permanently etched on his face.
Emily tried to ignore him as she meandered about the sink, dish drainer, toaster oven, and other immense objects that littered the counter surface. A few times, she managed to forget he was there. Actually, the giant items littering Nick's somewhat messy kitchen were interesting in and of themselves. The back side of the sink's control knobs, for example. Most people never saw them from that angle. The slight graininess of surfaces she would've sworn were ordinarily very smooth. And again, as always, the constant amazement at just how big everything was.
In the microcolony, Emily was used to enlarged objects. Most of the items inside the underground shelter were built out of ordinary-sized equipment constructed as small as possible. The shrinking device (which was still a big secret, even to most of the scientists in the colony) only worked on organic substances, or so she understood from what her parents told her. That meant all the machinery was miniaturized in the conventional way--with delicate, robot-assisted precision. Even so, they were close to the right scale in most cases.
Not so outdoors. Back at the colony, Emily liked going outside, where she could let herself be awed by the size of everything. She often dreamed of going back to her old house and wandering around, seeing how different everything was from a different perspective. Now she had an idea of what that would be like. She would've been excited and thrilled, except for the presence of Nick Stinson.
He seemed all right, Emily told herself as she started back away from the precipice, towards the building-sized refrigerator in the distance. He was fascinated with her, obviously, but he hadn't hurt her yet, and when he carried her around, he was at least gentle about it. Yet some of the things he said indicated quite clearly he considered her nothing more than a pet.
A pet snipe...God, how she was sick of that name!
On her way back across the counter, Emily ducked behind the toaster oven. The gap was easily wide enough for her to fit through, seeing as how it had to be far enough apart that the plug could extend out of the nearby wall outlet. She was immediately struck by how dirty it was behind the appliance. By contrast, the countertop itself was almost immaculately clean.
Emily waited in the shadows, curiously investigating some of the crusted-on gunk lining the back of the oven and the countertop. How did some of this crap get here, anyway? A piece of what looked like an eggshell, for example, and a few bits of crumbly crackers. Down by her feet, she disturbed a lone black ant about the size of her fist. The creature scuttled swiftly into the darkness.
Not a threat, she thought reflexively, ignoring the insect completely. She'd seen her share of ants and other insects back in the forest. Unless she menaced its lair, it would avoid her, and even if it did try to bite, its mandibles wouldn't be able to penetrate the steelweave bodysuit.
After a minute or so, she peered out from behind the oven, looking to see if Nick was coming to figure out what she was up to. Nope, he was continuing to put things away and straighten up his room, no longer paying attention to her at all. Emily smiled, considering the oven's power cord thoughtfully. If Nick left her alone long enough, maybe he'd give her time to get away!
Slipping back into the shadows, she clambered up on top of the plug and grabbed hold of either side. With her feet pressed against the wall, she pulled as hard as she could. The cord didn't budge. Gritting her teeth from the effort, she started rocking back and forth, side to side. Gradually, a little bit at a time, the plug started to slide free.
After about a minute, the power cord released its grip in a sudden motion, causing Emily to bump into the back of the toaster with a loud clang. Well, she thought it was loud, but did Nick notice? Worriedly, she glanced around the side again, but he was still cleaning up. Was he looking her way out of the corner of his eye? She couldn't tell from all the way across the room.
No matter. He wasn't coming to investigate, Emily thought gratefully. Still holding the newly freed cord, she hauled it over to the nearby edge of the counter and dropped it down the side. She was in full view of Nick now, but he didn't seem to notice. Obviously, he was secure in his belief that she couldn't possibly escape from the countertop.
Emily smiled at her own ingenuity, and that he hadn't seen her yet. Still, she was only halfway home. The cord didn't reach all the way because most of its loops were fastened with a twist-tie. Emily scurried over there and started undoing the connector, once again marveling at how much more difficult this was at her size. She could remember opening up loaves of bread when she was normal, without even thinking about it. Now she had to carefully pull one edge of the plastic-sheathed tie while holding onto the other for stability.
After about another minute, she successfully undid the fastener. Immediately, the weight of the dangling cord pulled the loops apart, forcing Emily to jump back to avoid being swept along. The cord clattered as it dropped down the side of the cabinet, loudly enough to wake the dead as far as little Emily was concerned. Still Nick didn't seem to notice what she was up to.
Hurrying, before Nick spotted her, she dashed across the counter and started shimmying down the cord. Keeping a grip on the thick cable was easy, but she was glad she was still wearing the gloves and jumpsuit. Without those, she'd risk losing skin, considering how fast she was descending.
After a long slide she found herself at the plug, which was dangling eight inches off the floor. Emily gritted her teeth and took the plunge, rolling with the landing. The maneuver proved easier than she thought, and she got to her feet quickly, running over to the edge of the floorboards. Now she had a totally different view of the dorm room, looking up at the distant, towering form of Nick as he moved around. Plainly, he was oblivious to her escape, and Emily grinned at her accomplishment.
Now what, though? Maybe she could find an air vent to duck into, or a crack in the wall someplace. She raced across the kitchen floor to a nearby couch, diving behind it before he spotted her. Once again she found herself amidst dust, dirt and cobwebs, but she hardly cared now. She was nearly free!
Moving along behind the huge sofa, she passed several fallen coins as well as a giant pen. A dusty videocassette barred her path, so she climbed up over it and continued on. After a few moments she came to a floor vent, but a single glance was enough to tell she couldn't possibly fit through the slots. She tried the screws, but they were fastened tight. The fasteners used Phillips-style heads, too, so even trying to use coins to turn them would be fruitless. She moved on.
At the far side of the couch, she wiped off the cobwebs and dust as best she could and looked out at the underside of a gigantic coffee table. Another power cord dangled overhead, leading to a lamp somewhere high above. Next to the power outlet, a telephone jack hung on the wall high above, but it was empty. Damn, Emily thought. He doesn't have a phone!
She considered the door, some distance away along the wall opposite her current hiding place. There was a gap underneath. Was it enough to fit through? She didn't know for sure, but it was worth a try. Creeping along under the coffee table, she took another glance out at Nick's massive form, over on the other side of the room. He had a rag in his hand and was cleaning something on a shelf. Was he preparing a place for her to stay? He mentioned something about getting a dollhouse for her, but she had no intention of living in someplace like that. Far too humiliating. She was a woman, not a Barbie doll!
Assured that he wasn't looking, Emily ran out along the edge of the floorboard, over to the door. She was in the open now, but the risk seemed worth it. If she could slip out through the gap, she'd be free of Nick and could try to hide somewhere outside. Maybe at night, when everybody else in the dorm was asleep, she could figure out how to get word to her parents without being caught.
She finally reached the door and immediately dropped to her hands and knees, trying to squeeze into the slot. Unfortunately, as became quickly obvious, she didn't even come close to fitting. Maybe if she was half her current size she might be able to make it, but not now. All she'd accomplish by continuing to try was that she'd get stuck.
Suddenly Nick's voice boomed out across the room. "Oh, too bad, you don't fit," he said with a chuckle. "I was wondering if you would. Thanks for letting me know."
Emily's heart sank as she got to her feet and stared up at him. He had his head turned slightly sideways and was smiling. Yelling a response seemed pointless, as he couldn't possibly hear her little voice from several feet away, so she just sort of stood there, unsure of what to do.
"Oh, come on, you don't think I didn't notice your little escape attempt, do you?" he went on. "That's okay, little snipe. Go ahead and explore all you want. I'm pretty sure you can't get out. You can hide if you like, but just remember, if you want any food or water, you're going to have to come out sooner or later."
Emily clenched her fists in anger. He knew the whole time! There she was, thinking she was pulling one over on him, and he didn't even care. Damn, damn, damn!
Still, she had to admit she was enjoying herself. This was her chance to run around inside a normal-sized home, just like she always dreamed about doing. Knowing Nick was aware of her escape didn't change the fact that she was having fun. As long as he didn't come grab her, she might as well keep going. Turning away, she hurried off across the floor, darting under the bed to continue her explorations.
Meanwhile, halfway across the room, Nick finished straightening up the top of the cabinet. Moving to his closet, he opened the door and withdrew a small fish tank, which he carried over to the cleared-off space. His previous attempts to keep a goldfish alive had failed, but the glass-walled cage would make a perfect place for Emily.
Still smiling, he started wiping out the dusty interior of the aquarium. This time, he told himself, he'd make sure he kept much better care of his new pet.
Emily was still exploring under the dark, dusty bed when the mattress above suddenly bounced and creaked under the weight of something very heavy. She ducked automatically and rolled up against an old shoe, only to jump a second time as Nick's huge upside-down head appeared in the nearby gap. "Oh, good, you're still under here," he chuckled loudly. "I was afraid I was going to have to hunt for you."
"Don't do that!" she shouted at him angrily. "You scared the crap out of me!"
"Sorry," laughed Nick, pushing his glasses back into place on his inverted head. "Come on out, Emily, I need to put you up while I go get some things."
"I don't wanna come out," she complained, backing up behind the torn, ratty shoe. "Go ahead and go if you want. I'll be okay."
Nick shook his head and clucked his tongue, making a tsk-tsk sound. "Nice try, but I don't think so. You'll just get into trouble. Besides, I just spent a lot of time getting your home ready, y'know. So come on out."
"What is it, a drawer or something?" demanded Emily, backing up as his huge hand reached in and swiftly yanked the tennis shoe out of the way. She retreated towards the corner, ignoring the dust and webs that seemed everywhere. By now, her hair and jumpsuit were coated with them.
"No, of course not," he replied with a sigh. "I wouldn't just cram you in a drawer! A cute little snipe like you deserves a proper home. Come on out and I'll show you."
"I don't think so," she replied with a precocious smile. "You can't get me under here. I think I kinda like it, actually. It's...cozy."
Nick sighed and shook his head, which suddenly moved upwards and disappeared. The bed creaked and groaned as he moved around above, and his feet appeared on the ground, where his head was a moment before. Then, in a sudden swift motion, the mattress lifted up, leaving her exposed to the light. Nick was standing there, holding the entire bed up over his head. Emily gasped. At her size, she hadn't realized just how little the bed really was.
Before she could move, Nick leaned down and grabbed her in a quick swipe with his hand. She screamed in surprise, struggling against his grip, but couldn't get away. How did something so huge move so damn fast?
Nick shouldered the mattress out of the way and stepped back, letting the bed fall back into place with a loud thump. He was chuckling as he carried his little captive across the room. "Bad snipe!" he intoned, wagging a massive finger in front of her terrified face. "Bad, bad! You didn't come when I called you! I can see I'm going to have to teach you some tricks, now aren't I?"
He opened up his hand, letting Emily sprawl weakly in his palm. She was hyperventilating, for his grip had pinched off her breathing. With a couple of fingers, he tried brushing some of the cobwebs out of her hair, but she shied away from him in obvious fear.
"Oh, don't be so scared," he laughed. "I was just kidding. I'm not gonna hurt you or anything. Seriously, though, you really should do what I tell you, y'know. If you don't, you might get hurt. What if I accidentally stepped on you?"
Emily gulped and pushed herself up against his thumb. He continued to stroke her hair, working the cobwebs out. She started to protest, but decided it wouldn't do any good. What could she possibly do against those mighty fingers, anyway? Instead, she concentrated on getting the sticky strands off her clothes, because as soon as he finished with her hair, what would he start working on next?
He seemed satisfied after a moment, though, and was content to watch as Emily cleaned herself of webs and dust as best she could. She became very uncomfortable under his gaze. What was he thinking, anyway? He seemed mesmerized by what she was doing.
After getting as much of the sticky gunk off her jumpsuit as possible, Emily paused and looked up at him. He didn't react for a moment, until she snapped her fingers and waved. "You still in there, Nick?" she called out.
"What?" He jerked his head back in surprise, blinking. "Oh, sorry, I couldn't--I mean, you're just so, uh, umm..."
"What?" she asked, smiling despite herself. The fear she was feeling a few moments before seemed to quickly drain away. Nick didn't seem dangerous any more. No, he was too...she couldn't quite place her finger on what she was sensing from him.
His face seemed to darken slightly. "So...small," he offered weakly, and Emily got the impression he meant to say something else entirely. "Every time I look at you, I just think...how can anybody be that tiny? What does it feel like? Does it...hurt?"
She sat up in his palm and crossed her arms. "Only when you grab me! That's really rude, you know."
"Sorry, but you would've run away if I gave you any more time. You know you would have."
Emily nodded slightly. "I guess that's true," she admitted. "Anyway, other than your pinching and squeezing, it doesn't hurt at all. When I first got miniaturized, I was numb all over for days, but that faded after a while."
"How'd they do it?" asked Nick with curiosity, sitting down at the table and continuing to stare at her unnervingly. "How'd they shrink you, I mean?"
"They didn't really say," Emily replied, glancing away from his hovering face. The way he was looking at her was starting to get embarrassing. No one had ever been so fascinated by her before, and it was sending chills up and down her spine. Instead, she concentrated on studying the little lines and furrows in his warm palm. "It was some kind of big government secret. They put us in a room, and these lights came on, and then I got really sleepy. The next thing I know, I was in the m--well, I mean, the experiment had started. They didn't really even let us see any giant people."
"Heh, that's funny, you think I'm a giant!" He snickered at that for a moment, and then went on. "Nobody thinks of me like that. I'm the classic 98-pound weakling here at school."
"Not to me!" she told him. "You're bigger than anyone I've ever seen. Well, not everyone, I guess. I saw a hiker go past in the woods one time, but he didn't see me in the bushes."
Above, Nick raised an eyebrow. "Really? You've never seen any normal-sized people? So this is the first time anybody's ever...held you?"
"Um...yeah, I guess so," she admitted shyly.
Nick swallowed, and Emily could see the huge Adam's apple on his throat bob up and down. The sound of the gulp was almost otherworldly. After an uncomfortable moment, he went on. "What does it feel like, being held? I mean, if you don't mind telling me, that is."
Emily looked up at him and saw the honesty there. He did seem genuinely interested, and when was the last time anyone did that, except as part of a science experiment? Come to think of it, when was the last time she actually talked to anybody new? Nick might be a giant nerd and all, but at least he was different.
With that in mind, Emily sat back and crossed her legs. "Oh, all right, you really want to know?" she began. "Well, it's kind of hard to explain. You see me as little, but to me, I'm the one who's normal and everything else is just really huge. I feel...well, I mean, when I'm not somebody's prisoner, I feel really free. Especially when I'm out in the woods, or when I go swimming like last night. I'm so small nobody can see me, and yeah, there's giant bugs and stuff, but it's like an adventure! Can you understand that? I mean, most people don't really have any adventures any more. There's nothing really dangerous in the world, unless you count the chance you might get hit by a bus or whatever."
Nick gave a slight shrug. "You aren't a nerdy freshman all alone in a college dorm, or you wouldn't say that," he replied disdainfully.
"Oh, yeah, I guess I see what you mean," she agreed. "That must be tough."
"So what's it like where you live?" he went on, changing the subject quickly. "Do you just live under rocks or something? You mentioned your parents, so is your whole family small like you?"
Emily sighed. What harm could it possibly do to tell him the rest of it? The microcolony's days were numbered now that she'd been taken away. The veil of secrecy was gone.
"Yeah, I'm an only child, you know? My parents are both scientists, see, and after high school they got me to go with them to this experimental colony. Kinda like that bio-dome thing, remember that? Only underground. It's safe down there, and we have TV and stuff, but it's so boring all the time! There's nobody my age, so I'm either taking care of the younger kids or getting involved in experiments and crap like that."
"So you snuck out," he replied with a nod. "That's why you were alone in the middle of the night! Wouldn't you get in trouble?"
Emily nodded. "Oh, sure, I was gonna get yelled at real good this morning, but I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore. My parents are freaking out right now, I'm sure."
There was silence for a moment. Emily turned away, the image of her distraught parents easily visible in her mind. Nick, too, finally tore his eyes off her tiny form. "I'm sorry I took you away," he said after a noticeable pause, no longer looking in her direction. He seemed to be studying something down on the floor. "When I saw you, I just--well, you were so beautiful, and I didn't know who or what you were--"
Emily saw the opportunity and seized it. "Nick, please let me call my parents!" she begged. "I can call the company they work for, and--"
"No!" he replied quickly. "I can't! I'll get in trouble! Besides, you should be happy I've taken you away from that place! Think about it. You wanted to have an adventure, so here it is. I know what it's like to be ignored and shunned, so that the only time I'm really happy is when I'm off in another world. You don't have to worry--I won't ever treat you like that. I'm going to take real good care of you, Emily, I swear."
Emily looked up at him with pleading eyes, but her hands were clenched into fists. For a moment there, she actually thought he might take her to a phone, or even agree to send her back to the forest. No such luck.
"All right," he went on after a moment, "this has been fun and all, and we'll talk more later, but I need to go get some supplies for you. Here, let me show you your new home."
Emily suddenly felt herself being lowered, and immediately got a look at where she was going. The aquarium was spacious enough, and Nick had thoughtfully added a soft cloth to the floor, but she knew what it really was--a cage! "No, please don't put me in there!" she yelled as he set her down inside. "Come on, Nick! I'm a person, just like you! You can't just lock me up like this!"
"It's for your own good," he told her. "If you got out, somebody else might find you, and they won't be as nice as I am. Now stay put. As you can see, there's some water for you, and that cracker ought to be enough to snack on. I'll be back soon. Bye!"
With that, he placed a metal screen over the top of the aquarium. From below, she had the impression of looking up at a chain link fence, one being held in place by wooden slabs on all sides. She doubted very much she could budge it, even if she could figure out how to climb the slick walls. "Please, let me out!" Emily cried out one last time, even though she knew it was a fruitless attempt. "Come on, Nick! This isn't fair!"
Nick didn't answer. Instead, he turned and headed off, opening the door and striding out into the hall beyond. Emily slammed her hands on the glass as the door closed, leaving her alone.
"Well, shit," she muttered, sinking down to the soft floor and burying her face in her hands.
As he shut and locked the door to his dorm room, Nick stifled a laugh. Even from the entranceway, he could see the distraught look on his little snipe's face. She really didn't like that aquarium much, did she? Well, it was either that or a dark, stuffy drawer. He had no intention of letting her roam around in there freely, without any supervision. He wasn't that stupid.
Nick was still grinning as he walked down the hallway, towards the stairs. His own little pet...who would've thought he would've found something so totally awesome? Although he called her a snipe, he had no illusions that she was anything else but a woman. A miniature, tiny woman he could keep and hold and take care of. Plus, because she was so itty-bitty, she couldn't laugh at him, or avoid him, or spurn him with the usual rejection. She didn't have that option.
She was perfect, really. Cute as hell, with a killer body and an outfit that didn't do anything to hide it. Adventurous, athletic, and defiant, too. He loved it when she squirmed around as he picked her up--when she moved in his hand, it sent shivers up and down his spine. She could struggle all she wanted, and it wouldn't help.
Why, he could hold her all day...
When he first caught her, she was scared and cowering, but now, that was pretty much over with. Now she was trying to figure out a way to escape her current predicament, but of course there was no way out. Nick had no intention of taking her back to the park. No way! Opportunities like this came along only once in a lifetime.
He couldn't help but snicker again as he thought of that cute, squeaky little pleading whimper as she begged him to let her go. Like he would fall for something like that! Then she tried to escape--that was the best part. As if he couldn't see her every move! The look on her teeny little face as she realized she couldn't get under the door was absolutely precious.
What was she doing now? Trying to figure out how to climb out of the aquarium? Nick grinned. The top was clamped on tightly. Considering how ineffectual her struggles had been against his fingers, he was sure she wouldn't have the strength to pop the lid free.
She was so small! That was the icing on the cake. She was simply adorable. Perfect, in every sense of the word. He couldn't imagine a better situation.
To think, people actually let themselves be shrunk down like that voluntarily! Well, if Emily wanted to be only four inches high, Nick wasn't about to complain. Besides, after a while, she'd come to realize her new home was a lot better than the last one. No parents around, and no silly chores to do. She was so bored back in that colony place that she was willing to sneak out into the night just to have some fun. Well, her new life would be a lot more interesting than the old one. Nick would make sure she had plenty of adventures.
"Hey, nerdlinger!" barked a loud voice, interrupting Nick's happy thoughts. The smile on his face collapsed at once as he saw who was speaking--Art Lassiter, one of his more annoying tormentors. "What the hell are you grinning about?" the bulky jock demanded.
"Nothing," Nick replied deferentially. "Just, um, thinking about how much fun I had on the camping trip."
"Oh really?" Art put his hand on top of Nick's head and rotated it back and forth, mussing his hair. This was one of the football player's trademark moves, calculated to remind Nick just how puny he was. "Had fun, huh? Did you enjoy the snipe hunt?"
"It was okay, I guess," replied Nick, trying to back away, but the meaty fingers were wrapped solidly around his skull. Art was at least a foot taller than he was, and probably twice his weight. "I mean, I, uh, well, I knew it was fake and all, but it was still cool."
"Oh, you knew it was fake!" Art threw back his head and laughed, finally releasing Nick's head. "Yeah, right! Who told you that? Was it Luke? No, let me guess. It was your fellow geek Ryan, wasn't it?"
"No!" Nick insisted, not wanting to get Ryan into trouble. Ryan Williams, an overweight computer science major, wasn't really a friend--he was even more of a loner than Nick was. They did occasionally meet for occasional roleplaying games, which were one of the few activities Nick really enjoyed at the college. Naturally, he and Ryan shared the same enemies, and the last thing Nick wanted was to see Ryan hurt and the deed blamed on him! "Look, I knew all along, okay? I just went along so you could have your fun. Besides, when I was out there, I found--well, I saw some really cool things in the moonlight. Deer, y'know, and a stream, and--"
"Oh, stop lying!" Art insisted, seeing right through Nick's hasty bluff, but making absolutely the wrong assumption. "You were totally buying it--I saw you. Don't try to get out of it now."
Nick started to protest, but he could already tell this was an argument he couldn't win. Instead of saying anything else, he just fell silent, glancing around to see if there was any way he could escape Art's presence. Sadly, the jock was blocking the way to the exit. All he could do was go back upstairs.
"You're so pathetic," Art went on. "Well, I just wanted to say thanks for giving us all some good laughs this weekend! Oh, and you left your stupid tent in my car. I'll put it in your room later, when I feel like it."
Nick's face went white. "No, don't do that!" he blurted, but just as quickly realized he'd made a huge mistake. "I'll--well, I'll, uh, come get it later," he stammered weakly.
"Oh, something in your room you don't want me to see?" Art asked with a raised eyebrow. "Got some porn in there, do you? Yeah, that's it! Some Playboys under the bed! Ha ha! That's as close as you'll ever get to a real woman!"
Now Nick's face was turning beet red. He knew what he'd done, but couldn't fix it now. He struggled to think of something to say, but couldn't. If he protested, that would be proof of his guilt. Appealing to Art's better side wouldn't work, either--there was no better side.
As Art continued to laugh, Nick got more and more flustered. Finally, unable to think of anything else to do, he pushed past the huge jock, who thankfully was too distracted to interfere. Without looking back, Nick hurried out the exit door, cursing himself all the while.
Damn, damn, damn! Now Art suspected Nick had something hidden away in his room. At least it was just porno magazines on Art's mind, Nick thought worriedly. That wouldn't be enough to convince the jock to break in. Fortunately, Nick had thought to lock the door, or Art might just go check on it right now--and there was no way he could miss spotting the tiny woman in the aquarium!
Even Art wouldn't be so foolish as to break the lock, though. Security in the dorms was a big issue at the school. Art wasn't about to risk his precious football scholarship just to play a prank on a nerd.
As he walked across the campus, Nick slowly pushed those worries to the back of his mind. He focused his thoughts on the tiny woman waiting for him back in the aquarium, and his mood gradually lightened. She was going to need a few things, wasn't she? He couldn't just leave her in that big empty glass cage with no amenities at all.
Fortunately, like most colleges, this one had a main street nearby, filled with shops to cater to just about every student's need. Nick angled for one spot he knew from his previous attempt to keep a goldfish alive in the dorm.
With the smile on his face gradually returning, he crossed the street and walked purposefully into the pet shop.
Although he dismissed the possibility that Art might try to break into his room, Nick was still worried as he approached his door, toting a shopping bag under his arm. To his great relief, the lock was still tightly secured. He glanced up and down the corridors, making sure nobody could see inside, and that Art wasn't lurking someplace nearby. Fortunately, the halls were empty and all the other doors tightly shut.
Quickly he used his key and pushed himself inside, shutting the door and throwing the dead bolt behind him. Across the room, a tiny figure in black stood against the glass, waving her arms frantically.
Nick grinned. "Couldn't wait for me to get home, huh?" he asked, setting down the bag nearby. "I've got some presents for you, little snipe."
"Nick, please!" Emily's squeaky little voice begged. "I've gotta go! I've been holding it, but if you don't let me out I'm going to have to leave a big mess in the corner!"
Nick smacked his forehead. "Oh, damn, I forgot all about that! My bad! Come on, I'll take you to the bathroom."
He started to lift up the lid, shaking the aquarium so badly that Emily fell over. She got to her knees and waited for the inevitable hand to reach down and pluck her off the metal floor. She felt just like a pet mouse as he dropped her into his open palm, where she lay on her side, saying nothing.
"Hey, come to think of it, shouldn't you have had to, um, go long before now?" he asked curiously.
"If I were your size, yeah," she answered with a shrug. "Not like this. The scientists say we digest and absorb almost everything we eat at this scale. Hardly any waste products come out, you know? That's one of the nice things about being so small. Our bodies are real efficient. Now come on! I've really gotta go!"
Nick snickered as she held her legs tightly together, crossing her feet one behind the other. She was so damn cute! As he thought about the situation, though, his mirth began to fade. The dorm had only a community bathroom, which wasn't private. If somebody came in...but what other choice was there? He couldn't just put her in the sink--that would be gross!
He thought for a moment, trying to figure out how she could possibly use a toilet at her size. All she had to do was sit down on something round, with a hole in it. He cast his eyes around the room, spotting a cardboard box on one of the shelves. The box held some gaming supplies he rarely used, so it wouldn't miss one-half of the lid.
He set Emily down on the shelf while he tore off the wide, flat piece of cardboard and punched a hole in it with a mechanical pencil. "What are you doing?" she asked as he held it up to her, narrowed his eyes, and then widened the opening with the tip of his little finger.
"You'll see," he replied, picking up a nearby purple velvet Crown Royal bag. Emily's eyebrows went up as she saw this extremely unusual item in his hands, but a moment later the container's purpose was revealed. He undid the drawstring, turned it over his bed, and dumped out two giant-sized handfuls of dice. "Now get in," he ordered, setting the bag down next to her on the counter.
She sighed and crawled into the opening. A moment later he lifted up the sack, drawing a surprised squeal as she tumbled about inside. Looking up, she saw his huge eye staring in after her. "Comfy?" he asked jovially.
"Just hurry up, or you're going to have to clean me off!" she shouted in frustration.
Nick grinned and shut the bag, and she got the distinct impression he thought that might not be such a bad thing.
Emily was sure Nick was violently swinging the bag on purpose, just to annoy her. Damn him, anyway! I'm having enough trouble controlling my bodily functions as it is without being tossed about like a boat in a storm!
After a minute or so, the shaking came to a halt. She heard a creak from outside, followed by a kind of thump, and then a soft ripping as if of cloth being torn. Then the bag, with her inside, came down on something solid. She got to her feet and crawled towards the shaft of light at the entrance.
Emerging, she found she was standing on the cardboard slab he poked the hold into earlier. She was inside a room with high green walls. The box lid was resting on top of something round and white, and as she turned about, she realized what that was.
A colossal toilet.
So, that explains it, she thought, noticing now that a single sheet of toilet paper waited in a crumpled pile next to the hole. That was what the opening was for. She'd expected to be dropped in the sink, but this would work just as well. For the first time in a year, she was going to actually use a real lavatory.
Fortunately, Nick wasn't watching. He had thoughtfully closed the door to the stall, but she could see his feet outside, heels facing her. Guarding the exit. He could still turn around at any moment and come in, but at least he was trying to yield to her modesty.
Before he changed his mind, Emily steeled herself and undid her jumpsuit. The hole in the cardboard was bigger than she would've liked, but she was in no danger of falling in. She did her business quickly, and then suffered through the use of a rough corner of toilet paper. Back home in the colony, they had no such amenities, using a washing device instead since paper was impossible to produce or import. This was the first time she'd used T.P. in ages.
Before Nick could open the door again, she quickly donned her underwear and jumpsuit, zipping it up hastily. Although he'd already seen her in the nude once, that was at a distance. She had no desire to let him look her over again, close up. He could do so at any time, of course...she knew that, but forced the idea out of her mind. So far, he hadn't tried anything. Maybe he wouldn't.
God, she prayed he wouldn't...
Now finished, she waited for him to come in, but he had no idea she was done. Emily paced about, glancing into the toilet bowl over the edge. The waste she deposited within wasn't even visible any more. She walked over to the side, looking down at the tiled floor, and then moved to the back of the toilet. Was climbing down even possible? Perhaps...but what then? Could she hide from him in the bathroom? Probably not. Noplace to go, really. Her only hope was to get someone else's attention.
Did she really want that, though? Emily frowned. Nick might've teased her and called her a pet, but that was all he'd done. He was also willing to keep her a secret, too. What if the next person turned her in? That would be the end of the microcolony project right there! Worse, though, was the knowledge that she was totally helpless like this. A giant could do anything he wanted to her. Not that Nick wouldn't eventually try something...but so far, he hadn't. Maybe he never would.
No, trying to find somebody else to help her wasn't a valid option. She had to get to a phone, so she could call her father's old office number. They would know what to do.
"Are you done in there?" Nick's voice asked from beyond the door. "If so, give me a squeak or something."
Emily frowned. Why did he have to be so condescending? Because he's twenty times bigger than you, she reminded herself. "Yes, I'm done!" she shouted as loud as she could. "Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
Nick opened the door and grinned down at her. "Thanks, little snipe," he chuckled. "Maybe I should start calling you my little mouse."
"Very funny!" Emily yelled, putting her hands on her hips and giving him a disgusted look. "I'm not a--!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, you're not a mouse or a snipe, you're a person. Whatever! Now get back in the bag. I bought some stuff at the pet store for you."
"Pet store?" she asked, frowning even more deeply. "You went shopping for me at a pet store?"
"Yep. That's where you buy things for your pets, remember? They didn't have a lot of things for pet snipes, but I think I found a few things you'll like. Now get in and let's go!"
His fingers appeared, poking her towards the open end of the velvet sack. Emily shook her head and crawled inside, curling up in the bottom to prepare for yet another wildly swinging ride back to his room.
I've got to think of a way to show him I'm not a pet, she thought unhappily.
"Well, we're all here," said Dr. Victoria Bushnell. "What do we know so far?"
Dr. Tolliver, seated at the head of the conference table, gave a cursory nod to the eleven assembled scientists. As a group, they acted not only as the head research team, but also as the de facto government of the two-hundred-plus miniature people in the underground facility. The experiment was more than just about science, after all. The microcolony was, essentially, a gerontocracy, and the aged Arvin Tolliver was considered the leader. The title was informal, of course, but if it came down to it, he would be the one who made any final decisions.
"Well, so far, not much," Dr. Tolliver replied. "We know there were campers in the park last night, and we know one of them was at the pool where Emily was swimming. The forensics team says whoever it was left nothing behind we could use, though. No DNA, no hair samples, nothing."
"So we're nowhere?" Leomund Johnson looked terrible. His eyes were sunken, and he obviously hadn't slept all night. "You mean my daughter is just--gone--and there's nothing anybody can do about it?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying," Arvin replied, holding up his hands in a calming gesture. "The cameras in the park didn't give us anything to go on, but we do know they were young people, men and women both. We suspect they drove down from the city, possibly from one of the high schools or the local college."
"Did the cameras get the license plate?" asked Dr. Jonas. "I doubt it, but still..."
"No, of course not, you know they're too small to get that much detail," Dr. Tolliver answered. "We do know they had several vehicles. We sent images back to the home office, and hopefully, they'll be able to examine satellite tracking and--"
"This is stupid," Dr. Zenfrew said, absently rubbing his mustache and not looking directly at anyone, as was his custom. "Why are we wasting our time talking about this? The experiment is over. We should arrange for retrieval at once."
"What?" demanded Dr. Bushnell. "That's crazy! I have over a dozen long-term experiments in progress! I know most of the rest of you do, too! We can't just leave because one--"
"Because one what?" asked Leo Johnson, his gaunt face taking on an obviously menacing expression.
"Okay, I'll say it," Victoria answered, absently smoothing back her short dark hair, even though not a single strand was out of place. "I'll say it because nobody else will, but you know you're all thinking it. We can't abandon this entire project just because one foolish girl screwed up and got herself caught!"
There was silence in the little room for several long seconds. Dr. Johnson seemed to go through several emotions over the course of those dreadful moments. Finally, he rose to his feet, clearing his throat and getting control of himself.
"I'm glad my wife isn't here to hear you say that," he said in a distressingly even tone. "She considers you a close friend, Dr. Bushnell. However, she's not here, so she doesn't have to hear me say how much I agree with you."
The tense mood in the briefing room suddenly shifted to one of amazement. A ripple of conversation coursed from virtually every throat at once. Finally, Leo held up his hands for silence. "I haven't been able to sleep all night," he told them. "I was worried, like my wife, but somewhere in between sucking down drops of coffee, I realized just how foolish my daughter really was."
He paused for a moment, gathering himself, and then continued. "But that's not the worst part. I'm the one who was the bigger fool. I knew she liked to sneak out there, and I didn't do anything to stop it. Oh, yes, we lectured her, but what good was that? Emily, like any teenager, is rebellious and independent. She wanted to get out on her own, and here in this place, she couldn't. So she found a way, and now she's gone."
The others realized he was crying, but he kept right on talking. "So I screwed up," Dr. Johnson went on. "We all did. We could've locked that hatch, or posted a guard, but we let her go, knowing it would make her happy, when what we should've done was let her leave the experiment. No, no, we couldn't do that, too much of a security risk, they said. Well, that was our mistake, and it's too late to fix it now!"
"Leo, I--" started Dr. Tolliver, but Leomund cut him off with a quick gesture.
"So that's it," he went on. "My wife and I want out. We're done here. Call a pickup team and put us back to normal. We're going to search for our daughter at normal size, and don't even think about trying to stop us."
The room was silent once again. Finally, Arvin stood. "Are you done?" he asked calmly.
"Yes, for now," replied Leo with a nod.
"Good," said Dr. Tolliver. "Now let me start by saying that if you really want that, it can be arranged. We'll let you out, but of course, there is one problem, and I'm sure you know what that is. The restoration process will take weeks, and during that time, there's no way you'll be able to help in the search."
"Yes, but there's no way any of us are going to find her at this size," complained Dr. Johnson.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," said Arvin. "At least like this, we can't be seen very easily. That's not the point, though. Think about this. We're monitoring every form of media there is--newspaper, Internet, radio, television, you name it--and so far, nothing. The NSA even has people listening for keywords on cell and land phone communications. Nothing."
"So?"
"Well, think about it," Dr. Tolliver replied with a shrug. "If you were a college student, say, and were out camping and found a tiny person, what would you do? Keep her completely to yourself? Or would you tell somebody? How many people could keep totally quiet about something like that?"
"Somebody who wanted to keep her for himself," growled Leo.
"Yes, but think about it this way. If they haven't already sold their story to the papers or TV yet, they probably aren't going to."
"That's a huge plus for the colony," interjected Dr. Bushnell, glancing over at the dour Dr. Zenfrew, who was still staring blankly at a point located somewhere near the center of the table. "If Emily blabbed, there'd already be people tearing up the forest looking for us."
"This isn't to say she won't," Zenfrew put in.
"Stop it, you two," Arvin interrupted. "This isn't about the colony. It's about Emily Johnson. Now as I was saying, I figure if nothing appears in the media about a tiny person within the first twenty-four hours, it's not going to. So that means whoever has Emily has adopted her."
"What are you saying?" demanded Dr. Johnson. "Are you saying someone's making my daughter into some kind of pet?"
"I don't know, but that's one possibility," replied Arvin calmly. "Look, all our experiments at this stage have kept us in isolation. We don't know how ordinary people will react to tiny ones. However, I will say this--most human beings are basically good, and they respond favorably to small, cute little creatures. That's why there are so many dogs, cats, birds and such in people's homes. There's no reason to expect Emily won't be treated similarly."
"You aren't making me feel much better, Dr. Tolliver," growled Leo threateningly. "Make your point, damn you!"
"Sorry, this can't be pleasant to hear, but I really must go on," Arvin continued. "My point is that if someone has Emily, he or she will almost certainly treat her well. She may be kept prisoner, but there's no reason to expect she'll be mistreated."
"So you just expect let her stay like that?" demanded Dr. Johnson. "Let my Emily live the rest of her life in a cage somewhere?"
"Of course not. I just think we need to be patient. Sooner or later, something will happen. Someone else will see her and tell other people about it. Or, she'll escape, and get word to us by phone or computer. Or she'll convince her captor to let her go. One way or another, we'll find out where she is, and then we'll take action."
"This is crazy," complained Dr. Bushnell. "You mean your whole plan is just to sit here and do nothing?"
"In a way," came the reply. "Yes, in a way that's right. There is one other thing we can do, though. Remember how I said there were advantages to being so small?"
"Yes?"
Dr. Tolliver had the whole room's attention now. "Well, there is one other possibility," he began. "What I propose to do is this..."
Finishing the proposal took another minute, but the group managed to argue about it for another full hour before deciding, reluctantly, that it was the only real option.
Nick locked the door behind him as he returned to his room, carefully cradling little Emily in his palm. Still holding his tiny captive there, keeping his fingers wrapped around her but not bearing down too hard, he used his free hand to fluff up the crumpled pillow on his bed. Then, with a wild jump that caused his pet to shriek with surprise, he flopped out lengthwise and came to rest in a reclining position, bouncing slowly to a stop on creaking springs.
"Did you have to do that?" Emily shouted once she recovered her equilibrium. Still sprawled amidst his cage-like fingers, she glared up at him in obvious irritation. "I thought I was gonna go flying!"
Nick just laughed. "Sure, I could've just set you down, but what fun is that? Didn't you say you wanted some excitement?"
"Just warn me first!" she piped in that hilariously tiny voice. "Now are you planning to put me down, or are you just going to hold me all night?"
"Depends," he replied with a grin. "If you promise to be good and not try to get out of the room, I'll let you roam around. I have some, uh, research to do before the game."
"Okay, whatever. I promise." When he didn't move, she glared at him once more, this time more pointedly. "I promise I won't try to escape again, okay? Just put me down!"
"Sorry, I was...oh, never mind. Here you go." With that, Nick flattened out his fingers and turned his palm slightly to one side, letting her slide off onto the plateau that was his stomach. She now found herself on her knees amidst the folds of a wrinkled T-shirt. His entire torso was rising and falling with his breathing, and the effect of that gentle motion was unlike anything Emily could ever remember. There was something strangely soothing about it, like drifting on the gentle waves at the beach.
Suddenly aware that he was staring at her again, she crawled off to one side and slipped down the side of the shirt, landing it the midst of a wadded-up bedsheet. Getting to her feet, Emily padded away from him, following the line of his arm towards the foot of the bed. True to his word, he didn't try to seize her or impede her progress. His eyes never left her, though. She could feel those massive orbs boring into on her back the entire time, up until the moment when she finally lowered herself over the side.
Nick chuckled to himself. God, she was so cute! That perfect little figure, wrapped up in a black catsuit that hid none of her feminine curves. And what curves! He could still picture that image of her naked body glinting nymph-like in the moonlight as she swam.
He could see her that way again, of course, if he wanted to. She was his pet now, and nothing she could do would prevent him from ripping off that skintight little outfit of hers. Or better yet, he could force her to take it off for him a piece at a time, like a striptease. Why not? Nothing was stopping him.
So why didn't he?
Why, indeed? As he listened to the sound of her lithe form hitting the wood floorboards, followed by the soft tapping of tiny boots passing underneath the bed, he let his mind wander. He could sweep her up, screaming, in his fingers and play around with her. Tear off the suit and caress those full, pert breasts under his fingertips. Fondle her like a living doll. Maybe even let his tongue--
He couldn't. He just knew he couldn't.
Nick had never been comfortable around girls. He never dated, even in high school. The few times he tried to break out of his shell, he was laughed at and ridiculed. While his classmates eagerly reached first base, second base, third, and sometimes more, he never even tried to get a hit.
Touching a woman was...unthinkable.
Oh, he had his fantasies. Did he ever! Never mind the supermodel calendars, Victoria's Secret catalogs, and Internet web sites he could peruse almost at will. He was at college now! There were plenty of sorority girls and co-eds he fancied. Tracie Linden, for example. Front row, second from the left, English 101. She had pale skin and freckles, just like he did, but she was too gorgeous to know he existed. Not to mention Sarah Vickers--"Sarah Vixen," as he liked to call her. Lean and athletic, and plenty of brains to complete the package. How many times had he seen her working on the computers in the lab, but never approached her? Far too often, he thought. And then, topping the list, stood Kathy Ferrare. Girlfriend of Art's lapdog Luke, who didn't deserve her. Dumb as a post, but with her looks and body, what was the difference?
Nick smiled wistfully. Kathy Ferrare...now there was a woman he wouldn't mind having in the palm of his hand! Like Art and Luke, she was always mean and rude to him. Sometimes he wondered if she put on those public shows of affection in Nick's presence just to see his pained reaction. What would she think if she suddenly found herself four inches tall, clutched in Nick's palm?
Having just held Emily there, Nick could easily picture Kathy in the same place. What if she suddenly shrank, in that flirty little cheerleader miniskirt of hers, and Nick swept her up amidst his fingers? Oh, how she would scream and kick to get free! Not that she could ever hope to escape, of course. Getting away would be impossible. Nick could hold her there, pinned in his fingers while she exhausted herself with fruitless struggles. Her squeaky little screams would be like music to his ears. Then, when she couldn't fight him any more, he could run his fingers along those long, tan, perfectly toned legs of hers. He could squeeze and fondle her trembling flesh, even as his fingertips moved up higher and higher, and then--
Nick jerked himself back to reality, realizing all of a sudden that a certain organ of his was pressing painfully up against the inside of his jeans. He glanced around furtively, wondering if Emily, now lost somewhere in the room, had noticed. God, how embarrassing! Surely she would've giggled, though, and yet he heard nothing. The room was silent, save for the distant hum of an air conditioner deeper in the building.
He took a few deep breaths, letting the fear slowly dissipate, taking the unwanted erection with it. Damn, that was quite a picture in his mind, though! To have the beautiful Kathy totally in his power like that...but no, just thinking about such as scenario was bad, at least with Emily in the room! Nick knew he was going to have to guard his thoughts much better than this.
Too bad he couldn't have Kathy, but at least he still had Emily. Why not just pick her up and pretend she was a certain obnoxious cheerleader? Surely if he closed his eyes, he could imagine having Kathy at his mercy. Yet, even as he considered the idea, he knew he couldn't. Emily didn't deserve to be treated that way. Whereas the screams and protests of Kathy would only turn him on, such shouts from Emily would be painful to hear.
Why? What was different about Emily? Well, for one thing, she hadn't done anything to harm him. She wasn't a total bitch like Kathy, and in fact, was just an innocent victim of circumstance. Yeah, okay, she was tiny, and would make a great pet, but that didn't give him the right to abuse or mistreat her any more than he could a cat or dog.
I guess I'm too nice for my own good, Nick thought with a melancholy sigh as he reached for a nearby book.
As soon as she was off the bed, Emily hurried to a nearby bookcase and positioned herself where she could watch Nick's actions. From there, she had a good view as he fantasized about a miniaturized Kathy getting her just desserts. Of course, Emily had no idea what he was thinking about, but the look on his face was unmistakable.
Huddled amidst the books, Emily shuddered. A college geek, she reminded herself, glancing around the room. High on the wall, near the light switch, hung a calendar featuring a photograph of a buxom brunette in a skimpy bikini. No doubt other such paraphernalia abounded elsewhere in the cavernous dorm room, locked away in drawers or the distant closet.
Hormones, Emily gulped. Sooner or later, those hormones will take control of him, and when they do, what's going to happen to me?
Fortunately, the hormones kept their distance, at least for the moment. Emily crouched on the lowest shelf, amidst the books, ready to duck into the shadows if he tried to seek her out. Instead, though, he picked up a large hardback and started reading it, apparently forgetting all about her. Good, she thought with relief.
After a few moments, it was obvious he wasn't planning to come after her. She climbed out of the bookshelf and began to roam around, checking out every corner of what was obviously her new home. Every now and again, he glanced at her, but other than an occasional smile, he gave no sign that he cared what she was up to.
Fifteen minutes of exploring later, Emily realized there wasn't all that much to see down on the floor. The areas behind the couch and desk were so dusty she emerged covered with grime, most of which brushed off only with difficulty. Under the bed wasn't much better, and had far more cobwebs. Eventually she made her way to the closet, where an immense sliding door loomed, blocking her path. There was a gap to one side, but she knew there wasn't room to fit.
Still, with little else to do, she tried anyway. As she struggled to tug the door open, the bed creaked, causing her to dash away in fear. Nick just chuckled as he reached over and used a single fingertip to pop open the door wide enough for her to slip through.
With her further explorations thus approved, Emily cautiously made her way back over and climbed inside. The closet was dark, but her eyes adjusted quickly. She found herself amidst a pile of shoes, most of which stank horribly. Although their dark interiors seemed like good hiding places, she couldn't imagine putting up with that stench for long.
Pressing on, she came to several lengthy cardboard boxes, each half as long as the closet itself. Probably for magazines, she thought, clambering up the side. An oval-shaped handhold, punched in the side, provided a window to what was inside--a comic book.
Well, of course it was a comic, Emily thought. Geeks collect comics, don't they? Of course, she too had once read comics, but not since she was a little girl. Richie Rich, Little Lulu, and Baby Huey were her cartoon companions as a child. Did they still make those particular titles? Probably not, and even so, they were for kids anyway. Nick surely wouldn't have anything so juvenile in his collection.
She kept climbing, eventually reaching the top of a second stacked storage box, where she found herself amidst a pile of more hardback books. Obviously these were too big for the shelves outside, so Nick just kept them here. They bore strange names on the spine: Monster Manual, Fiend Folio, Complete Warrior, and so forth. What the heck were they? Certainly not schoolbooks--that much was obvious.
The books weren't stacked very straight, so she could easily make her way to the top of the pile. Now she could see the entire cover of something called a Dungeon Master's Guide. Dungeon Master? Oh, geez, now she understood. This was a Dungeons & Dragons book!
Yep, that clinched it, she thought, making her way back down towards the floor. Nick really was a geek. Comics, D&D, smart, nerdy...he had all the classic symptoms. No wonder the other students treated him like they did! He might as well have worn a label that said, "Hello, I'm Nick, and I'm a geek. Please abuse me."
She took a different route to the floor, winding up in the far corner, between the comic boxes and the wall. Here she made a discovery: between the two sets of stacked crates were several magazines, shoved there in such a way that they couldn't be seen at a casual glance. Squeezing tightly into the crack, Emily tried to get a better look at what they were, but couldn't quite see. Eventually, now covered once again with dust, she retreated without learning the answer. Of course, she had a pretty good idea what they were, but at present there was no way to prove her theory.
She made her way back out, cutting between the piles of shoes and avoiding the musty smell as much as possible. High above, hanging like the branches of a weeping willow, dangled shirts and pants so big they resembled the sails on a pirate galleon. Emily could remember once keeping clothes like that in a closet of her own. Those outfits were all in storage now, hopelessly out of style. Would she ever be big enough to wear something like that again, or was it doll clothes for her now, all the time?
Emily sighed. Worrying about her fate did her no good at all. Instead, she emerged into the light again, dusting herself off. She could feel some small grains of dirt inside her suit, but didn't dare try to get them out now. A bath would feel great, of course, but doing so would only invite Nick to try something, and she didn't want that. Not at all.
Unbidden, the thought of what might happen swept into her mind. Nick would take her back into that giant bathroom and set her by the sink. He'd watch as she took off her clothes, grinning at her from on high as she scrubbed herself in the sudsy water. Or would he take her in those immense hands and do the work himself? What would it feel like to have fingers as big as she was rubbing her down, sweeping every ounce of grime from her moistened, shivering skin...?
Emily blinked and emitted a short gasp. Oh, my God! I was actually thinking about that--fantasizing about it!
What am I doing? Am I crazy? He could hurt me that way! Besides, it would be wrong! He could touch me there, and there! Or run his fingertips over those! What would Mother think? And Daddy--he'd kill Nick just for even considering such a thing!
Besides, she reminded herself, I'm not a pet you can just pick up and play with! I'm a human being! He can't just tear off my clothes and wash me like a doll!
No matter how good it might feel...
NO! Emily put her hand over her head and marched away from the closet angrily. I can't think about things like that, she told herself. If I let him do that to me, he'll know he owns me then. I'll really be a toy, won't I? I can't allow that to happen!
Not that she could prevent it, of course. She knew, without thinking about it, that Nick could force her into anything he put his mind to. Frustrated, she put that out of her mind. If he tried, she'd just have to resist, hopeless as that was. She'd have to fight, and struggle, no matter how impossible the odds.
To give in was...unthinkable.
Under the bed once more, she turned around slowly, considering her surroundings. There wasn't anything else to see, she realized. She now knew the entire layout of the room. Bookshelf, sofa, bed, desk, closet. Not much else, really. Plenty of places to stay out of sight, but nowhere to hide. If Nick truly wanted to find her, there wasn't a small enough spot she could disappear into that wouldn't take him less than fifteen minutes to locate.
So what now? Nothing much to do, really. Suddenly bored, she walked slowly over to the side of the bed, where one of the sheets dangled within reach. Grabbing hold, she pulled herself swiftly upward, finally clambering onto the soft mattress next to one of Nick's crossed feet. He was lounging there, reading, but spotted her at once.
"Well, hello, little snipe," he said with a smile. "Done exploring, are we?"
"Yeah," she replied, slowly making her way towards him, trying not to think about how huge his leg was. "For such a huge place, your room sure is small."
"Tell me about it." He shifted in the bed, almost throwing her prone with the sudden violence of such a simple motion. "I guess you're bored, huh? Sorry, I wasn't expecting to bring a tiny girl home over the weekend, y'know."
Emily nodded and approached closer, following the wide channel his motion opened for her. She stopped directly adjacent to his right wrist. "Can I at least read something?" she asked. "You have comics in the closet, and a couple of magazines too."
"Maybe later," he told her, quickly ducking that subject. "I'll be leaving in an hour or so anyway. Wanna watch TV?"
"I suppose. What's that you're reading?" She pointed up at the hardback tome in his left hand, clearly labeled "Player's Handbook."
"Oh, this? It's for a game I play called Dungeons & Dragons. Ever hear of it?"
"Yeah, you put on costumes and roam around in sewers, pretending to cast magic spells, right?"
Nick rolled his eyes and slammed the book with a loud snap, making her jump in surprise. "Nobody does that!" he complained. "That one nutcase does it 20 years ago, and that's all anyone remembers! Look, role-playing is just a game, all right? We don't go down in sewers, and I've never put on a costume or cast a real spell!"
"Sorr-r-ree!" Emily snapped back, somewhat taken aback by his defensive attitude. "I didn't mean anything by it. That's all I know about the game, okay? Why don't you tell me how it really works?"
Nick relaxed. "Are you serious? Do you really want to know, or are you just playing with my mind?"
"No, I'm really curious," she lied smoothly. "I don't have anyplace else to go, anyway. You might as well just tell me."
He nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can see that. All right, here's how it works. In the game, you take on the persona of a character in a fantasy world. To represent your character, you have six primary attributes expressed in the form of numbers. With me so far?"
Emily nodded, gradually sitting down next to him so she was leaning against his hip. The warmth coming from his massive body swept over her, and she found herself suddenly very comfortable.
"All right," Nick went on enthusiastically, "did you ever see Lord of the Rings? This is sort of like that..."
After about fifteen minutes of getting a full-blown introduction to the game known as D&D, Emily was pretty sure she understood why someone like Nick would enjoy it so much. The entire point of the game was escapism, pure and simple. Everyone took on the role of some imaginary character, like in a novel or movie, and played a part in the story. The thing was, the story wasn't really written yet--the players were, in effect, creating it as they went along.
In other words, for a few hours of game time, Nick and the other D&D players would escape from reality, into a world of orcs and goblins and magic swords, of heroic deeds and the constant struggle to fend off evil. They could forget, at least for a while, that they were nerds on a college campus where they were little more than social outcasts.
The thing was, Nick didn't bother to even hide the fact that this was the case. In fact, he made a point of explaining it, and admitting it. D&D, according to him, was his chance to feel better about himself. Furthermore, it was the one truly social thing he ever did at the university--at least, successfully. Trying to go on other outings, like camping trips, were just a chance for the jocks and greeks to pester and abuse him.
Once Nick explained the social purpose of D&D, he proceeded to go over the more technical details of the game. Emily forced herself to listen to this at first, but after a while she realized it was, in its own way, somewhat interesting. She'd never seen "Lord of the Rings," which was what a lot of this stuff was based on, but she was familiar with Conan and some other sword and sorcery movies. D&D was basically some friends sitting around a table and pretending to be characters in something like that. You could be a warrior or a sorcerer or thief or...well, anything you wanted, really. One of the players, the Dungeon Master, would tell you what was happening, if something was attacking you or whatever, and you decided what to do. Or rather, what your character would do.
That was where things got a little confusing. Your character was apparently made up of numbers on a sheet of paper, and each number impacted how successful you were at doing something. For example, if you tried balancing on a tightrope, you'd use a skill based on Dexterity, one of your character's primary attributes. If you tried to bash in some monster's face with a hammer, how much damage you did depended on your Strength. And so on.
Nick showed her one of the character sheets, and Emily tried to follow along, walking along the paper and studying the information there. However, she got lost trying to do the math. For some reason a Strength of 19 gave Nick's barbarian, Grimgol, a +4 bonus to his combat abilities. Emily thought about asking where that number came from, but decided it wasn't all that important. There must be a chart or table somewhere in the books that told him that.
The books were the really daunting part of the game. There were, from what she could tell, at least a dozen of them, and of course to someone her size they were huge and intimidating. Emily was used to games no more complex than chess, which she occasionally played with her father, and some of the card games she often had to play with the younger kids. None of those had rules longer than a few paragraphs. D&D, apparently, required a few encyclopedias to play. How could she ever hope to grasp something like that?
"So, that's the basics of it," said Nick after Emily finally got to the end of the scrawl-covered character sheet. "I know that seems kinda overwhelming, but it's actually real easy, once you play it a few times. Got any questions?"
"Not really," she answered. "Well, that's not true. I could ask questions all day and probably never really understand it."
He chuckled at that. "Yeah, well, trust me, this isn't anywhere near the most complicated game out there. Besides, I know there's a ton of rules, but most of it's just reference. The basic part of the game is just the first couple of chapters in here." He patted the book titled "Player's Handbook."
"So you can be anyone," said Emily. "And you choose to be Grimgol, a fierce barbarian with a great big sword. That's what you would really like to be, Nick? A barbarian?"
"No, no, don't get the wrong idea," he answered quickly. "I'm not saying I want to be Grimgol! That's what everybody always gets wrong when I tell them about this stuff. It's just a role, like I'm an actor. I've played sorcerers, clerics, and I even tried a monk once, but it sucked ass."
"So you're saying, if I played, I could be a barbarian too? I could carry around a greatsword and hack people's heads off?"
"If you wanted, sure," he replied with a grin, obviously trying to imagine Emily doing something like that. "You could play a male character if you wanted. We have a girl in the group, Heather Cassidy, and her current character is a male warlock named Elian. Oh, and Ryan Williams has a female ranger named Haelli. So yeah, gender doesn't really matter."
"Okay, okay, I get it. You can play whoever you want. Sounds real interesting."
He looked genuinely surprised by that admission. "Really? You mean it? I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, y'know."
"Yeah, sure I mean it. Sounds like fun. Actually, I can appreciate what it's all about, I guess. Back at the colony, I'd sneak out to go on adventures. You can just do the same thing with some books, some paper and some dice. Right?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah, that's true." He paused for a moment, watching her carefully as she meandered across the character sheet, still trying to comprehend what an Armor Class was, and how your character's Base Attack Bonus figured in hitting your target. "You know, I think you actually honestly mean that."
She looked up at his gigantic face, looming over her. "Yeah, I do, is that so hard to believe?"
"Well, yeah, it is," he replied. "Most people's eyes glaze over when I start talking about D&D, and I figure you're a captive audience, so..."
There was a pause as he let his voice trail off. Emily watched him carefully for a moment, and then, quite suddenly, caught hold of an idea that had been bouncing around in the back of her head for some time now. Seizing the opportunity, she pressed forward swiftly.
"Look, Nick, I can tell you aren't going to let me go," she told him, crossing her arms in determination. "I can get that, okay? A lot of things about you make more sense, now that I've gotten to know you a little bit. We seem to have at least something in common, strange as that may sound. You're lonely here, and so was I, back in the colony, so I'll tell you what, I'll make you a deal. Okay?"
"What deal?" he asked curiously.
"I'll stay here a week, without fighting you, or trying to escape, or anything like that," she explained. "You can keep me in the aquarium if you want, but at least let me watch TV or read or something so I don't die of boredom. Entertain me however you want, just don't mistreat me, okay?"
"Hey, you know I wouldn't--"
"Just let me finish!" she interrupted. "What I mean is don't treat me like your pet snipe anymore. I'm a human being, dammit! Really small, but still human. I have feelings, just like you. So treat me like a person, got it?"
"Fine, but I still don't get it. What's the deal I'm supposed to be agreeing to?"
She smiled. "If, after a week, you've taken care of me properly, I'll agree to be your pet. Permanently."
His eyes, already abnormally large behind his thick glasses, managed to widen still further. "You mean it? You wouldn't try to get away, or get in touch with your parents somehow, or any of that crap?"
"Nope," she answered with as much honesty as she could muster. "Look, Nick, I already told you I wasn't happy there, and that wasn't a lie. I was going crazy, really. Why else would I sneak out whenever I got the chance? If you can offer me something better, and actually live up to your promises, I'd much rather stay with you."
"Hmm." His brow furrowed as he considered what she was saying. "I'm not sure I really believe you, but I'm willing to give it a try. Fine, I'll stop calling you a snipe, or treating you like a pet, at least for now."
"Then we have a deal?"
He nodded. "Yep."
"Good." She smiled in acceptance. "Fine, then the first thing you can do is let me watch you play this D&D game of yours. Maybe if I see you playing, I can figure out what it's all about."
He laughed. "You're kidding me, right? You want me to take you out of the dorm? You'd just get out and--"
"No, I won't!" she protested, stamping her little foot forcefully to emphasize the point. "Look, that's our deal, okay? I won't try to escape or draw attention to myself! I just want to watch. Put me in your pocket or something, where nobody else can see me, and I'll be a spectator. If it looks as interesting as I think it does, you can help me make a character later, and we can play here in the room. It's definitely got a lot more going for it than chess does."
"Okay, then--wait, you play chess?"
"Yeah...but I'm not that good. Daddy beats me nine times out of ten, or at least it seems like it."
"Well, we'll see about that later, but okay, fine, if you want to come to the D&D game, I'll take you at your word. I warn you, though, if you make any noise or try to get out--"
"I won't, Nick. I promise!"
He let out a sigh of grudging acceptance. "Fine, you can come then. Let me rig up something for you to hide in, so you can watch from the tabletop. Hmm, I better hurry, the game's supposed to start in half an hour, and I usually grab food at the cafeteria on the way. Hey, that reminds me, are you hungry at all?"
"Yeah, I could stand to eat something, I guess."
"What do you eat, anyway? Anything?"
"Well, back at the colony, we had something like graham crackers that gave us all the nutrition we needed," she explained. "It came in several kinds of flavors, but it's really bland, you know?"
"So what do you want, then? A burger, or what?"
"Just some of whatever you're having, I guess."
"Fine, I'll put some in your box after I order. Sorry about not asking you sooner, Emily."
"That's okay. Good to see you're already starting to think of me as a person and not a snipe."
He smiled. "It'll take some work, but I think I can manage."
Good, she thought as he got up and started casting about for a suitable container for her. Mission accomplished.
Actually, Emily had every intention of living up to her side of the bargain she'd just made--until the right opportunity presented itself to escape. What she'd just done was buy herself some time--a week, in fact--to find a fool-proof escape from her current predicament. During that time, as long as she didn't do something stupid like try to yell for help, he'd even treat her with some respect, which was more than she had before.
All in all, it was a perfect deal.
Much to her surprise, he actually seemed to be trying to live up to his side of the arrangement, at least initially. Instead of just slapping a box together and forcing her into it, he asked for her input and saw to it she was comfortable. The end result was quite simple, actually. He got out an old glasses case, dusted it off, and put some foam padding into the inside. Then, after some testing, he came up with a way to prop it up so she could see out the crack in the side while lying down comfortably in a variety of positions. She also noticed, without complaint, that it was still quite firmly clasped shut, so she couldn't escape if she tried to.
This wasn't a big deal, as she had no intention of trying to break out. No, she was going to be on her best behavior for the foreseeable future, until the right moment came along. She was only going to have one real shot at escape, so she'd have to make it count. Busting out of a glasses case in front of a bunch of wide-eyed gaming nerds would definitely not be the right moment!
After ensuring she was comfortable in her new carrier, Nick set out from the dorm room on a journey across campus, where the D&D game was held at an apartment two blocks beyond the last university building. That put it about two miles away, which was too far to walk. That meant a trip by bicycle, so he stopped to unchain his twelve-speed from the crowded rack outside the dorm. "Sorry, I forgot to warn you about this," he said in a low voice, after checking to see he was alone. "I told you I don't own a car. If I want to get anywhere, I gotta bike it."
"It's okay, I'll manage," she called out, but he gave no indication that he heard as he wrapped the chain about his seatpost and climbed aboard.
Almost as an afterthought, he took out the glasses case and fastened it to the handlebars using a bungee cord normally employed to secure his books to the cargo rack. "No, wait!" she cried out, realizing as she peered out what he was intending to do, but it was too late. With a quick push forward, he was off.
At first Emily tried closing her eyes and curling up in a ball, but the jostling and bouncing threatened to make her motion-sick. Watching through the crack helped somewhat, but even so, she was scared to death. What if he crashed, or if her container broke loose and she fell? The giant world was rushing by so fast...!
After about a minute, though, the fear began to fade as she remembered her original plan. Ignoring the harrowing nature of the ride, she struggled to observe her surroundings. Nick was riding along a bike path through a well-manicured lawn that seemed sandwiched between large, red brick university buildings. Trees surrounded by flowerbeds were everywhere, and in the distance, there was a high clock tower ringed by a line of hedges. Other students meandered about here and there, mostly walking or studying in the afternoon sunlight, with a few on bicycles. There didn't seem to be a road anywhere in sight, nor were there any names on any buildings as near as she could tell. She still didn't even know what university this was.
After a few more minutes, they finally came to a street, which Nick crossed after slowing briefly. The sight of a gigantic car, rushing by like a colossal freight train, drove out any lingering thoughts Emily had of leaping out or trying to hitch a ride on such a beast. Even the stench of its exhaust was overpowering at her size. No, if she did ever get away, she'd have to avoid roads at all costs.
After another minute of riding, this time much bumpier as she was now on a sidewalk with regular cracks, the bike came to a halt. Nick took a moment to chain the conveyance to another rack, then removed her container and shoved it in his pocket. With everything dark now, she could only wait and listen to his footsteps, punctuated by brief snatches of conversation from other students.
In due course he stopped, and she heard him place an order for a burger, fries and soda. Ah yes, the cafeteria. All at once Emily felt her stomach rumbling. She hadn't eaten any of the cracker he'd left in the aquarium earlier in the day, being too upset to eat, but now, perhaps as a result of the adrenaline rush from the bike ride, she felt like she was starving.
As she'd explained to Nick earlier, at her present size her body was a lot more efficient. She only needed to eat once a day, possibly with a bite of a snack on occasion, and drink a few drops of liquid. She couldn't recall the last time she felt this hungry. Perhaps it was the scent of food in the air around her, seeping in through the pocket lining.
Yeah, that must be it, she thought as he finally withdrew the glasses case out to set it on a table next to his tray. She hadn't seen or smelled real food in so long...the memory of hamburgers and pizza had all but faded over the years. Now, all at once, all she wanted was to grab that burger in her hands and shove it in her mouth. Instead, all she could do was stare out the crack at the savory-looking meat, smacking her lips and salivating at the thought.
After a couple of minutes, during which it took all her self-control not to scream at Nick, he finally popped the case open and dropped in a tiny chunk of the burger, pinched off between his fingers. This was little more than a crumb, but to her, it was a little piece of heaven. She devoured it ravenously, shuddering with each bite as the memories of real food came flooding back.
When she finished, she was stuffed. "You done?" whispered Nick softly, probably hoping no one saw him talking to his glasses.
"Yeah," she yelled. "God, that was good."
"Glad you liked it," he replied. "Now hold on, off we go again."
The ride continued, much as before. Emily quickly wished she hadn't eaten quite so much once the bike started rolling again. However, by shifting position and holding her head steady, she found she could stand the bouncing motion a little better.
Fortunately, the rest of the ride wasn't nearly as long as the first part. They arrived at the apartment building only about two minutes later, and Nick pocketed Emily once again on his way inside. Once more she found herself with no idea exactly where she was, for she hadn't been able to get a good look at the name of the complex. Not only that, because she had no way to see outside any more, she missed the apartment number. All she knew for sure was it was upstairs.
She could hear well enough, though, and as Nick entered she heard four distinct voices other than his. One was clearly female, the others male. Interesting that women played D&D, thought Emily, having always figured this was more a male pursuit.
Actually, as she was already realizing, the things she thought she knew about D&D were mostly wrong. She never really believed that people went down in sewers or worshipped the Devil, of course, but those were the rumors she'd heard. D&D was always a mysterious geek thing, and before now, she really had no idea what it was all about. Well, now she was about to get to watch it firsthand.
Nick pulled out the case and set it on the table near his books, ensuring Emily had a clear view of the table. From her vantage point, she could see all four of the other players, all of whom looked to be about his age. To Nick's left was an extremely overweight man with greasy brown hair and the beginnings of a poorly filled out beard. Next to him sat the female member of the group, a black-haired woman with dark eye shadow, equally dark lipstick and an oversized cross on a silver chain about her neck. Next was a thin blond youth with freckles, a collared shirt and the stereotypical pocket protector that all but advertised him as the classic student nerd. Finally, to her surprise, to Nick's right was a ruggedly handsome man with short black hair, a perfectly groomed mustache and a prominent scar just below his chin. He looked totally out of place at the table, surrounded by geeks, for with his muscles he quite easily could've been an athlete. Perhaps he was, for all she knew.
The game didn't start right away, even though most everyone at the table already looked prepared, with dice and character sheets at the ready. Instead they exchanged small talk about dinner, the weather, sports, and even politics. In fact, they spent about ten minutes discussing quite eloquently the present political issues of the upcoming election. They sounded rather like a debate team, actually, Emily thought. Each of them was obviously quite intelligent, and none of them had any problems putting forth their opinions in smart, perfunctory fashion.
If Emily actually had any real interest in politics, she might've been intrigued, but instead she occupied herself trying to find out more about the players. Fortunately, Nick seemed to be paying attention to her point of view, actually making sure to call the speakers by name in such a way that she could identify them. The fat gamer on the left was Ryan, and the girl was Heather; Emily knew she'd heard those names before, back in the dorm, but couldn't remember them until just now. The thin, wiry guy was Fred, while the handsome one was named Lars. He also had a noticeable foreign accent and cleared his throat frequently, perhaps because of whatever surgery had been done on his throat--the scar there had the tell-tale marks of stitches, as Emily noticed after a few moments of watching. She'd have to ask Nick about that later.
Finally, after about twenty minutes, the game suddenly started of its own accord. There was a kind of pause in the conversation, and everyone took sips out of their soda cans, at which point Ryan seemed to decide it was time to begin. He launched into an explanation of where they left off at the end of the previous session--apparently the storyline of a D&D game was endless, so there was always a recap.
Last time, or so Ryan said, the party was staying at an inn at a town called Jorlex, or something like that, when a beast called a "bullet" or whatever came rampaging through the street. The group chose to help fend it off and as a reward, the town's mayor gave them a sack of gold for their efforts. Then, having seen their combat prowess, he hired them to travel to a nearby mine where something had scared off all the workers.
Emily found herself amazed by how quickly the players fell into the roles of their characters. Fred in particular adopted a totally different voice for his persona, a halfling rogue who liked to sneak around and steal things behind everyone's back. Heather, whose character was male and something of an intellectual, spent a great deal of time asking questions and gathering information about the mine. As a result of this, Ryan (who was playing the Dungeon Master) revealed that one of the fleeing workers described "huge red eyes in the darkness, and unearthly howls echoing through the tunnels."
Undaunted, the stalwart party set forth for the mine, and the adventure began.
"So what did you think?"
Emily sat up in the open case and took in a deep breath. The carrier was perfectly comfortable, and she even managed to get used to the bouncing bike rides, but being stuck inside for several hours had taken its toll. Her muscles were getting cramped, and her shoulder-length hair was tangled and sticking out in all directions. She smoothed it back absently as she blinked and let her eyes readjust to the light. Being back in Nick's dorm room was already starting to feel a little safer.
"It was fun," she replied after a moment, thinking back on what she'd seen at the still-unidentified apartment. "Amazing, really. Everyone got so involved in what their characters were doing, especially when they got into combat. I still don't know what most of the dice rolling was all about, but it seemed to work fine."
"Yeah, I kinda wished I could've explained everything as we went along, but I couldn't," Nick sighed. "There were a half dozen times where I really wanted to pop the case open and show you to everyone, but I knew I couldn't do that either."
"Why not?" she asked curiously, smiling despite herself. "I would've loved to see the looks on their faces."
He shrugged. "I don't want anyone else knowing I have you here, I guess. Those guys are my friends, or at least as close a thing to friends I've got in this crappy place, but I wouldn't trust any of them to keep their mouths shut about someone like you. Not that anyone would believe them, probably, but you never know."
"At least if you'd let them see me, I could've joined in the game," complained Emily. "The whole time I was watching, I was wishing I was playing a character too."
"Well, we can fix that right now," said Nick, beaming. "Let's make you a character, and I can run you through a short adventure. I've been wanting to trying DMing anyway, and this is my chance to practice."
"Great!" she replied enthusiastically. "What do I do first?"
"Well, it's easy," he explained, emptying out his dice bag on the tabletop and setting her down nearby. "You already know you have six main stats, right?"
"Yeah, I think so. Strength, Dexterity, Intellect..."
"Intelligence," he corrected.
"Yeah, that. Health--no, Constitution, right? Charisma, too, but what's the other one?"
"Wisdom."
"Right. Wait--wouldn't Wisdom and Intelligence be the same thing?"
"Not really. Int is sorta like what you know, and Wis is how you use it. You can be smart but not know how to use your brains, like an absent-minded scientist, see? Or you can be dumb but still manage to do things right somehow. Anyway, whatever, you want a high Int if you're a wizard, and Wisdom if you're a cleric."
She nodded, feeling like she almost but not quite understood, but it wasn't important enough to argue about. "Okay, I'll take your word for it. So how do we come up with these statistics of yours?"
"We roll dice. Well, I don't--you do. You roll four six-siders, and discard the lowest one, so you wind up with a number from 3 to 18. Then you do that 6 times, once for each stat. When you're done you arrange them however you want and that's your character. Everything else derives from there."
Emily nodded, looking over at the towering pile of dice. As she'd noticed already, they came in many different shapes, some with as few as 4 sides (although how those were read was a mystery) all the way up to 20 sides. Naturally, she knew what a six-sider was--that was the ordinary cube-type die she'd used in family games since she was a kid. There were plenty of cubes of various shapes and sizes in the heap in front of her, but the smallest one came up to her knees and looked downright heavy.
Nick was watching her, grinning, and she knew he was going to enjoy watching her do the rolling. There was no point in asking him for help, so she stepped forward and picked out the smallest die she could find, lifting it up with some difficulty. With a heave, she flung it over her shoulder, causing it to skitter away, landing on a "4."
"Good start," he chuckled. "Only 23 more rolls to go!"
Sighing, she grabbed another die and repeated the process. Fortunately the dice weren't all that heavy, just unwieldy. As she rolled, he dutifully wrote down the numbers on a piece of scrap paper, never once offering to help. Apparently she was supposed to do this herself, or at least that's what he wanted her to think.
Finally, after a few minutes of this shoulder-wrenching exercise, she finished. Walking over to the paper, she inspected the results: 17, 16, 14, 14, 13, and 11. "Is that good?" she asked curiously.
"It's okay," he answered. "Not too bad, really, at least for a starting character. Now what you do next is arrange them however you want, to fill the six stats here." He indicated a blank character sheet he'd retrieved during her dice-rolling exercise, and she saw six large squares near the attributes in question. "Do you know what class you want to play?"
"Yeah, I was kinda thinking about a fighter," she replied. "Everyone seemed to enjoy their characters at the game, but the fighter was the one in the middle of most of the action."
"Good choice. They also happen to be the easiest ones to learn."
"I guess if I'm a warrior, I need a high Strength, right? So I'll put the 17 there. What else?"
He wrote down the number in the appropriate space, nodding to indicate she'd made the right call. "Well, fighters are good at physical combat, so you'd want the physical stats covered--Dexterity and Constitution. Dex gets you Armor Class, which makes it harder to hit you, and Con adds to your hit points, so you survive longer if you do get hit. However, as a fighter you'll eventually get heavy armor, which restricts your movement so you won't get as much benefit out of Dex then."
That made a certain amount of sense. "Oh, okay. So let's have the 16 in Con, and one of the 14s in Dex. Right?"
"Good idea." Again, Nick looked pleased that she was picking this up so quickly. "As for the others, it doesn't really matter much. Int will give you more skill points, but fighters don't have a lot of skills to pick from. Wis helps you with Will saves, which means you shrug off mental attacks better. And the only thing you'd use Charisma for is if you wanted to intimidate someone."
"Oh, okay then. Well, if I'm gonna be a big fighter, I want to be able to scare people, right? So how about Charisma 14."
"Fine, and then the 13 in Int so you actually have skill points to put into Intimidate."
"Sure, if that's how skill points work."
"Yeah, I'll explain that when we get to that part of the character sheet. That leaves the 11 in Wisdom. So you're a pretty strong, hardy fighter with a bit of an attitude, or at least that's what it sounds like to me."
She grinned. "Perfect. What now?"
"Well, now let's talk about what race you want to be..."
Both of them were so engrossed in the character creation process that neither heard the slight creak of floorboards outside, or the sound of an ear being pressed up to the door.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead. Time for me to go to class."
Emily jumped in her makeshift bed, blinking and shaking her head as she snapped to full wakefulness. She'd been dreaming, but the only thing she remembered was that she was normal sized, and eating something in a cafeteria. Damn that hamburger, anyway! Now she couldn't stop thinking about normal food.
Nick's face loomed overhead, through the open top of the aquarium. Emily quickly glanced down, fearful that the blanket she was using as a cover might've slipped off during the night, giving him an unwanted view of herself clad only in underwear. Fortunately, she was still completely concealed. Not that he couldn't change that at any moment, but so far he hadn't tried anything.
"Class?" she muttered, yawning.
"Yeah, this is a school, remember? It's Monday morning. Time for another exciting hour of advanced physics. Wanna come?"
"Oh, God no," she groaned. "They made me put up with that back in the colony, until finally someone figured out I couldn't stand it."
"Well, I don't like it either, but it's a prereq. Anyway, you can stay here if you want. I assume you don't want to spend the day in the aquarium?"
"No, definitely not!"
"Then get decent so I can get you out." He pointed at her jumpsuit, lying in a heap over in the corner, near the water-filled bottle cap and stale cracker he'd left there the night before.
Without another word he turned his back, intent on collecting some books and shoving them in a backpack. Grateful for that, Emily scampered out from under the covers and quickly pulled on the black outfit and its accoutrements. Unfortunately, this was the only thing she had to wear, and it needed washing, but she could do that anytime, when he wasn't around. The standard-issue bodysuits were hardy and could stand up to a lot of punishment, although she doubted running it through a washing machine would be a smart idea. Hand washing it in the sink would have to do.
He turned back just as she finished zipping up the boots and stuck his hand inside, palm up. Without hesitation she climbed aboard and held on while he set her down on the floor. "Okay, here you go, little sn--I mean, Emily," he said, hastily correcting himself. "Anything you need? I should be back by lunchtime."
"No, I'm fine," she answered. "I might need to get up and use the sink, though."
"Okay." He took a few steps over there, carefully making sure his foot didn't land too close to her, and maneuvered the toaster oven's power cord so it dangled all the way to the floor. "You can get up that way, right?"
"Yeah, I should be able to."
"All righty, see you in a couple hours."
With that he swept out of the room, taking care to lock the door behind him. Emily sighed and looked around, both glad he was gone and yet already feeling a bit lonely. She wanted some time to herself, to start working on escape plans, and yet being alone in the vast room made her wish he was still there. There was something a bit comforting about having his giant presence nearby. Even the night before, when she was shifting around under the thick blankets trying to doze off, the sound of his gentle snoring was surprisingly relaxing.
They actually played D&D well into the night, until both of them were so obviously tired that they needed some rest. Emily still didn't follow the purpose of every die roll and statistics modifier, but she got the feeling she really didn't have to. The game was about the story, really, and she let herself get immersed in it.
Her character, Valana, was a fiery human warrior (female, of course--she didn't feel right playing a male character yet) who used her looks and forceful personality to conquer foes as easily as she used her sword and shield. Emily had expected most of the adventure to just be pummeling things to death, but in fact, there was as much of the social element of the game as there was swordplay. By managing to influence a couple of other people she met (NPCs, as they were called) she acquired two allies--also characters in their own right, with their own stats and character sheets--to join her in her quest to protect her father's kingdom from various enemies. In the process, she managed to acquire enough experience points that she gained two levels, so she was now 3rd level, with approximately three times the fighting prowess as when she started the game.
All of this took many hours--exactly how long, she didn't know. The sun managed to go down outside, though, and neither her nor Nick really noticed. They played until they were exhausted, basically, and then both went to bed, happy at having discovered something they could both mutually enjoy.
Such an intriguing game, Emily thought, wandering over to the stack of books and papers left behind after the previous day's adventures. There was so much more to it, as well. The NPCs that joined her were a cleric, whose healing spells had come in handy, and a wizard, who'd more than once saved their little band with a well-timed magical attack. There were, as near as Emily could tell, at least a half dozen more classes as well as something called a "prestige class" that one could acquire later, if she met the right prerequisites. There was also a way to "multi-class," which meant spending an acquired level in a different class other than fighter. Now how did that work, exactly...?
Well, one way to find out. With a heave, she shoved the Player's Handbook off the pile and forced the cover open, seeking out the Table of Contents. Sure enough, there was a section on multi-classing, which she flipped to with difficulty. Moving pages in a full-sized book wasn't exactly easy for someone only four inches high, after all, but she managed.
She read quickly. Multi-classing was easy--when you gained a level, you just called it a different class, like cleric or wizard or one of the others. There was an experience penalty if you didn't do this properly, but the technical details were easily understood. Also, you had to abide by any restrictions of the new class, so since wizards couldn't wear armor without some kind of failure chance on spells, that meant that upon acquiring a wizard level (should she choose to do so), Valana would have to stop wearing the brand-new plate mail she worked so hard to earn. So, obviously not every combination was a good one.
Still, there could be some advantages, and the only way to figure out what those were was to read up on the other classes. That would be a lot of research, but what else was there to do in this place? So with that in mind, Emily started to flip the pages again, stopping when she found what she was looking for, whereupon she settled down and started reading--only to halt just as quickly as she heard the sound of footfalls outside. The heavy thumps came right up to the door and stopped.
Was it Nick, coming back so soon? Maybe he forgot something? She hesitated, listening, and then something started wiggling around in the lock.
"Dammit," a voice muttered, just barely audible through the thick wood. "Are you sure this is the right key?"
"Yeah, dude," someone else answered. "Come on, hurry up before anyone sees us! I could get in real trouble!"
"Ah, shut your hole, I almost got it. There!"
There was a final click. The knob turned, and the door to Nick's dorm room swung open.
Emily sat paralyzed for a moment as she realized the voices didn't belong to Nick, or any of the other D&D players she watched so eagerly yesterday. She'd heard that deep, rough-sounding tone before, but didn't recognize it right away. However, the meaning of the words was obvious--someone was breaking into the room!
Well, that could only mean the intruders weren't Nick's friends by any means. He was her captor, of course, and there was a time not so long ago when Emily would've rushed to meet the new arrivals, so she could beg for help and freedom. Instead, without even thinking about it, she did exactly the opposite.
Scant instants before the two intruders would've spotted her, she got to her feet and dashed under the bed, leaving the Player's Handbook open on the floor. Afraid that she might've been seen, she cowered behind the bedpost in the shadows, breathing heavily and shivering with fear.
Outside her hiding place, the monstrous forms of two giants tromped into view. One was a tall, husky type, the sort of muscular yet chunky man who may or may not be overweight, but you wouldn't dare call fat. His face was too far away to see clearly, but he did have a thick black mustache that didn't look all that well taken care of.
The other intruder was thinner and taller, equally well muscled but lanky almost to extremes, as if he might fall over at any second and break into pieces upon landing. He was glancing about nervously, and was very quick to shut the door softly behind him. Meanwhile the other paid his worries no heed and started stomping around the room. At least, it seemed like stomping from where Emily was.
"Look at this," laughed the heavyset man, reaching down almost next to Emily, who froze and prayed he wouldn't spot her in the darkness. "Dungeons and Dragons! God, what a fucking geek." He gave the Player's Handbook a rude shove.
"Careful! He might remember what page he was on," said the other worriedly. "We don't want him knowing we were here."
"Why not? What's he gonna do? Report us?" The big man laughed and stood up, ignoring his friend who bent down to make sure the book was put back in almost exactly the same position as before. "He damn well better not, if he know's what's good for him."
"That may work for you, Art," complained the wiry one, "but what happens to me? I lose my job, that's what, and I gotta tell you, I like doing this better than flippin' burgers."
"All right, fine, quit being such a pussy," replied Art scornfully, walking around the tiny dorm room. "Ah, look here, a fish tank, and it's got a blanket in the bottom. Told you he had some kind of new pet! I'm telling you, Luke my friend, he found something out there in the woods, during the snipe hunt Saturday night."
"Yeah, you said that before," said Luke. "What's the point? Yeah, okay, fine, animals aren't allowed in the dorms, but you gotta admit, it's really petty to report something like that."
"Dude, you didn't hear him in here last night," Art went on, reaching into the open aquarium and pushing the blankets around. He also inspected the bottle cap and cracker, but didn't seem to find anything else of interest. "The little wuss was talking to it like it was a person, and that means he might just have gone over the deep end."
"Again I ask, so what?'
Art grinned evilly. "Leverage," he replied. "I know he's got a pet, and he's obviously attached to it, right? So now I can threaten to report him, or better yet just come in here and take it, and he has to do whatever I want. I get a nice little slave to do my homework and anything else I can think of."
Luke chuckled. "You, my friend, are taking bullying to a whole new level, you know that? Genius, I tell you. But why not just beat the crap out of him until he does your homework, if that's all you want?"
Art sighed. "You'd think so, but you know how the school is about shit like that."
"Yeah," agreed Luke. "Yeah, I remember. And someone like Nick would figure out a way to prove it to the dean, too."
"Yeah, you gotta watch out for these nerdy types nowadays. They got technology on their side. Anyway, I don't see this mouse or chipmunk or whatever it is. Do you think he took it with him?"
"He must have, unless he let it run around loose in here."
"Well, look around and see if you see it."
Emily gulped and fought back a surge of panic. The two men were already starting to get down on their hands and knees, looking under things and into dark corners. Her hiding place was no longer safe! But where could she go? If she left the shadows they'd spot her movement instantly.
She looked up. The bed, as she'd found out the day before, was just a twin-size mattress covered by a couple of sheets. The frame was little more than a metal housing with notches to hold the mattress in place. There weren't any springs to hide in--but she spotted the edge of the bottom sheet, fastened around the bed with a built-in elastic band.
Swiftly she jumped, caught the edge of the sheet, and pulled herself in, slipping in under the elastic, which held her in place. A couple of seconds later, two giant faces appeared under the bed, peering around. Emily held her breath, praying they wouldn't see the human-shaped lump there--and they didn't. Or, if they did, they dismissed it as just another wrinkle in the bedsheet.
Art and Luke moved on, checking the closet, muttering to themselves about where a mouse might hide, and then concluded that it probably wasn't here and Nick must've taken it with him. With a last check to make sure everything was in its proper place, Luke opened the door, ushered Art out quickly, and closed it with a soft click. The lock turned once again, and two sets of giant footsteps receded.
Only then did Emily let out a much-needed sigh of relief.
Still shaking from the nearness of the encounter with the two intruders, Emily dropped down from the elastic and stepped out from the shadows. That was much too close for comfort, she thought, dropping down on the ground near the book she'd been studying. If she'd let those two get their hands on her...
No, best not to think about that! A day ago she would've willingly and blindly revealed herself to them, in the hopes of getting away from her present captor, and that would've been a disaster. If those two men were that interested in bullying and taking advantage of someone like Nick, what would they do with a helpless little woman?
As thoughts of barely imaginable horrors ran swiftly through her mind, Emily realized just how fortunate she'd been to be caught by someone like Nick instead of one of those others. What if that had been Art or Luke in the forest that night? At least Nick wasn't being cruel or abusive, as she was pretty sure those two would've been.
Art and Luke. She knew those names, having heard them spoken here and there the morning after her capture, when she was in Nick's pocket back at the campsite. They made fun of Nick back then, too. She wouldn't have felt any pity for him then, but she did now. Was that was his life at school was like? Constant harassment and torture? No wonder he lost himself in fantasy games like Dungeons and Dragons!
No wonder he had no problem capturing someone and making a pet out of them, she realized. Emily was someone weaker and more helpless than himself. Someone he could look down on and treat the same way they treated him.
Only...only he wasn't doing that, was he? He started out that way, but since yesterday he hadn't been like that at all. At least, it certainly seemed like he hadn't. Maybe he was just play-acting, or roleplaying like in the game, but she didn't think so.
Maybe that's what I have to do, she told herself. Maybe if he thinks of me as a friend, and not a possession, then maybe when this week of ours is up, he'll realize on his own he can't just hold me against my will. Maybe he'll take me back home!
Briefly, she considered another option--that perhaps she wouldn't want to go back. Maybe, if he really changed, and took care of her, this wouldn't be such a bad place to be. No parents around to bug her all the time, and Nick could take her outside, or to movies, or other places...he could hold her in his hand, and use his fingers to...
She shook her head, trying not to think about that. Besides, he probably wouldn't just let her go in the first place, but then there was also Art and Luke to think about. They knew Nick had some kind of pet in his dorm, and sooner or later, they'd find out what it was. What then? She shuddered again at the thought of them getting their hands on her.
She'd have to tell Nick they came in here, of course. She'd tell him, and then he'd...what? He couldn't exactly confront them, because it wouldn't do any good, and he couldn't report them to security, or they might search his room if Art blabbed about Nick keeping an animal there. So what would Nick do...?
He'd hide her better, she realized immediately. He'd come up with some kind of cage that he could hide in the back of the closet, or under the bed, that would keep her imprisoned anytime he left the room. Yeah, that's what he'd do, because it would be his only choice, short of keeping her locked in the glasses case and lugging her everywhere. None of those options would give her any freedom at all, nor would they give her any chance of coming up with some kind of escape plan.
Dammit! She cursed under her breath. She couldn't tell Nick they were here, could she? Not if she wanted to keep from being locked up all the time. She didn't believe for a moment he'd let her go. No, he was going to keep her, even if he had to immobilize her in the process.
So, with that in mind, Emily went back to reading, cringing and jumping at every creak of the floorboards outside, and dashing for cover every time she heard distant voices echoing through the hallways. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Nick returned from class, and she felt safe and protected once again.
But she kept the news about the break-in to herself.
Blissfully unaware of Art and Luke's ability to enter his room pretty much at will, Nick continued to let Emily run around freely. He added a few dangling threads here and there so she could climb up onto the table, counter and other places, and also rigged up a makeshift toilet in the sink she could shove into place over the drain. That way he no longer had to risk someone seeing her if he took her out to the communal bathroom like he did on her first day here.
She continued to sleep in the aquarium, primarily because Nick was afraid he might stumble over her if he got up during the night, but Emily figured it was probably because he thought she might get away if he sleepwalked to the bathroom and left the door open in the process. Not that she had any intention of dashing out into the hall anymore, not when someone like Art or Luke might spot her along the floorboards.
Instead, she tried to accept the fact that the dorm was now her home for the time being. When Nick was at class or in a lab, she occupied herself reading any of the numerous books scattered about the room. Nick was heavily into science fiction, as might be expected, and she found most of the paperbacks were right up her own alley. Turning the pages was difficult, but she found a way to prop them up between one of his extra pairs of shoes. In fact, because she couldn't turn the pages nearly as fast as usual, she found she read more carefully and got more out of the books than she might have otherwise.
When Nick was there, they talked or played D&D, or she would help him study. Sometimes he brought back computer printouts to inspect for errors, and he explained these as he went, so that after a while she was able to at least understand the thought processes behind programming, if not the actual syntax of the language. In fact, computer coding sounded like an interesting challenge, just the sort of thing that an intelligent young man like Nick might be interested in pursuing as a career.
After a couple more days, the intrusion by Art and Luke was long forgotten and Emily felt completely comfortable in Nick's room. Also, somewhat unexpectedly, she realized she was grudgingly happy when he was around. In addition to simply taking care of her, he made sure she had things to do, so she didn't get bored. In fact, it seemed like he went out of his way to ensure this was true. Furthermore, he started taking her out when he went to run errands or go to class. The only time he really left her in the room alone was when he had to attend a lab or some other activity where lots of other people were around.
True to his word, Nick was treating her like a human being now, not a pet. After a few days of being around him, she was certain this wasn't some kind of act, either. Despite their vast difference in size, he didn't talk down to her anymore, or call her derogatory names like "doll" or "snipe." He seemed eager to teach her about things he knew, like computer programming, and gave her his full attention when she spoke of her own experiences back in the colony.
What was more, Emily stopped thinking about trying to escape. Oh, every now and then the idea popped into her head, but there seemed to be no reason to anymore. He wasn't mistreating her at all. In fact, she rather liked it here, at least for now. She did wonder on occasion whether he'd let her go now that they were friends, if she only asked, but she didn't ask. They had an arrangement, after all.
When the week was finally over, she'd find out if things had really changed.
It was late in the evening on Friday, and Nick was studying a stack of computer printouts, as he often did after his thrice-weekly programming class. There was some kind of bug that seemed intermittent, happening only every now and then, which was extremely frustrating. Nick had spent extra time in the lab that evening but still couldn't figure out the problem.
As he dug through one of the printed modules, Emily was looking over the code on one of the other pages, standing on the table next to him. Although she didn't know what all the variables were for, she did understand the structure of the language now, and could sort of understand how the program flowed. In fact, her broader and less detailed knowledge had already helped out a couple of times earlier in the week. However, at the moment she was feeling rather useless, as her limited experience simply wasn't helping matters in this particular case.
Finally, Nick shoved the pages away angrily, causing Emily to jump in surprise. "Dammit, I can't find it," he sighed, rubbing his weary eyes underneath his glasses. "This is getting me nowhere."
"You should get some sleep," she suggested helpfully. "Maybe it'll come to you in the morning."
"I'll just lie there thinking about it," he muttered. "Damn bug won't repeat itself consistently. Maybe if I think about something else." He turned his bloodshot eyes towards her. "So, how was your day?"
She smiled, mildly flattered by the attention. He had a way of looking at her through those thick glasses that made her feel important, and that was something she never had back home. "Fine, I guess. I read most of that book you suggested while you were at the lab. Also, that was really nice of you to let me out. I know you took a risk with that."
"There wasn't anybody around," he replied. "It seemed pretty safe to me, and I know you don't like being cooped up inside all the time."
Earlier in the day, he'd put Emily on the bike again, picked up some food at Burger King, and rode out into a corner of a local park, where he let her out in the grass and shared a picnic lunch with her. Being able to scamper around in the open, without fear of some creature chancing upon her, felt pretty good. Her occasional trips outside back at the colony were always fraught with nervousness and danger, even though there were truthfully very few things that could hurt her through the tough steelweave jumpsuit. There in the park, she had Nick to protect her from anything that might come along.
The grass where they sat was neatly trimmed, yet there was some heavy underbrush and a treeline nearby, a perfect place to slip away. Still, Emily made no attempt to escape. She told herself the reason was because she didn't want to miss out on another burger, but in reality she just didn't want to leave. At least, not like that. Besides, if he caught her again, that would be the end of all the trust they'd managed to build over the last few days.
"It does get kinda stuffy in your room," Emily admitted after a long pause. "Yeah, I did like getting out, I have to admit."
Nick was studying her closely. Then, to her surprise, he put his hand down next to her, palm up. "Do you mind if I hold you for a minute, Emily?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"Sure, of course," she agreed immediately, climbing into his hand as she'd done many times before. She settled in comfortably, enjoying the warmth as always, and stretched out her legs, looking up at him with curiosity. "What's going on?"
"You could've run away today," he told her, leaning back in the chair and continuing to study her. "Don't get me wrong, I wasn't testing you or anything. I didn't even think about it until later. There was one time when I went back over to the bike, and left you alone on the grass. You could've easily run to the bushes and gotten away clean. Why didn't you?"
She shrugged. "I don't know, Nick," she answered honestly. "I thought about that too, but not until later, just like you. I suppose if I wanted to get away, that would've been the perfect time, but I guess I just didn't want to."
He reached out with a finger and casually brushed at her hair, and she didn't shy away. "You know," he went on after a moment, "I can't talk to girls. I just can't. I've tried, and I just come off like an idiot. No wonder everyone thinks I'm such a geek."
"Oh, Nick, you should stop thinking of yourself like that," she insisted. "If they knew you like I do--"
"Well, they don't, and they won't take the time to," he interrupted. "Nobody does, and you wouldn't have either if I hadn't forced you to stay with me. Anyway, that's not my point. What I'm trying to say is, I can't talk to girls, except you."
"That's because we're friends now," she suggested hopefully. Until now she wasn't sure if that was really true, but it was.
"Yeah, I guess we are," he agreed immediately. "I don't have any real friends here. I play D&D, sure, but we don't do anything outside of the game. If I hadn't seen a card in the game shop advertising for another member for that group, I'd never have found out about that game anyway. Heather's the only other girl at school I've ever much spoken to and she's too much of a goth for me anyhow. So you're it."
"What are you getting at?" Emily wondered.
"I guess it's just that I can't figure out why I can talk to you so easily and not anyone else." Nick sighed. "Look at me, I'm even holding you in my hand and it doesn't make me nervous."
She smiled. "Well, you wouldn't have gotten this way if I hadn't forced you to keep me," she joked.
He chuckled at that. "Touche, I guess. Point taken. I just wish I could figure out a way to make friends that didn't involve days of captivity, y'know?"
Emily sat up in his palm, leaned forward, and finally shifted into a position where she was lying on her stomach, looking up at him with both hands on her chin. "You know, you call yourself a geek, but you really shouldn't sell yourself short. You have a lot going for you, Nick. You're smart, you're an excellent problem solver, you're compassionate, and you've got a hell of an imagination. Any woman who just judges you by your appearance and that nervous twitch of yours is just an idiot anyway, and doesn't deserve you."
"That's nice of you to say," he replied. Again he reached out a finger and stroked her hair, but this time he let the digit meander to her back, where he started to rub between her shoulder blades gently.
In response, Emily stretched out further and emitted a happy sigh. "Well, it's true," she went on after a moment. "Wow, that feels great. Keep doing that."
"I've never even touched another girl," Nick admitted, swallowing heavily. "Not like this, anyway. It's easier than I thought it would be. Are you sure this isn't hurting?"
"No, definitely not," she insisted. "You can press harder if you want."
He did, drawing a couple of moans, and Emily went completely limp in his palm, relaxing entirely. His fingertip covered most of her back at once, so he made some little circles, and the look on her face was one of absolute bliss.
"Did you mean that?" Nick asked after a moment, clearly pleased by how much she was enjoying the attention.
"Mean what?" she asked through happy sighs.
"What you said about me. All those complements."
"Oh. Yeah...ahh...of course I did! You should...ohh...God that feels good! You should have more, mmmm, self-confidence, Nick. Ohh...and here's a little secret. We ladies...mmhhh...we like massages. Like them...owww...a lot!"
"That's good to know," he chuckled. "I can tell you like it, but I'm not sure how well I'd do if you were normal sized."
"Ohh...there...right there! MMmmm." She didn't reply to his comment, except to stretch out still further. Her head was sideways and she was smiling, eyes shut. Nick thought perhaps he'd never seen anyone quite so relaxed.
He kept massaging her for a bit longer, even risking letting his finger meander down a ways, but she didn't try to stop him. In fact, after a couple more minutes it was obvious she was asleep. "Poor little thing," he whispered quietly. "You must've had a rough day. Time for bed."
Carefully he stood, carried her over to the aquarium, and set her down on the blanket inside. He was tired as well, he realized, having not noticed until just now how heavy his eyelids were. Turning off the lights, he climbed into bed and curled up wearily.
At least he didn't tie up his mind thinking about the computer program, either. He fell asleep thinking only of Emily.
As was so often the case, tackling a problem with a mind refreshed by a good night's sleep proved to be the right move. While showering, Nick's thoughts returned to the computer program he'd been working on the day before, and within moments a new idea occurred to him. He almost slipped twice trying to finish the shower and get back to his room to inspect the printed code.
Sure enough, he'd found the solution. One of the subroutines was calculating its results based on a global variable, not a local one, which meant he was changing that global when he shouldn't be, and it affected his results elsewhere. Such a simple mistake, and so easily corrected, too! Nick couldn't wait to get back to the lab and try modifying the program. If there weren't any other bugs, he could pretty much call this assignment done.
Dressing quickly, he gathered up the printouts and moved over to the aquarium, intending to bring Emily along. After a short time in the lab, they could grab some lunch and maybe enjoy another picnic together. She was still asleep, though, curled up amongst the folds of the towel, looking far too comfortable to disturb.
Nick watched her for a lingering moment. She was still wearing the jumpsuit, apparently having never awakened during the night to remove it. Her tiny face looked absolutely blissful as she breathed deeply, lost in some dream or other. It occurred to Nick that he'd never seen anything quite so lovely in all his life.
He let out a deep sigh. There was no longer any question of forcing her to stay with him. He cared about her too much now. Maybe this was what love felt like--he didn't really know for sure. All he knew was this was no longer a pet he was looking at, sleeping ever so quietly on her blanket before him. She was a friend, at the very least. Someone he cared about, anyway. He could never force her to do anything against her will. Never again.
He stood up, reluctantly tearing his gaze from the pretty little woman in black, and heading for the door. Keeping his footsteps soft, he exited and let the lock click shut behind him as quietly as possible. She was right all along, of course, he now knew. She was a human, a person--not a snipe after all. Taking her from her home was wrong, and he felt terrible about it now. That was a mistake he intended to rectify tomorrow, when the week they'd agreed to was finally over.
That is, assuming she wanted to go. There was always a chance she'd decide staying with him was what she preferred. He doubted that, though. Playing D&D, going on trips outside, and that sort of thing would get boring eventually. He just didn't have anything else to offer her. Even if she told him she wanted to stay, she wouldn't really mean it.
Yes, he was going to have to let her go, wasn't he? Nick sighed again as he made his way down the stairs, heading for his bike. He knew where the park was, of course, and how to get there--he was pretty sure he could bike to it, though it would take at least an hour, maybe more. Maybe, after he set her free, he could go back there on weekends and visit her. Maybe.
Probably not, he told himself, but he could always dream, right? Emily was the only girl he could really talk to. She was the only real friend he'd had in quite some time. Giving her up was going to be hard, but it was the right thing to do. Besides, they still had the rest of today and most of tomorrow. He'd have to make the most of that time. A movie, perhaps, and tonight's D&D session as well. Yes, there were plenty of things they could still do together before it all had to end.
He exited the dorm, frowning at the overcast sky and wishing he'd brought his jacket. It wasn't raining yet, but probably would be by the time he finished at the lab. Going back in for the jacket would only wake the little sleeper, though. No, he could stand to get a bit wet if he had to.
He unlocked the bike, climbed aboard, and headed off, completely unaware of the presence of Art Lassiter watching him from the doorway nearby.
With a yawn and stretch, Emily awoke. Such a wonderful dream, she thought with a smile. Cradled in a giant hand, massaged all over by gentle fingers...
Nick's fingers, she reminded herself, shuddering slightly at the memory. The dream faded, replaced by the events of the previous evening. He really wasn't so bad after all, was he? Once he started thinking of her as a person, he proved himself as far as she was concerned. Kind, gentle, always attentive to her...the right sort of man for any girl, if she could just get past his dorky appearance.
Last night was the perfect example. She didn't ask for the massage--he volunteered it, and was careful to make sure it was what she wanted. Plus, even though she was pretty sure he wanted to explore her little body further, he didn't. In fact, he wouldn't even have dared to ask.
Emily chuckled to herself. As she drifted off to sleep, underneath that amazing finger, she distinctly recalled wishing he would. She'd fantasized about it often enough, after all. He would never ask, though, so she'd have to be the one to offer. All she would have to do was unzip the bodysuit, slip out of it with a playful smile, and then...
She laughed again. Oh, how his face would turn red! Would he even be able to touch her, if she offered her body to him? Possibly, but she'd never know. She knew she would never do that. She simply couldn't.
They were friends now. Over the course of the last week, they'd forged a pretty good relationship, but it wasn't anything more than friendship, nor did she want it to be anything else. Oh, sure, her body did, but it would be the biggest mistake ever. She understood that, perhaps only instinctively, but she knew it all the same.
She had to go back home. That much was a given. Tomorrow, their deal would expire, and Nick would have to let her go. She had little doubt that he would do so willingly. She knew him well enough now, and he wouldn't hold her against her will.
Of course, Emily thought as she climbed to her feet and stretched herself awake, she could always stay. Sometime tomorrow, he would ask that question. He would ask if she wanted to go home, and she could always decline.
But what then? Spend her life sleeping in an aquarium, in a college dorm room, watching TV and playing Dungeons & Dragons for the rest of her life? That's what it would come down to, she knew. As long as she stayed with Nick, that's all she had. Even if they became more than friends, someday, he'd always be a giant and she'd always be small.
No, she had to go home. This was a nice vacation, and a much-needed escape from the colony, but that's all it was. Nick would take her back when she asked, and let her go where he found her. Her parents would be overjoyed to see her again, and quite honestly, she'd be glad to be back, at least for a while.
Maybe Nick could come visit, she thought with a nod. Yeah, he'd love that, no doubt. He could come out to the park, and she'd sneak out to visit him. That would be perfect. It wouldn't hurt the colony, either, because he already knew about her anyhow. She was sure he'd keep their secret, too. When he let her go, like he promised, she'd know he was a man of his word.
Moving over to the corner of the aquarium, she leaned down and took a sip of water from the plastic bottle cap. There was a fresh cracker nearby, too, but she wasn't hungry yet. Besides, even if she was, she wanted to hold off for lunch. One of the best things about this little vacation of hers was that she could eat some real food for a change, and she wasn't about to waste that miniscule space in her tiny stomach on something so bland.
She looked around, but didn't see any way out of the aquarium, nor did she see Nick asleep on the distant bed. The computer printout was gone, too, so it was obvious where he went Bless his heart, he didn't wake her up when he left, did he? He was kind enough to let her sleep!
Unfortunately that left her trapped, but she didn't mind. There were exercises she could do, and she knew he wouldn't leave her stuck in here for long. He must've figured out the bug and gone to fix it.
In fact, she could hear footsteps approaching now. Nick was coming back already! She pressed herself up against the glass, hearing the lock turn, watching the doorknob move, eager to ask him all about how he'd solved the problem with the code.
The door opened...but it wasn't Nick.
Emily gasped in horror as the heavyset, mustached figure of Art Lassiter stepped into the room, followed closely by the rail-thin and nervous-looking Luke Cunningham. There was nowhere to go--even though the roof was off the aquarium, there was no easy way out. She'd once contemplated pushing the towel together until its folds were high enough to let her jump to the edge, and that might've worked, but now she didn't have time for that.
She stood paralyzed as the two entered, unable to think. If their arrival hadn't been such a total shock, she might've had time to wriggle under the blanket, but that idea never occurred to her.
"Okay," said Art in that deep, booming voice of his, "let's see if he left that pet in--"
He stopped short as his eyes landed on the frozen figure of Emily, whose hands were still pressed up against the glass. He, too, stood paralyzed while Luke bumped into him, stumbling past. "What the fuck?" he demanded.
Art stepped forward, eyes fixed on the tiny figure in the aquarium. A slightly trembling hand rose up and pointed a shaky finger in her direction. "Holy shit," he muttered absently. "Holy fucking shit!"
"What are you--" Luke started, only to stop as he, too, saw the four-inch woman standing there. "Oh, wow," he managed, stepping closer, staying right on his companion's heels.
At their approach, Emily's fear broke and she instinctively tried to run, only to trip sprawling in the folds of the blanket. Scrambling to her feet, she dashed into the corner, trying fruitlessly to climb the slick walls, mindlessly repeating the word "No!" over and over.
"You gotta be kidding me," said Art, standing over the aquarium with eyes fixed on the panicked Emily. "You gotta be fucking kidding me."
"Is...is that real?" asked the gaping Luke. "Is that what it looks like, or am I dreaming?"
"Sure as hell looks real to me." Art turned to his friend. "See? I told you he had some kind of pet in here!"
"Yeah, but I didn't think...my God. Oh...my...God..."
In the corner of the cage, Emily ran out of energy and collapsed, sobbing. She didn't even struggle when Art's meaty fingers reached in to take her away.
Nick was ecstatic. The programming problem was indeed excessively easy to fix. Just declaring that one variable local made all the difference. His fault for using such ordinary variable naming conventions, but that was the kind of mistake he easily could learn from. Next time any variables in subroutines would have clearly identifiable subroutine-based labels.
He locked up the bike and hurried inside, keeping the final printout covered under his shirt. It wouldn't do to have his completed assignment get wet from the drizzle, after all. Fortunately, it hadn't started really raining hard yet, though he had little doubt it would. The sky looked like it meant serious business this morning.
Continuing upstairs, he wiped off his glasses on a dry part of his shirt and headed for his dorm room. He couldn't wait to deliver the news to Emily. With the program done, he'd have the entire rest of the weekend to spend with her now.
While riding back, an idea occurred to him, and while he didn't know for sure if she'd like the idea, he intended to at least suggest it. Why not introduce her to the gaming group tonight? They'd certainly be shocked, that's for sure, but since she was going home tomorrow it wouldn't matter if anyone else knew about her. Plus, that way she could participate in the D&D game, once the other players got over the surprise of having a four-inch high guest in their midst.
Nick was still running that amusing scenario through his mind when he reached the door to his dorm. His first indication that something was wrong came as he turned the key in the lock. Instead of hearing the usual click of the sliding bolt, there was nothing but silence. Yet he was certain he'd locked it when he left. He remembered quite clearly making sure he turned the key as quietly as possible. That door had been locked--he'd stake his life on it.
His heart was already sinking through the floor as he stepped inside, rushing desperately to the aquarium. The twisted wrinkles in the blanket at the back corner told the tale.
Emily was gone.
Even now, half an hour later, Luke Cunningham couldn't believe his eyes. A real, honest to God woman, only four inches tall! It didn't seem possible, but there she was, cowering in the back of the shoebox, eyes red with tears. She was curled up in a fetal position and shuddering, breaths coming short and ragged, too frightened to even cry out any more.
Nearby, Art Lassiter was still exulting in his discovery, calling everybody he knew to get them to come see this amazing wonder that he'd found. This was after spending quite some time poking and prodding his tiny captive, drawing cries of pain and pitiful begging for mercy from the miniature prisoner. She could speak, obviously, and show emotions, and she breathed and cried...there was no doubt this was a real person, somehow miniaturized to doll size.
Luke was entranced. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined anything like this was possible. Somehow, Nick had done something amazing. Something incredible.
But how? The tiny woman hadn't spoken other than to beg her captors to let her go, so Luke didn't know anything about her or how she got that way. Was she a real person Nick had somehow shrunk down? Did he make her in the science lab, with cloning or something like that? Was she an alien from a planet much smaller than Earth? Luke didn't know, but regardless of the answer, there was no denying what he was seeing.
A woman. Four inches tall. Right there in front of him.
He reached out with a quivering finger and held it near her. She gave a little cry and tried to shy away, as if there was anyplace she could go. For the briefest of instants Luke touched her, recoiling as if she were on fire. She was real, as real as he was. Just...tiny. Incredibly, amazingly tiny.
No wonder Nick kept her in a cage, thought Luke. She was so delicate. So fragile-looking.
Luke struggled to imagine the scenario. Nick, that incredible geek, had a pet girl! Here they'd been thinking it was a mouse or something, but a real person...he couldn't quite wrap his mind around the idea. To have your very own pet girl...
"Dude, you gotta see this," Art was saying nearby, speaking into his cell phone with great enthusiasm. "I'm serious. Get your ass over here. You won't believe it. I found her in Nick's room. Yeah, Nick the Nerd. You know the guy. He's had her all this time and nobody knew. No, this isn't a joke! Come see for yourself. Bye."
Art put the phone back in his pocket and turned back to the shoebox. "Amazing," he muttered, almost to himself. "Of all the people it had to be Nick! Where'd he get you, anyway? Where'd you come from?"
Emily didn't reply, except to turn away and try to squeeze herself deeper into the cardboard corner.
"Come on, I know you can talk," went on Art. He reached in with his fingers and rudely pried her loose, lifting her screaming into the air. "Tell me, where'd you come from?"
"Please," she gasped weakly, struggling to get loose from his grip. Her voice was little more than high-pitched squeaking. "Please, you're hurting me!"
Art dropped her into his palm, where she curled up again. "I'll hurt you more if you don't answer," growled Art. "What's your name? Where'd you come from?"
"E-emily," she muttered. "My name's Emily."
"And where'd you come from?" demanded Art loudly.
"E-experiment," she gasped, shivering with terror. "It was an e-ex-experiment. Please let me go! Please!"
"I don't think so," chuckled Art. "I haven't had enough fun with you yet. What were you, his pet? Or his play toy? Or both?"
He didn't wait for an answer, instead reaching down to clutch her between his fingers once again. As she cried out in pain, he fondled her roughly, squeezing and probing, while the still-awestruck Luke looked on.
There was a sudden knock at the door, and then it opened, and another man entered, glaring at Art. "Okay, I'm here, what's the big deal waking me up so early on a Saturday morn--"
He stopped when Art held up the tiny, cowering form of Emily. Grinning, he said, "Told you."
"Holy shit!" the new arrival muttered, shaking his head in wonder. "Okay, I take back all those things I said about you on the way over here. Is she real?"
"See for yourself."
Luke watched as the fragile, delicate little thing was roughly dumped into the waiting palm. More rough fondling ensued, and poor little Emily could barely cry out any more. The struggling she was able to muster was completely ineffective and quite pitiful.
Luke shivered. She was so helpless! They could hurt her, or even kill her, and they didn't even care. There were more coming, too. From the calls he'd made, Art had probably summoned the whole football team. What would they do to her when they got here?
This is my fault, Luke realized suddenly. He was the one who'd let Art into Nick's room. He shouldn't have done that, but then, Art was pretty persuasive. Everything would've been fine if there'd been a mouse in that aquarium, but a tiny woman? Nobody could've predicted that. How was he supposed to know? How could anyone know?
The door opened again and another football player arrived, and the previous encounter was repeated, with predictable results. Emily was transferred to yet another pair of uncaring hands, to be fondled and abused. The men laughed and joked as they poked at the helpless little thing in their grasp.
Luke turned away. He couldn't watch this anymore. He couldn't stand here looking on while an innocent person had to suffer such abuses, no matter how small she was.
Quietly, he slipped out the door, his thoughts dark, hoping nobody would notice his departure.
The door to the briefing room burst open and Dr. Leomund Johnson stormed in, looking ready to blow a fuse. "This better be good," he hissed angrily. "I'm sick of all these false alarms and delays! We should've gone ahead and left when we wanted--"
Dr. Arvin Tolliver put up his hands, a gesture that demanded instant silence. "This isn't a false alarm," he proclaimed. "This is it, Leo. This is it!"
"W-what do you mean?" asked Dr. Johnson, hardly daring to hope.
"Listen." He held up the recorder, a grossly oversized device in proportion to the tiny scientists, but a marvel of miniaturization otherwise. He pressed a button, and the static-filled replay began.
"You gotta get over here," said a deep male voice. "You won't believe what I found in the nerdlinger's room."
"What?" came the sleepy-sounding reply. "A stash of Hustlers? A box of dope? What?"
"Better than that," said the first voice. "A woman. A real woman."
"Huh? Are you kidding me? Nick has a girlfriend?"
The other speaker laughed. "Not like you think. He had her in a cage."
"Dude, start making sense. You're telling me he had a cage in his dorm room? How's that possible?"
"Because," chuckled the first voice, "she's only about as big as your finger."
Dr. Tolliver shut off the recorder. "It goes on," he said with a smile, "but you get the idea. There were a number of other similar phone calls from the same cell, but this is the break we've been looking for. We're triangulating the location right now, but I do believe we've found your daughter!"
Nick finished his search of the room for the third time, not caring at all about the mess he'd created as he dug into every corner and pulled out every piece of furniture. His eyes were red and his chest constricted as emotion after emotion coursed through him--feelings he didn't know he had the capability to possess.
There was a part of him that knew Emily hadn't run away or escaped, or had some terrible accident trying to get out of the aquarium. Yet these were the only scenarios he could consciously face. The only solution that gave him any sort of control was that she was still in his room somewhere, hurt or in hiding, and all he had to do was find her.
The only other answer was the unthinkable--that someone had come into his room and taken her away. Oh, sure, the blanket in the aquarium was mussed and the water cap askew from her obvious struggles, and there wasn't any way she could've gotten out on her own, but he steadfastly refused to accept that evidence, focusing instead on the other, less likely possibilities.
If someone had taken her--no, he wouldn't think about that! Right now they could be--
Angrily, he threw one of his books across the room, where it banged off the wall and landed in the sink. This was his fault! He shouldn't have left her here alone! He should've woken her up and taken her along, but no, he had to let her sleep. She was so beautiful, lying there, breathing softly, dreaming...
Dammit, he had to do something! But what could he do? Storm through the building, searching every room? They'd think he'd gone crazy, and if someone really had taken her, they'd just hide her someplace and he'd never know.
Gradually, with great difficulty, he forced himself to accept the only real explanation. Someone had taken her. The door was unlocked and she'd struggled in the aquarium. Plus, he knew she wouldn't escape, not when they only had one day left together. She had to know she'd be released tomorrow. Didn't she...?
My fault, he scolded himself. My fault. I should've let her go earlier. I shouldn't have held her here. I should've--
Too late now. Too damn late. She was gone, and all he could do was tear up his dorm room, throwing things around, cursing under his breath, wishing there was something he could do.
There had to be something he could do! Nick paced back and forth, trying to focus. But what could he possibly do? He didn't know where she was or who had her. He didn't know anything. What was he supposed to do, sit here waiting until someone showed up to clue him in? But what would that mean? Would there be some sort of ransom? Or would they turn her in to the authorities?
He doubted that. He'd already been out of his mind for at least half an hour. If they'd taken her to the campus police, someone already would've come to arrest him for kidnapping.
That was another problem, too. He couldn't exactly involve the authorities in this. After all, he'd kidnapped Emily in the first place, hadn't he? Yes, that was exactly what he'd done. If he had it all to do over again, he would've left her there. Perhaps tried to talk to her for a while, but he'd never have taken her away from her home.
And this was where it led, that moment of weakness where he'd committed that terrible crime, taking an innocent girl away from her family, and for what? To imprison her and make her his pet...
The enormity of what he'd done came crashing down on him, and Nick collapsed his bed, tears welling up once more in his eyes.
I have to fix this, he told himself. I have to get her back and take her home. But how?
Wiping the tears back, Nick forced himself to concentrate. He had to find some way to approach this that would help him think. Maybe if he treated it like a computer program, with ordered logic, calculations, and variables. Yet after a few minutes of trying, he realized he just didn't have enough information. There were too many variables and no way to process them all.
He needed another angle. As he sat there, rubbing his forehead, his eyes fell upon a scattered pile of hardback books. Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, that was it. That's what this was, an adventure! Emily was a princess, a damsel in distress, under a spell...and he was the heroic player character, on a quest to save her from the cruel, vicious ogre that held her prisoner.
Well, perhaps nothing so fanciful, but the idea was the same. He had to face this like he would while playing D&D. What would he do if he was a PC and the DM just told him the princess had been kidnapped? He'd inspect the area for clues, ask witnesses what they'd seen...
There weren't any witnesses, but there was a scene of the crime to investigate. He moved across the room purposely to peer into the aquarium. After a few minutes of careful inspection, he noticed that along the edges of the glass in the corner, where the blanket was most disturbed, there were a couple of faint smears. Fingerprints, as if someone had jammed their fingers in there to grab her.
That proved someone had taken her, then. He knew he'd never reached his fingers in there like that. He'd never had to pick her up against her will, at least not since the first day, and certainly never when she was in the fish tank.
Still, this didn't really help, did it? The prints were too smeared, and besides, he didn't know how to lift them, or how to check them against police records. Nor could he involve the authorities in any case.
Well, what other evidence was there? The door was the only other thing that had been affected by the break-in. The lock was broken into somehow.
He stepped outside, looking back and forth down the hall, but nobody was there. Kneeling down, he inspected the lock carefully. There was no sign of any scratching, and the mechanism still worked, as he proved a moment later by testing it with his key.
So, someone was either really good at picking locks, or they had the key in the first place. He didn't know anyone in the former category, and felt it unlikely anybody in the dorm possessed those skills--or would just happen to pick his door to open that day. So it had to be someone with a key.
Who had a key? He did, and campus security, and the dean's office...and one other person. The hall monitor.
Luke Cunningham!
With a scowl, Nick slammed his door shut and marched off towards the stairs.
At that particular moment, Luke was sitting in his room, face cradled in his hands, sucking down yet another beer and struggling to control his own emotions.
In his mind, he could still see that poor, tiny thing being handed back and forth between the football players, tortured and laughed at like some kind of meaningless toy. She was a real person, though. Emily was her name. Emily...
No one had the right to be treated that way. Nobody. Was that what Nick did to her, every day, every time he came back to his room? No, Luke knew that wasn't true. Emily wasn't bruised or broken when he found her. She'd been taken care of, just like anyone would care for their pet. Their little pet girl.
He couldn't shake that vision of Art pawing at her curvy little body, pinching and squeezing, trying unsuccessfully to peel that skintight black catsuit off her tiny form, while she screamed and struggled helplessly. Art didn't even care that he was hurting her, or that she was a real woman and not some plastic doll that could somehow move and talk. All he knew was that this was something that he could do whatever he wanted to, and she couldn't stop him. That's the kind of person Art was.
Luke shuddered. A long time ago, when he came to this college, he might've become like Nicholas Stinson, the classic freshman dork. Yet when Art pushed Luke around during his first days at school, the gangly teenager managed to come up with the right thing to say, and the right promises of tribute--enough that Art eventually accepted him as an associate of sorts. Certainly the two weren't friends by any means, but at least they got along.
Now, though, Luke was starting to realize the truth of things. Art only tolerated his presence, didn't he? And he only let him hang around when he needed something, like a ride to the campsite, or the answers to a test, or the key to Nick's dorm room...
Luke supposed, gulping down another half-can of warm beer to drown his sorrows, that he'd understood this all along. This was the price he had to pay to not be treated like Nick. To get to watch, instead, while Nick was made fun of. To join in, if he wanted to, and utter a silent prayer of thanks that it wasn't him on the receiving end.
And this was where it led. Nick did something--something what? Terrible? Amazing? Unbelievable? Whatever it was, he used that power, and now he had a pet girl of his own. Someone he at least was taking care of. And now that incredible miniature girl was trapped in Art's merciless hands, all because he, Luke Cunningham, was too weak to stand up for her.
Maybe he could've done something. What, he didn't know, but he could at least have tried. Now it was too late. Far too late...
He finished off his fourth can, now well into the alcohol-induced buzz he was searching for, and was reaching for the next when the banging started at his door. "Luke!" a familiar voice yelled. "Luke! Open up! I need to talk to you!"
He knew the voice was Nick's. A surge of fear rushed through Luke then. What if Nick really could somehow shrink people? What if he was going to do it to Luke right now, in retaliation? What if he'd be the next little pet in that aquarium?
Well, he told himself through the haze that surrounded his thoughts, if that's my fate, I guess it's what I deserve.
He stood up and walked slowly and shakily to the door, opening it with a feeling of detached numbness. Sure enough, Nick was there, dressed in a pair of jeans and one of those idiotic sci-fi T-shirts he always wore. He looked rather pissed off, too, but at least he wasn't holding an obvious shrink ray in his hands.
"I guess I figured you'd show up," Luke said worriedly, fear penetrating his growing inebriation. "You might as well come in."
"You know why I'm here?" asked Nick, apparently surprised by the response. Perhaps he expected some sort of denial--certainly not the kind of timid, fretful reaction he was seeing.
"Yeah," said Luke sadly, backing carefully away from his visitor. "Look, man, for what it's worth, I'm sorry. If I'd known--if I knew what you had in there, I never would've let him in. This is all my fault. I admit it, okay? I'm sorry!"
Nick just stared at him in complete befuddlement. This clearly wasn't what he was expecting to hear, but after a moment he recovered his senses. "Who?" he asked urgently. "Who'd you let in?"
"How'd you do it?" muttered Luke, still looking fearful as he spoke. In fact, he looked like he was ready to dive for cover at any moment. "How'd you make her so small? I gotta know, man. How'd you do that to her?"
"It doesn't matter," insisted Nick. "Please, Luke! If you really mean it, if you're really sorry, you have to tell me! Who has Emily?"
"Art Lassiter," replied Luke, and Nick's heart sank.
Of course it would be Art, thought Nick, leaving Luke's room behind without a second glance. Of course.
His fault. Again. He'd tipped the jock off, hadn't he? He'd let on that there was something in his room, and Art couldn't let it go. Somehow he got Luke to break campus rules and open Nick's door, and that was that.
Too bad Luke wasn't more help, but he was halfway drunk already and getting more wasted by the second. Nick was lucky to get anything else out of him at all. He did, however, now know where Art lived--the third floor of the athletic dorm, halfway across campus by the gym.
The rest of the news wasn't good, realized Nick as he grabbed his jacket and hurriedly departed his dorm room. Apparently Art felt the need to show Emily off to the rest of the football team. So now Nick had to come up with a way to rescue her from the clutches of at least a dozen burly men, each of them probably able to bench-press twice Nick's body weight without breaking a sweat.
He made his way to his bike, paying little heed to the rain, knowing full well he had to hurry--who knew what they were doing to poor little Emily right now? Yet he couldn't just bust in there without a plan of some kind. They'd beat the crap out of him and toss him in the mud, then go back to whatever they were doing. Worse, once they knew he was aware of who had her, he'd never get another chance to get her back.
What could he do, though? What could he do?
D&D, he reminded himself. This is a D&D adventure. The princess is held captive by not one ogre, but a whole pack of them, and he was just one lonely hero. How could he get her back? Certainly not with brute force. He'd have to use his wits. Ogres were big, but they were also dumb. How could he capitalize on that?
As he started pedaling, oblivious to the raindrops pelting at him, he suddenly remembered Luke's strange reaction to his arrival. The man actually seemed afraid of Nick--why? The answer came to him immediately--because Luke had seen a tiny person trapped in an aquarium, and he didn't know how she got that way.
He didn't know how she got that way...
Riding through the rain, Nick began to smile, and he angled his bike not towards the gym, but somewhere else entirely.
The hidden observer's name was Simon Atcheson, and he was, in theory, a scientist. Just not at the moment. No, at one time he'd been in the military, and so they chose him to lead this particular task force--a job he didn't really want, but since there was no one else to do it, he had to do his best.
At the moment he was sitting on a window sill, hidden in the shadows, just barely out of the heavy downpour going on just inches away. If he'd been any larger, or dressed in anything other than one of the colony's ubiquitous black steelweave suits, he would've been spotted for sure. Instead, as he'd done for the last week or so, he'd been able to move about the campus unseen, placing miniature cameras and microphones everywhere he could in the hopes of locating the missing girl, Emily Johnson.
There were several others out there as well, watching and monitoring, hoping to figure out where Emily might be. They hadn't had any luck at all. Still, they knew she had to be on campus somewhere. Satellite photos proved the vehicles that left the park that morning came back here. Unfortunately, their owners didn't check out. Despite round the clock observations of those subjects, it was clear none of them had Emily or were even aware of her existence.
All the search team could do from that point was spread out, watch, and listen. Then, just a short while ago, came the news that someone else on campus had found Emily. Cell phone broadcasts had been traced back to this location, and sure enough, once he managed to climb to the window, Simon could see the truth for himself, much as it pained him to do so.
There were at least a dozen giants in there, burly football player types who were busy making a plaything out of Emily. Simon's tiny hands clenched repeatedly into fists as he watched, glad he couldn't get a particularly detailed view through the rain-spotted windows. They seemed to be playing some sort of drinking game while Emily's tiny figure was repeatedly pushed and poked across a tabletop. All the while, the men were laughing and enjoying themselves.
Simon wanted nothing more than to burst into that room and blow them all away, but of course he couldn't. He was no bigger than Emily, so he wouldn't fare any better, if they knew he was here. All he could do was what he'd done already--report that he'd spotted the target, and wait for the rest of the team. When they got here, with all the heavy equipment...well then, maybe then he could put a stop to this.
He turned away, unable to watch as yet another of the men picked her up and started playing with her. They couldn't seem to figure out how to get the bodysuit off, but that hadn't stopped them from doing things that would've surely made the normally mild-mannered Dr. Leo Johnson contemplate violence had he known. That was his daughter in there, after all. Simon shuddered again, wondering what he'd do if that was his offspring in the clutches of those monsters. Fortunately, his children were safely tucked away back in the colony where they belonged.
He shut his eyes, glad he couldn't hear any laughs or voices over the rain. There was no way he could ever let Dr. Johnson know the details of what was going on here. It would kill him.
What the team was planning to do might not work, he realized. If this hastily conceived plan failed, the entire lot of them was at risk. Yet, as had been decided a week before by the colony management, breaking out the emergency weapons cache was really the only option available. Besides, they had to do something. If they didn't--
He shook his head, trying to put that thought out of his head. What might happen to poor Emily if they failed was unthinkable. They had to succeed. They had to!
A low whine came to his ears, and he glanced down, towards the source of the noise. There, coming in low along the hedge that separated the dormitory grounds from the rest of the university, came a small helicopter that looked almost like a toy model. Undaunted by the rain, the craft hovered near the ground, pivoted about, and settled down in the wet grass. Four more men clad in black emerged, carrying heavy equipment and wearing backpacks. Without a word, they dashed to the thin rope dangling from the third story and began to climb. Meanwhile, the helicopter droned away, disappearing into the mist.
Simon nodded, watching them come. The weapons they were carrying hadn't been tested beyond the laboratory, and probably not in wet conditions. Would they even work?
They'd better, he thought to himself as the rest of the team steadily drew closer.
Nick stood at the door, listening to the laughing and cheering going on beyond. He knew what had to be happening there, but tried to put it out of his mind. He had to remember what he was doing. He had to focus.
He wasn't Nicholas Stinson, computer geek and tongue-tied pushover anymore. He couldn't afford to be that person right now. He had to roleplay this perfectly.
If they even suspected...but no, even he had to believe it. That's how roleplaying worked, after all. You get so into the mind of your character that you become that character, at least for a while. That's what separated roleplaying from mere acting, at least as far as he was concerned. You think like them and act like them in every way. You are that person.
He looked down at the oddly shaped device cradled under his left arm. It looked like a piece of junk, of course, but then he only had a short time to cobble it together with parts from the electrical engineering lab. There were even a few working lights, and a gun-like barrel and trigger, but the whole thing was held together with duct tape and shaky bolts. A couple pieces came off during the bike ride, but he didn't have time to worry about that now.
Steeling himself, he knocked loudly on the door. Get into character, he told himself, pushing his glasses high up on his nose. He set his jaw in a firm line and stood up straight, holding the device steady in his left hand.
The door opened. A face he didn't recognize was there, but he knew this was one of the other football players that frequently hung out with Art Lassiter. "What the hell do you want?" demanded the jock.
"I want to talk to Art," said Nick firmly, lifting up the device slightly higher. "Now."
The man started to reply, but his eyes fell on the bizarre-looking gun and he hesitated. Something in Nick's words seemed to suggest he meant business. The jock stepped back into the room and yelled, "Hey Art! Some geeky kid here to see you."
"What?" demanded Art's voice. "You gotta be--who is it? Oh, yeah, it's the nerd! Hey, everybody, look who it is! Come to beg for his pet back, I bet!"
The clamor came to a halt, punctuated by a few intermittent laughs, and everyone turned to the doorway. Nick boldly took a step into the room, forcing himself somehow to stay in character. The weapon in his left arm blinked and hummed. Emily, cringing between glasses of beer on the tabletop, caught sight of him and tried to run in his direction, only to be blocked by a meaty hand. She might've yelled something, but he didn't hear it.
"You have something of mine," growled Nick loudly, and the remaining conversation in the room died out. "Give her back. Now."
Art laughed at that, and several of the others joined in, but just as many remained silent, eyes fixed on the strange device Nick was holding. At least some of them had enough sense to understand the obvious threat, and recognize the possibilities suggested by that weapon.
"Or what?" Art demanded, storming around the table towards Nick, still not quite noticing the device. "What are you going to do, nerd?"
Nick hefted up the heavy machine, reached underneath, and threw a small switch. The low whine grew to a loud buzz as something inside began to spin. "When I invented this," he said calmly, uttering a silent prayer that this gamble would work, "I swore I'd never use it on people. Then there was...an accident." He inclined his head in Emily's direction. "I've been taking care of her ever since, trying to find a cure. So far, nothing works. I was hoping no one else would ever see her, but..."
He paused for effect. Every eye in the room was fixed on either him or the weapon he was holding. "So we can do this two ways. You can give her back and forget you ever saw her. Or, if you want...we can go with the hard way."
He raised the gun and aimed it directly at Art. For the first time ever, Nick saw fear on the jock's face. It took a deliberate act of will not to smile or laugh, but he set his face with the same grim expression he knew was in keeping with his character.
"You're kidding me, right?" asked Art shakily, taking a step backward. "You really expect me to believe that thing is some kind of shrink ray?"
The rest of the room was absolutely silent. Most of the football players had already backed away from the table. Those still seated slowly stood and began looking around for places to hide. None of them took their eyes off that gun. What was going through their heads was obvious: What if he uses it on me? What if I can't get back to normal? Even Art was clearly thinking it, too, but the fear of looking weak in front of the team was battling its way to the fore.
Nick pointed at Emily, who was standing on the edge of the table, gazing up at him in something akin to awe. He forced himself not to look at her, staying locked in character. If he faltered for even a moment, the whole plan would come crashing down around his ears. Instead, he replied carefully, every word spoken deliberately for maximum effect.
"You've seen the results for yourselves, haven't you? I'm sorry, Emily. I never should've left something this dangerous where you could find it."
"It's okay," she yelled at him from the table. "I forgive you, Nick! Just don't use it again! You'd never be able to forgive yourself!"
He nodded slowly and risked a quick smile. She was playing along, bless her tiny heart! All that roleplaying together was paying dividends, exactly as he'd hoped.
"The things they must've done to you," he went on, shaking his head sadly, "and you want me to show mercy? I should just blast them now and be done with it!"
"No, you can't! Nobody deserves to be like this!" she replied, playing along beautifully. "Not even them!"
He nodded, turning back to Art, who swallowed and glanced about as if looking for a way out of the room. Nick sighed resignedly. "She's right about one thing, Art. I don't want to use this. God knows I've thought about it often enough, but she's right. People don't deserve to be the size of toys. Now just give her back. Please."
"Dude," said someone near the head of the table, "just take her and get the fuck out!"
"Yeah," said someone else, cowering near a couch, "and watch where you're pointing that goddamn thing!"
Nick stepped forward, calmly, and reached out to collect Emily with his free hand. She jumped in eagerly, clinging to his fingers with something very much like desperation. Every impulse, every nerve in his body screamed at him to run for the door, to flee with every ounce of speed his feet could produce. Yet those frantic urges meant nothing to him. That's what Nick the Nerd would do, but that person wasn't here. In his place was Nick the Hero.
"Are you all right?" he asked Emily, feeling newfound confidence surging through him.
"Yeah," she replied, hugging his thumb gratefully. "Let's just go, Nick. Let's go!"
He nodded. "All right, it's time to take you home."
He turned towards the door, elated by his success, trying to decide if he should utter any parting words, and a sudden movement caught his eye. For an instant he thought perhaps Art was calling his bluff and rushing him, but that wasn't it. There was something in the window, off to the side, where only he could see. For an instant he saw tiny, human-shaped shadows silhouetted in the glass, and then--
And then all Hell broke loose.
The first thing that happened was the window exploded inward. Instantly chaos erupted. Most of the jocks dove for their predetermined hiding places, some screaming, others simply cowering under furniture or behind others, all equally afraid that Nick's terrible shrink ray might sweep across them at any second.
Next, at least a half-dozen popping sounds preceded the bright flash of multiple explosions all around the room. From pinprick-sized spots on the floor and tabletop, gouts of white smoke burst forth with loud, steaming hisses. Several of the jocks yelled for mercy, but there were just as many cries of pain as some of them ran over each other in blind panic.
More explosions followed, bursting randomly throughout the room, and now at least a couple of the men there seemed to realize something else was happening that didn't involve Nick. Two of them started to push towards the door, the only exit save the window, and that seemed to be the source of the popping explosions.
Throughout all this Nick stood paralyzed, totally taken aback. Everything had been working perfectly, and then--and then what? What was going on? He had no idea, but it was screwing up everything!
All at once he realized the danger as the two panicked jocks separated from the crowd, dashed across the smoky room, and blundered into him. They didn't seem to care about the risk of the shrink ray anymore as they pushed their way by, darting down the corridor in panic. Yet as they ran, they shoved Nick back into the wall, and he stumbled, almost losing his balance. In his struggle to recover, he lost his tenuous grip on the device and it crashed to the floor, shattering into a dozen pieces. The grinding sound inside the casing sputtered and came to a halt.
"I knew it!" came a cry from the room, and Nick's head jerked around to see Art, half-visible in the billowing smoke, pointing in his direction. Without another thought, Nick fled.
Art was hot on his heels, stumbling out behind him, coughing and wheezing. Yet Nick hadn't swallowed any of the gas yet, so he could run freely, while Art fought desperately for breath. The rest of the jocks, still inside, were already on hands and knees, well on their way to losing consciousness. There was no other pursuit.
Nick ran. He ran like the hounds of Hell were on his heels, and perhaps he was partially right. If Art had caught him then, surely he would've been beaten senseless, but the jock was in no shape to follow. Nick made it to his bike, left unlocked in his haste, and pedaled swiftly away, his tiny passenger zipped up carefully in his jacket pocket.
When Art finally emerged from the dorm, all he could do was clench his fists angrily as Nick's bicycle disappeared into the rain.
"Okay, let me see if I get this straight," came the voice of Dr. Tolliver over the miniature radio, "she was in the room, and then you broke in, and now she's gone?"
"Yes, sir, I'm afraid so," replied Simon sadly. "They were--well, let's just say there was a, um, party going on in there, and Emily was on the table, right in the middle of it. Then this kid showed up, with some kind of machine in his hand, like a gun or something. We couldn't hear what was going on, but everybody was afraid of it, whatever it was. The football players were all backing away, you see? It was the perfect diversion, so that's when we launched the attack, while they were all distracted. While we were doing it, though, we think the kid snatched Emily and ran off."
"Well, follow him!" shouted Arvin angrily. "You have the helicopter, don't you?"
"Of course, sir, but he got on a bicycle, and it's raining pretty heavily--"
"And you lost him." It wasn't a question, and the words fairly seethed with anger and frustration.
"I'm afraid so. The pilot thought it more important to recover the team first, before any of us got captured, and those were his orders, if you recall."
There was a long pause. Finally, Dr. Tolliver spoke again, this time with a bit less exasperation. "Yes, yes, of course, you're right. Those were his orders. None of us expected someone else to come in like that and take her. That must be the one who originally kept her prisoner."
"Yes, sir, that sounds reasonable. We do have his face on video, so he should be easy enough to identify. We'll track her down, I promise."
"You'd better." The voice on the other end of the line let out a long sigh. "Now I have to figure out how to tell this to Leo."
"Good luck with that, sir," said Simon, glad he wasn't the one who had to perform that particular duty.
"Just find her," sighed Dr. Tolliver. "And call me the instant you have any news. Any news at all."
Art didn't bother knocking, he just pushed his way into the room with a loud slam. If the door had been locked, he very likely would've broken it without thinking twice.
"Wha--?" Luke mumbled from the couch. "Oh--yeah, hey, Art, wassup?" His voice was slurred, and he didn't try to rise. Several empty beer cans littered the floor, and one was tipped over, its contents in a pool nearby. He didn't seem like he cared much about the mess.
"You!" growled Art. "You told him, didn't you? You fucking idiot!"
"Told who what?" asked Luke dumbly. "Oh wow, my head, everythin's spinnin round. Wow. What a buzz."
"You fucking retard." Art grabbed him by the collar, lifting him into a seated position. "You told him we had her, didn't you? Couldn't keep your damn fool mouth shut. I should've known when you left."
"Oh, oh, I get it," mumbled Luke half-coherently. "You mean Nick, yeah, of course, the shrinkin' man. Hee hee. Has a tiny pet girl. Can I have a pet girl, Art? Can I? I won't mistreat her like you. I promise."
Art shoved him away. "You're useless," he declared, storming around the apartment. "I can't believe I fell for that bullshit trick! Who knew the nerd could act?"
"What?" mumbled Luke, just as quickly forgetting what Art had said. "Dude. That girl. She so fuckin' tiny. Don't hurt her, man. So...so cute. God. I held someone in my hand. My fuckin' hand, man! My...goddamn...hand."
He slipped back on the couch and began to snore loudly. Art ignored him, continuing to search around. After a moment, he found what he was looking for. Without another word, he shoved the keys to Luke's car into his pocket and left.
Sitting atop another windowsill, Simon spoke quickly into the transmitter. "Sir, we found the place. At least, I'm pretty sure this is it. I can see an aquarium and there looks to be a blanket in the bottom of it. No sign of anyone, though."
There was a pause, then a crackling reply. "Stay put, I guess," said Dr. Tolliver. "Maybe they'll come back."
"I don't think so," replied Simon thoughtfully. "No, he'd be here by now. If I may suggest, sir, I think I know where he might be headed..."
Nick was soaked to the bone. He couldn't remember ever being this wet, short of diving into a swimming pool. Everything he wore was swollen with rainwater. He could barely see, but he plodded on, one pedal stroke after another, driving his bike forward at ten miles an hour, praying with every agonizing breath to see the entrance to the park somewhere ahead.
He knew he was close. He'd been riding for at least an hour. Or maybe several hours. He didn't know for sure. The park was only a dozen miles or so from the college, but that was via the highway. Using back roads, as he was doing now, might be longer. Or maybe not--the highway did sweep around in a big curve, after all.
He could've stopped, of course, but didn't dare. His muscles weren't used to this kind of treatment, and he certainly didn't get this wet and cold on a regular basis. If he stopped now, would he be able to start again? Probably not. No, he had to press on.
He had to get Emily home.
She was still in his pocket. Every now and then she called out, to ask if he was all right, and he answered yes between ragged gasps. They'd spoken briefly when the ride started, and her thanks and praise meant a lot, but once he got going, further conversation was impossible.
He'd done it, he kept telling himself. He stood up to the vicious ogres and fooled them all, using only his wits and a simple trick! If the rest of his gaming group could see him now...
Yet the battle wasn't over. The ogres were scattered, but their king was still out there. Nick knew he had to get the princess back to her father before the ogre leader caught up to him. He couldn't prove himself a true hero until then.
A hero. In all his life, Nicholas Stinson had never really been a hero. That's what D&D was for. In the game, he could be the hero he could never be in real life. At least, not until now. For the first time, he had an opportunity to do what he'd always dreamed of, and he wasn't about to let that chance slip by.
Besides which, he told himself between agonizing pedal strokes, this was still his fault. He's the one who got Emily into this. She was his responsibility. Maybe that's what being a hero was--facing up to his responsibilities. That, at least, was within his power to do.
Ahead, through rain-spattered glasses, he finally saw the sign for the park. At last! His quest was nearly over. Turning his bike slowly, he entered the parking lot, angling the bike to the gravel road that led deeper into the forest, towards the campground. The riding was harder now, and his progress was slowed greatly, but he soldiered on.
As he rode, he kept his eyes fixed directly ahead, vision blurred by the rain coating his glasses. He didn't see the recognizable car parked a short distance away, the same car that had brought him here on the camping trip the previous weekend. Luke Cunningham's car, in fact. Even if he had noticed it, though, Nick probably would've kept going. Getting Emily back to her family was all he could think about.
After what seemed like forever, he emerged into the camping area. There were a few small RVs and some tents up, plus some other vehicles deeper in, but nobody seemed to be out in the rain. At least the downpour was finally letting up.
He parked the bike at the lavatory, locking it on a nearby post, and proceeded on into the forest, towards where his group had camped the weekend before. His legs felt like jelly, but he didn't care. He was almost done.
As he walked, he unzipped the jacket pocket and withdrew his tiny cargo, cupping her in his hand to keep her safe from the rain. "Emily," he said quietly, "I'm so sorry all of this happened. I know you must hate me."
"No, no, I don't!" she insisted. "Nick, what you did back there...that was amazing! I'd completely lost hope. I never dreamed--and then you came in, with that thing, that fake shrink ray, and you even had me believing it was real. You're incredible! I really mean it."
"Thanks," he replied unabashedly, "but none of that would've been necessary if I hadn't kidnapped you in the first place."
"It's okay," she replied with a smile. "Like I said before, I forgive you. Besides, none of those bullies really hurt me. This suit is pretty tough."
"But they must've--"
"Don't worry about that," she interrupted. "They didn't hurt me. Not...not really. They would've, though, and soon, if you hadn't come when you did."
"It's still my fault," Nick went on. "I shouldn't have taken you away. I was no better than them. I saw a tiny person, that night in the forest, and I didn't even think. I just picked you up and took you. I think anyone would, you know. Maybe you should tell those other scientists that when you get back. You're so small, you're irresistible."
She smiled shyly, and he laughed at his own joke. "I'm going to miss that, y'know," he told her. "I'm going to miss being able to just joke around with you, Emily."
"Me too," she agreed. "But Nick, you can talk to people if you want! You just proved it. Just think of it as another kind of roleplaying."
"Yeah." He nodded, realizing what she was saying was true. "Yeah, I'll have to try that. It certainly worked before, didn't it? Thank you, Emily. Thanks for everything."
"That sounded awfully final, Nick."
"Yeah, it should. We're here." He stepped through the dripping trees into a small clearing, where a mud-filled fire pit was the only remaining vestige of the previous weekend's campsite. "This is it, Emily. Time to say goodbye."
"Oh, Nick, it doesn't have to be--"
She didn't get a chance to finish, because at that moment someone else stepped out of the trees, very close by. Someone big. Nick almost dropped her as he spun to face the new arrival, and his face went completely white.
"I thought you might come back here, nerd," hissed a very, very angry-looking Art Lassiter.
"Oh, God, no!" gasped Emily, even as Nick backed away and hastily shoved her into his pocket.
"I went to your room," growled Art, "but then I thought, you didn't really shrink anybody, did you? You found her out here, and she was already small, wasn't she? That's why you were acting so weird the next day. Isn't it?"
"Just go away, Art," said Nick, continuing to retreat as the football player slowly and deliberately advanced. "Please. Just let her go. She's a human being, not some toy you can play with!"
He chuckled. "You shouldn't have kept her to yourself, nerdlinger. You should've shared."
"So you could abuse her, like you were doing earlier?" he replied, not play-acting this time. Now he was speaking directly from the heart. "Just because she's small doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want. You would've raped her if I hadn't stopped you. You're scum, you know that? Do whatever you want to me, but it won't change that fact."
Art continued to laugh. "Wow, so the worm has really turned, hasn't he? Grown a backbone and everything. Too bad nobody's here to see it. Nobody but your tiny girlfriend. Can't get a real girl so you have to go for the itty bitty ones, eh?"
Of course, he would resort to insults, Nick realized. There was no sense replying to that. Instead, he glanced around, trying to figure out some way out of this. He could rush into the trees, but he doubted he'd get very far. His knees felt like mush. All he could hope to do was...
Yes, that's what he'd have to do. He carefully reached back into the pocket and took hold of Emily. Risking a glance down, he whispered, "How tough is that suit of yours, anyway? Can it take a fall?"
"Probably, but--wait, what are you planning, Nick?"
Art saw him holding her and stopped, just a couple of arm-lengths away. "Tell you what," he said with a grin, "you already trashed my dorm room, so when we get back, you're gonna pay enough for that. Just hand her over real nice, and I'll let you walk out of here with all your bones intact."
"There's no way she's going anywhere with you, asshole," growled Nick. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, Emily. I was hoping for a better goodbye. Now quick, hide yourself as best you can!"
With that, he turned towards the forest, aiming towards a patch of thick underbrush, and made a quick underarm throw. Emily managed a high-pitched scream as she sailed through the air, crashing into the leaves and disappearing from sight.
"You better run," yelled Art, knocking Nick down as he rushed past, "cause after I find her, you're a dead man!"
Somewhat dazed, Nick picked himself up out of the mud. Art was digging through the bushes, frantically searching for Emily. There was nothing he could do, except...
"There you are!" yelled Art gleefully. "C'mere, or I'll--"
Nick slammed full-force into his back, clamping on with both arms as tightly as he could. Art, surprised by the sudden and unexpected impact, toppled forward. There was a tiny shriek from Emily, who darted away into thick grass, out of sight for the moment.
Art rolled over, crashing through the bushes, trying frantically to dislodge Nick from his grasp. Nick, for his part, knew what would happen as soon as he lost hold, so he hung on for dear life. Gotta make this one last grapple check, he told himself, drawing on every ounce of strength his exhausted body had to offer. He managed to last almost half a minute, longer than he expected, which he prayed was long enough for Emily to get away.
Finally, with a powerful burst of strength, Art threw Nick from his back and stood up, growling furiously. Nick scrambled backward and got to his feet, teetering on his wobbly legs, wondering what to do next. He couldn't get far if he ran, but then, Art wouldn't pursue, or he'd lose any chance of catching his tiny prize. Yet if Art turned back to hunt for Emily, he'd just get tackled again. So that would leave him only one option--finish Nick off now, and quickly.
"You," said Art with a menacing grimace, "are so fucking dead!"
Nick did the only thing he could think of--the one thing he didn't think he would ever have the courage to do.
"Bring it," he hissed in reply.
Art lowered his body and charged. Nick knew he'd never get away, nor could he withstand the impact. Instead, he balled up a fist and swung with every ounce of power his frail body still possessed.
His fist struck Art squarely in the face. For a second it didn't seem like the tough jock even felt the blow, for he pressed on, slamming into Nick like a freight train. Yet even as he hit, he was already collapsing. His two-hundred-eighty-plus pound body landed directly on top of Nick, pinning him gasping to the muddy ground, until finally, after a few seconds of struggling, he found the strength to pull himself free.
Holy shit, thought Nick in amazement, looking down at the limp form on the forest floor. I actually took down Art Lassiter!
He jumped to his feet. "I did it!" he yelled, his whole body tingling with excitement. "I did it, Emily! I beat him! You can come out if you want! It's safe now!"
He hurried over to where he'd last seen her, crawling away into the bushes, but she wasn't there. He hunted around for a few more minutes, calling out for her, but she was gone.
"Daddy, please," Emily begged from underneath the rocks a dozen yards away. "Please! Let me go say goodbye to him! He deserves that, at least. Please! He saved me!"
"Not really," said Dr. Johnson, still hugging his daughter tightly, eyes rimmed with grateful tears. "That was one of our sharpshooters with a tranq rocket. Wasn't really sure those things would work, but--"
"I don't mean that," she complained urgently. "You saw him tackle that man! And before that, too. He got me out of that room, all on his own. Please, Daddy!"
"No, it's better this way," Leo replied with an exasperated sigh. "Let him go, Emily. It's a clean break. Besides which, you don't exactly have the right to ask any favors, young lady! You're in enough trouble as it is!"
She hung her head in shame. "I know, I know. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get caught, it just happened. He was good to me, though, and he would've brought me back, just like he did today, if those other people hadn't found me first."
Leo sighed again. He wanted to be angry with his daughter right now--he wanted to be so upset he blew a few blood vessels! But all he could think was how glad he was to see her, and that she was finally safe. A part of him wanted to let her go back to Nick--but he fought that back, and forced himself to be firm.
"That's not the point," he replied with as much force as he could muster, "and you know it! Now come on, Emily. Your mother's been worried sick. Let's get you back home."
Under the watchful eyes of the other two sharpshooters, he turned to lead his wayward daughter back to the colony. As they left, though, Emily stopped to look back over her shoulder one last time.
In the distance, the towering form of Nick gave a final wave, even though he had no idea exactly where she was. "Goodbye, Emily," he called out, his voice echoing through the woods. "I won't forget you. You'll always be my little snipe."
He departed without another word. A few minutes later, the only thing left in the clearing was the limp form of the unconscious Art Lassiter, getting wetter by the moment as the rain began once more.
Nick sat down at the otherwise empty table, setting his tray down carefully to avoid spilling his soda. There was a time, not so long ago, when he wasn't sure he'd come back to this cafeteria ever again. Yet transferring to another college seemed like the coward's way out, so he dutifully registered for his sophomore year, and now here he was, eating the same old lousy hamburgers and limp, undercooked fries.
A smile lit up his face, though, as he remembered how much little Emily enjoyed the taste of that greasy, skimpy burger. He guessed he probably would've, too, if he'd lived for a year on nothing but graham crackers.
Perhaps, if he hadn't known her, he might've bailed on school, but he'd learned something about himself all those months ago, during that amazing week where he found, and then gave up, his own little snipe. He'd learned he had courage, and an ability to talk to others, now that he knew how to do so comfortably, with some measure of confidence. One might say he'd matured greatly since meeting Emily Johnson. He was still a nerd, of course--nothing could change that--but he finally believed in himself, and was learning to break out of his shell.
Things were difficult when he finally got back to his room on that fateful day, back when he let his little snipe go. First he had to deal with campus security, but fortunately there was nothing tying him to the vandalization of Art's room via the window. In fact, since Nick was actually in the room at the time, the police concluded it was unlikely he'd endanger himself in such an attack.
Most of the football players, a bit woozy from the knockout gas, seemed content to simply consider the tiny Emily a smoke-induced hallucination, or perhaps some highly detailed doll that just resembled a real person. They still shoved Nick around whenever they could, but his newfound self-confidence helped him escape such situations more often than not. After a while, they stopped bothering him and moved on to younger, easier targets among the freshman class.
Art Lassiter, for his part, continued to make Nick's life a living hell, when he wasn't out searching the woods for some sign of Emily. Some of the others started to shun Art, thinking him obsessed, and the word now was he lost his scholarship to bad grades. Whatever the case, the obnoxious bully wasn't back at school this semester, and that was wonderful news as far as Nick was concerned.
He'd thought of going back to the forest on occasion, but didn't want to run into Art out there. Besides, the bike ride to the campsite was awful--it took him weeks to be able to walk normally after the last trip, when he only barely made it home without collapsing. Plus, what were the odds those stuffy scientists would actually let Emily out of the colony to talk to him? Probably pretty close to zero. No, best to just let her go. She'd surely forgotten all about him by now, hadn't she?
There were plenty of other young ladies here, anyway. As he ate his burger, Nick glanced around the cafeteria, taking a look at some of the other choices in the room. Many were quite pretty, although most appeared to be with someone else already. He'd already resolved to try to find a girlfriend this semester, if he could. Perhaps he'd finally work up the courage to talk to Sarah Vickers in the computer lab. He certainly had plenty of opportunities last year, when she looked to be having trouble with her latest programming assignment. All he'd have to do was sit down at the terminal next to hers, offer to help look at her code, and then--
Nick was still surveying the room, thinking about Sarah, when his eyes met those of someone else. A lovely young woman, probably a freshman, with short blonde hair and a kind of bemused smile on her face. She was staring right at him, and in fact, Nick had the uneasy feeling she'd been doing so for quite some time.
He glanced back behind himself, wondering if she was looking at someone over his shoulder, and she gave a quick laugh. Then, to his surprise and amazement, she stood up, hurried over to his table, and sat down right next to him. There was something about her, something about the way she looked in her jeans and blouse...the shape of her was so familiar...
"Hey, Nick," she giggled at him. "What's the matter? Don't recognize me when I'm not lounging in your palm?"
Now he knew why she looked so familiar! He'd seen her before, of course, only last time she was only four inches high. "E-Emily?" he gasped in shock. "Is that really you? You're so...so big!"
"Yep!" she laughed. "This is the real me, back to normal size! I couldn't stand it in that colony one more minute, and it was time for college anyway, so I enrolled here after the restoration treatment finally finished up last week. I hope you don't mind!"
"Err, no," he replied, more than a little bit stunned. "No, of course I don't mind! Why on God's green earth would I mind?"
"I'm majoring in computer programming," she went on, enjoying how flustered he looked. "I've been playing around with it all summer, and I think I really like it. You'll help me with my code, won't you?"
"S-sure, I guess," he replied giddily. Her presence was so surprising, so incredible, that he felt dazed and bewildered. Not an unpleasant feeling, as it turned out.
"Oh, I almost forgot," she went on, moving carefully and deliberately closer to him. "I never got a chance to say thank you, Nick. Thanks for everything you did for me."
With that, she leaned over and kissed him, right on the lips. His first real kiss. Nothing could've been more unexpected, or more wonderful. Nick just sat there for a long while, adrift in the moment, wondering if anything could possibly ever be better than this.
Probably not, he thought giddily, but it was going to be fun finding out.