My Life As a Teenage Horror Show

by Mavmia

Summary:

Bec Chambers is NOT your ordinary girl. She's scrappy, quirky, and she's moved 43 times since she was ten years old. She's also the child of two incredibly powerful eldritch gods, with some pretty incredible powers.

Adam Lochner and his friends, Lance Ellison and Kyle Sanchez, aren't your ordinary neighborhood bullies. And when they decide to pick a fight with the new girl, they aren't your ordinary humans anymore, either!

Come join these four weirdos as they navigate friendships, daddy issues, and horrors beyond human comprehension! They'll navigate emotion, connection and what it really means to be human.

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Neighborhood, New Girl!

Notes:

Well, Happy Halloween y'all! :D And welcome to my absolute disaster of a story. This one is basically pure indulgence for me. I wanted to write tiny peril in a million different ways, so I kind of crammed it all into this one story!

I'd say this is essentially YA in tone, but... the characters are all allowed to swear. :) All these kids are 16!

The tone for this one is horror/comedy for sure. These boys are about to go THROUGH it, but... even though they're about to see and feel things no mortal was meant to experience, they're all going to have a pretty light attitude about it. :D This is a FUN story, even when it's a terrifying story.

I also, of course, ended up with characters with more depth than I meant to give them. Daddy issues, helplessness, bullying, and power dynamics are present throughout this story, but there are a few chapters where they come into more focus. I'll make sure to tag and warn for those as well.

There WILL be some crazy stuff coming down the pike a little later (vore, dissection, intense TF, plasticization, and other G/t horror delights) BUT I will make sure, as always, that those are tagged and have detailed content warnings before the chapter!

 

Enjoy! :D

Bec Chambers never really minded being the new kid on the block. She was used to it by now.

Her parents had to move around pretty often due to the disasters that her dad tended to leave in the towns they moved to. Lucky for them, her mom was incredible with cleanup, and they’d never really been followed by the endless drama. It was a fresh start, every single time.

At sixteen years old, she’d already moved more times than she could count (though she did keep track in her journal – forty-three). Thanks to her dad, they could never manage to stay in one place for long.

Bec was just like her dad in all the wrong ways. She was just as powerful, just as unpredictable, or so they all said. She couldn’t do what he did, yet. Her father said she had potential. But for as much as her father encouraged her to always go bigger, her mother was there telling her to rein it in.

No half measures.

Don’t make the same mistakes your father does.

Please… don’t make life so hard for yourself.

All in all, she preferred not to have to use her abilities at all, though she was getting pretty good at using them with a more subtle touch. She was terrified of letting go and making a mess that she couldn’t clean up, so she was determined to keep everything she did as contained as possible.

If only people weren’t so good at pushing every single one of her buttons!  

And when she walked down the street in the dim twilight on a warm August night, she was faced down with a choice. And really… what choice did they expect her to make?

All she was doing was exploring the neighborhood. Scoping out the sights, the places to go sneak a quick smoke, the neighbors that looked like they’d give out good candy at Halloween. She wasn’t bothering anyone. She wasn’t asking for trouble.

But these three boys looked like they were going to give it to her anyway.

              “Hey.” The one in the middle said. He was tall and broad, like he played sports. Probably basketball or soccer, if she had to guess. Not stocky enough for football. And that sandy blonde hair was cut like his family had money. Not the type she would have expected to be a neighborhood bully, but… it wouldn’t be the first time she’d seen it.

He looked so arrogant. Something in those cold blue eyes. Either he didn’t have enough experience being told no… or he’d had too much experience, and was taking it out on her.

              “Uh, hey.” Bec said, trying to keep her face neutral. If she could just get through this without incident, that would be best. She didn’t want to make a mess she couldn’t handle cleaning up. But she clenched her fist behind her, fingers tingling, just in case.

              “You’re uh, new around here, aren’t you?” The boy asked, folding his arms. Bec nodded, brushing a strand of her auburn hair over her shoulder.

              “Yeah. Just moved in. My name’s Bec. Becqu- uh… R-Rebecca.” She pointed down the street to the house her father was renting for the next six months. Who knew if they’d even manage to stay there that long?

              “Don’t you know it’s not safe for pretty little ladies out on the streets at night?” He said, cocking his head back to look down his nose at her. She raised an eyebrow.

              “Uh, thanks for your concern, but I can handle myself just fine.” She shot back, and the boy scoffed out a condescending laugh. The other two snickered, and her eyes ghosted over them.

The one with reddish-brown hair… he wouldn’t look at her, even when he laughed at the leader’s joke. His face was dusted with freckles, and the way he turned his face away from her told her he probably felt self-conscious about them. Art student, maybe?

The other one was overly loud and deferent. He was shorter than any of them – smaller than Bec, maybe, but he carried himself like he wasn’t. Shy about his height, but clearly in-shape. She’d put money on him being in wrestling.

              “That’s because you don’t know the rules around here, little missy.” The blonde one said. “I’m Adam Lochner. That's Kyle Sanchez." He jerked his chin to the shorter boy with tan skin. "That's Lance Ellison." He pointed at the other boy, who looked away. "Let me tell you about how things go here at Meadow Heights, okay?”

Bec rolled her eyes.

              “Thanks, Adam, but I’m pretty sure I’ll figure it out.” She turned to walk away, back to her house, but he reached forward, his hand closing around her bicep. She froze, her heart racing.

              “Hey, this isn’t optional.” He said, his voice low and hard. Bec turned to him, narrowing her eyes.

              “Listen, you don’t know me, so I’ll be nice, and let you know real quick that you don’t want to do this.” Bec said, her fingers tingling more. Hey, just because she didn’t want to make a scene didn’t mean she wouldn’t defend herself if she had to. “Back off.”

She definitely didn’t want to start something she couldn’t finish. If she let herself get carried away… this could get messy.

She heard her mother’s voice in her ear. No half measures. Don’t make the same mistakes your father did.

Her father’s voice shouted gleefully into her other ear. Go big! Push harder! Let it all free!

              “Bitch.” Adam said, his fingers tightening. “You wanna do this the hard way?” The shorter boy grinned.

Make them pay, Becca-baby!

Don’t make a mess you’re not willing to clean up.

              “Ooh, bitch, you pissed him off!” He snickered. Adam turned to him.

Go big or go home!

Reign it in. Don’t make life hard for yourself.

              “Kyle, shut the fuck up.” Adam snapped. Bec blinked at him, letting out an irritated sigh. Her eyes flicked to the other one, the quieter one, and the way his face tensed when Adam grabbed her. Interesting.

But he still didn’t say anything. Adam’s grip tightened on her arm, and she sighed.

Ugh, god… only a few days in this house and she was already going to be getting in deep. It wasn’t even school time yet! She had the summer reading list to go over! She had to at least try and catch up on the curriculum.

Her jaw was grit tight and she swallowed. She wouldn’t make the same mistakes as her father, she could do this. She could! She would make it work this time.

But… not like her father did. There was too much danger in going big.

She put her hand on the back of his, which was still closed around her arm. It hurt – the guy was pretty strong, and clearly he was preparing for more of a fight. He’d definitely done this before with other kids, maybe other girls.

How many of those kids had been afraid of him? How many had worried about what he would do, and couldn’t defend themselves?

She could feel her anger building, and with it, her power.

              “Fine.” She said, looking up into Adam’s arrogant blue eyes. “We’ll do this. Just remember… I gave you a chance, okay?”

Adam opened his mouth to respond, but she didn’t give him the opportunity. Instead, she let the lightning pounding against her heart finally flash through her fingers. A flash of light, a sudden, sharp noise, and Adam was gone.

Well, he wasn’t gone, he was still there, on the street, modified beyond what any of them would have expected.  

The other two immediately straightened up, and she could almost feel their panic rise. It was exciting, she couldn’t deny it.

Thanks dad, for that.

But she had to keep her cool, and be careful. They’d only been here a few days, she didn’t have the leeway to get really noticed. Still, she couldn’t suppress a little smile. It always felt good to let it all out.

And it wasn’t like this asshole wasn’t asking for it! Maybe she’d gone a little further than she meant to, but… she could always figure out what to do later.

              “Bitch, w-what the fuck?” Kyle said, squaring his shoulders, staring at the expression on her face, trying to be brave. Bec wasn’t fooled, she could see him shaking even in the darkening twilight.

A streetlight flicked on, bathing both of the guys in orange, fluorescent light. It probably made her look terrifying, too.

               “Lance, let’s…let’s get the fuck out of here.” Kyle said, when Bec didn’t offer any explanation.

Lance seemed frozen to the spot, unable to take his eyes off Bec’s face. She only kept his gaze, looking at him imperiously. She knew she wasn’t exceptionally pretty, but there was nothing like feats of the supernatural to catch a guy’s attention.

His bottom lip trembled delicately, and she felt a little guilty for needing to involve them all, but… she learned from her mother. She couldn’t do things in half-measures, not if she wanted to fly under the radar.

And hey, they were still a part of this! They were still going to sit there and watch whatever Adam had been about to do without stopping him. 

Luckily, she could defend herself, but what about the other girls that hadn’t been strong enough? How had they felt?

              “Stay still.” Bec said quietly, surging forward, careful of where she stepped. She didn’t want THAT kind of cleanup. She placed her hand on Kyle’s shoulder. Another flash, and he was gone too.

When she turned to Lance, He didn’t even try to run. He didn’t even look down, which might have given him a glance into his own fate.

              “What did you do to them?” He asked, stepping back, his eyes wide. Bec shook her head.

              “Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.” She said evenly, placing her hand on his arm. Another flash of light, and he was gone.

Well, none of them were really gone. Just… altered in a way that none of them were expecting. She knelt to the ground, grateful for the streetlight that silhouetted all three of their bodies lying on the sidewalk.

              “Dammit… as if I needed more on my plate.” She mumbled, gently gathering the three unconscious boys up into her hand. Just because she’d done this didn’t mean she wanted to hurt them! They weren’t even awake yet, that wouldn’t be fair. She wasn’t her dad!

No half measures, Bec.

Well, this was kind of a half-measure. She hoped her mother would understand, because her father definitely wouldn’t. She couldn’t just let it slide, but… she wasn’t going to let herself go crazy, either. This was okay, this was... this was just handling things HER way.

She sighed.

Well, at least she wasn’t going to be bored this summer.

Notes:

Yeah, Bec ended up a little... Buffy. Whoops! Oh well, she's really fun to write. Don't worry, she's got some really fun insecurities under the hood that'll be really fun to exploit later! :D

Fun fact - the original writing prompt that sparked the story was essentially just this without all the lore behind it. What if those quintessential bullies from shitty fanfictions and trite teen novels ended up shrunk by the new girl? It was supposed to be a quick little 4-5 chapter thing, but... it's something totally different now.

Chapter 2: Good Morning, Guinea Pig

Notes:

CW: Lance is terrified and goes all sorts of worst-scenarios about torture and death. Don't worry, he's fine! :D Mm, physically, anyway.

Lance woke up, his head aching and brain foggy. Where was he? He didn’t recognize whatever room he was in, and whatever was underneath him definitely wasn’t standard carpet.

What the hell?

He blinked looking around him, but he was having trouble parsing what he was looking at. Torn up paper all over the floor, but it was way thicker than normal paper. It was almost like canvas. The light was warm, but unfamiliar.

And… was that glass all around him?

Something beyond the floor to whatever glass was moving, and he felt his heart jump into his throat. He tried to move back, but caught a glimpse of something smaller moving out of the corner of his eye.

Oh shit… that was Adam!

Lance pushed himself up, stumbling in the thick layer of paper around his ankles, trying to get closer. His hands smashed up against another layer of glass… or Plexiglass. Plastic, or something. God, it was like three inches thick!

              “Adam!” He shouted, cupping his hands to be heard through the thick plastic that separated them.

The taller boy clutched his head, spitting into the colorful paper.

              “What… what the fuck is this?” He said, but Lance could barely hear him, muffled through the layer of plastic between them.

              “Dude, where the hell are we?” Lance called back, his breath shallow. Adam shrugged, brushed off the weird papers that were clinging to his blue jacket. He glanced to the side opposite from Lance, where Kyle was pressed, waving his arm at Lance.

But Lance couldn’t hear what he was saying through two layers of the stuff. He swallowed.

              “Oh, good, you’re all awake.” A voice so loud it could have been played through concert speakers crashed over them, and Lance winced, his head still pounding. He looked up to follow the noise, but… he couldn’t even comprehend what he was looking at.

It was that girl – the one that Adam had insisted they introduce to the neighborhood. She’d been cute, totally Adam’s type, but Lance had gotten a weird vibe from her. Usually, when they approached the new kids, they got some money from them or something. That was all. Adam usually didn’t let his games go too far. Well, there was Randy, but… they were gone, now.

But the girl that loomed over him like a fairytale giant wasn’t possible. Her big brown eyes hovered over them, narrowed, as if she was trying to figure them out.

              “That makes this easier.” She said. Her smile looked a little annoyed, like she didn’t want to be doing this. Lance felt his breath leave him, and he stumbled back, falling into the shredded paper.

Which… holy shit, wasn’t just paper, it was bedding. The kind that his sister used for her guinea pigs. And it was thick enough under him that it didn’t even hurt to fall into it. He took in a short, gasping breath.

              “What the hell?” Adam shouted up, and Lance looked at him, standing tall, face red. Or… as tall as he could stand at what must be four inches tall. He didn’t look afraid at all, totally unlike how Lance was feeling. “What did you do? What the hell is this?”

The girl sighed.

              “Hey, I didn’t want to do this.” She huffed, folding her arms and leaning back. “I warned you, okay? Don’t blame me because you don’t like the outcome!”

              “F-fuck, how can you blame this on me?” Adam shouted up, his face reddening further. “You fucking… you shrank me!” He smacked his little hand onto the terrarium glass, looking up furiously.

Bec’s mouth turned up at the corner.

              “Uh, yeah.” She said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

              “That’s not fair!” Adam shouted, starting to sputter. “Change us back, you can’t… you can’t keep us like this!”

Lance wished he would stop shouting, but he didn’t disagree. He turned up to look at Bec’s massive face, and watched nervously as she pressed her lips together, narrowing her eyes at Adam’s tiny form.

              “Not fair…?” She said, scoffing. “And what exactly were you going to do, when you didn’t think there’d be any consequences? I told you to back off!”

Adam folded his little arms, refusing to be cowed, even when he was looking at someone that outsized him a hundred times.

              “We were… we were just gonna get some money, okay? That’s it!” He said, and Lance felt his own stomach curdle. God, how stupid were they?

Bec snorted out a laugh.

              “Money? What do you need kid’s money for?” She asked, tilting her head, leaning closer to the terrarium as if she was examining Adam. He wrapped his jacket around himself, blushing furiously at the idea of being inspected. “You’ve got plenty.”

              “F-fuck you!” Adam spat back. What was he supposed to say? It wasn’t exactly untrue.

              “Yeah, right.” Bec said, rolling her eyes. “So you were gonna bully me out of the twenty in my purse, and… what, buy a pizza or something? God, you’re arrogant.”

              “Shut up!” Adam snapped, gritting his teeth. “You don’t know anything about me!”

Bec sighed, resting her cheek on her hand, looking down at him with a soft smile.

              “Yeah, okay.” Her tone was infuriatingly condescending.

Lance caught Kyle moving out of the corner of his eye, and watched his mouth move, even though he couldn’t hear him. Bec huffed a breath out her nose and shook her head.

              “Yeah right! And let you guys go right back out to be this awful again? No, okay? I did this, I gotta see it through.” She said, and Lance watched Kyle fold up on himself, his eyes wide. He shivered.

Adam didn’t shut down.

              “What the fuck, so you’re just gonna… keep us like this f-forever?” He said angrily, but Lance heard just the barest hint of fear under his voice.

              “No, come on! Do I look like I want to be dealing with you three for the rest of my life? No thanks! I got stuff to do, okay? Don’t worry, you’re not gonna be like this forever.”

Lance felt something like hope in his chest. While he didn’t really want to be like this at all, knowing that there was going to be an end to it made him relax a little. But… who knew how long she meant?

              “So what, we’re your summer pets or some shit? Gonna make us fight or something? Are you gonna try and teach me tricks?” Adam spat, and Lance winced. Why the hell did he keep antagonizing her? He banged on the plastic between them, and his face flushed.

              “Shut up, asshole!” Lance shouted, his heart pounding. “S-stop pissing her off!”

Bec glanced down, her eyes focused gently on him, and she let out a quiet noise. But then Adam flipped Lance off, and started shouting again.

              “Shut up, coward! Just cuz… just cuz I’m like this doesn’t mean I’m going to give up, got it?” He glared up at the girl over them, who only sighed, annoyed. “I’m not gonna be your fucking pet!”

Bec shrugged.

              “Whatever you say, bud.” She looked at the three of them, tapping at her lip. “Alright, who’s going first?” She asked.

Lance felt his body go cold, every muscle tensing.

First? First for what? He didn’t like the look in her eyes, a little sparkle like she knew something they didn’t.

Which, considering what she’d already done to them, really could be anything. All his anger from shouting at Adam deserted him, and he stepped back, sinking into the stupid paper bedding underneath his feet.

Her eyes flicked over Adam in the middle. He put his hands up, shaking his head.

              “Not you. You’re last.” She said, and there was an edge to her voice that there hadn’t been before. Her lip even curled a little. What the hell was THAT supposed to mean? Lance felt terror as she focused on Kyle, pursing her lips. He saw the guy fall to his knees and put his hands together, like he was praying. Bec raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

              “Mm… maybe…” She murmured.

Then her eyes turned to Lance, and her expression shifted.

She looked Lance up and down, something that must have been easy considering how little of him there was left, and nodded, smiling slightly.

              “Yeah, you first.” She said, reaching in through the open top of the room he was caught in. He let out a terrified, humiliating squeak, scrambling away from her approaching hand, his heart racing like he’d never felt before.

No, no no!

He felt like a prey animal trying to escape from a godlike predator. She let out a quiet tsk, chasing him into the corner, where he pressed his back into the sticky silicone joint and sank down into the paper bedding. He threw his hands up to cover his head, shaking violently.

              “I… please…” He managed, and Bec sighed.

              “I’m not going to hurt you, buddy.” She said patiently. “I got you here without hurting you, didn’t I? Don’t worry.” Her voice was so soft and gentle that Lance felt his fear loosen involuntarily, like he really was just a mouse that responded to gentle reassurance.

But then her fingers wrapped around him, and the panic was back.

He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but the warm, living softness that pressed into him from all directions wasn’t it.

He could feel the incredible power of just her finger muscles, all of which would be able to pin him easily. Her heartbeat slammed through her skin, throbbing against his body.

She was so incredibly powerful, but she was also incredibly delicate as her fingers easily slid around him, scooping him gently into her palm without pinching, twisting, or hurting him. He considered fighting, but where would that get him? Dropped on the floor, probably.

              “N-no… don’t…” He whispered.

She closed her fingers around him gently, cupping him softly in a loose fist, enough that he could probably wriggle free if he tried. But then he was moving, his inner ear screaming while he flew through the air. He let out a panicked breath and grabbed for anything he could reach, his tiny hand closing around one of the wrinkles in her palm.

              “You two behave, okay? Quit whining, I’m not going to kill him.” Bec said down into the cage he’d just been taken out of, and realized that one of them must have said something. He could feel her voice vibrating through her hand, but he couldn’t catch his friend’s voices.

              “W-where are you taking me?” He asked, but his voice didn’t come out strong enough. She didn’t even look down. Instead, she began walking, each step sending a painful jolt through his body. He winced, clutching his fingers into her palm again, trying to keep from panicking.

She’d said she wasn’t going to kill him, that was good, right? He… He wasn’t about to die.

But he was gripped in someone’s fist – completely helpless, smaller than a person could even be. It didn’t matter what was coming next, it wasn’t up to him at all. She could pick him up, move him without even noticing his resistance.

He’d never imagined being this helpless, completely out of his own control. He choked on his own dry throat, but he refused to cry. There was no way he was going to let himself start crying.

Where was she going? Was there even a point in wondering?

What did it mean that he was first?

Why him? Why did he even hang out with these losers in the first place if this is what it got him? He was soft one, the easy target. No wonder she’d picked him to be first – she probably thought he’d be the easiest to break. Whatever torture she had planned for him, he’d be the one to give up first.

Oh god, did she have a dark torture chamber somewhere in the basement with tiny little weapons? Nail clippers or a pair of scissors? Was she going to put him in the microwave and threaten to start it if he didn’t talk? Would she just put him on the floor and step on him?

But she didn’t take him to a torture chamber, or the kitchen, or anywhere else.

No… this was the bathroom. He swallowed heavily as she nestled him carefully into a soft folded washcloth. His shaking legs folded instantly as he sank into the soft layers of terrycloth.

              “Okay, you can stop acting like I’m about to eat you.” Bec said, glancing at the door. “You’re gonna be fine, it’s just a bath. But that friend of yours needs to stew for a while, so I can’t just tell him, you know? I’m gonna make him sit with it, the arrogant little bastard.”

Lance blinked, his mind having trouble catching up. A bath?

His first thought was that he didn’t need a bath, he’d just showered earlier than morning. He hadn’t taken a bath since he was a baby, probably. But… he couldn’t really process anything but relief that she wasn’t about to do something horrible to him.

              “I bet you’d look good in green.” Bec said, reaching down into a drawer under the counter. “Here, you can wear this once you’re done, okay?” She set down a pair of comfortable gym shorts and an emerald green t-shirt next to him. They looked soft and smelled like laundry detergent. And… they were his size. So small they looked like scraps of fabric between her fingers.

He blinked down at them, his mind spinning in confusion.

              “You’re… you’re not gonna…?” He stammered and Bec sighed, a slight smile on her face.

              “Oh my god, you guys think that just because you guys tried to take my money I’m going to torture you?” She scoffed. “I’m not my dad, okay? I’m not insane.”

He swallowed, his face reddening.

              “Jeez, why does everyone think I’m going to kill them the second they find out what I am?” She said, sighing and looking away. “I didn’t… ask to be born this way, okay? And… just because I was doesn’t mean I’m a monster.” She choked on the word monster, and looked away.

Her voice was bitter, and for a second, Lance caught a glimpse of the girl underneath the terrifying giant. She ran the sink for a minute, running her fingers under it until it was warm.

              “No, okay? I’m not gonna hurt you, I’m not gonna do anything. But you guys, blondie especially… You gotta learn your lesson.”

She trailed off and filled up a shallow saucer, placing it on the counter next to where she’d set Lance. He looked at it nervously, waiting for the other shoe to drop. But she only scraped her fingernail against the bar of vanilla scented soap and left it on the edge of the saucer.

“Listen, you guys can’t just go around shaking down new kids, okay? I mean, that’s really shitty of you guys, especially with kids who don’t know you. I mean, you could really scare someone, or hurt someone. You just happened to mess with the wrong girl this time.”

She paused, looking down at Lance with an expectant look. He blinked up at her, then startled. She was waiting for him to answer!

              “Oh… yeah, I know.” He said, flushing guiltily. He knew it was wrong, but if he didn’t stick with Adam, then he risked being one of those kids with their money stolen. Better safe than sorry, at least… that’s how he justified it.

She shrugged, pushing herself to a stand.

              “Just… take your bath, okay? I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

Then she was gone. Really gone, she even closed the door. Lance let out a long breath he hadn’t realized had been stuck in his chest, and let the tension flow out of his limbs. He couldn’t stop shaking.

Was that all she wanted, was for him to take a bath? He shook his head. No way was he going to strip down and take a bath in… what looked like an actual dish. But even as he thought about it, he couldn’t deny that the idea of washing off in some warm water sounded really good. That, and… the fact that she had clothes for someone his size was both encouraging and terrifying.

Did that mean she’d done this kind of thing before?

Should that relieve him as much as it did? Now that his brain had time to think and calm down, he could tell in the way she’d picked him up that she already knew how to do it. She hadn’t hurt him, not even by accident.

At least… at least she cared enough to be careful with him.

Because who was this girl? How was she able to do things like this without blinking an eye?

He glanced at the door, then shrugged, slipping his shirt off. He wasn’t about to turn down a small comfort, not when the world was this messed up. Maybe he’d wake up and find out this was all a dream.

He finished undressing and stepped into the water. Dammit, she’d even got the perfect temperature. Even though the water was thicker than he was used to, like half set gelatin, it still felt nice on his achy muscles. He carefully slipped in, letting the warm water surround him. He wasn’t going to enjoy this, he was just going to be here long enough to let his muscles relax.

That was it.

Notes:

Uh oh, am I getting notes of "I'm not the monster everyone thinks I am"? That's gonna be a fun theme to put to the test!

Adam is not handling any of this well, and I regret to inform you, he probably will not be handling it any better coming up. :] Hmm... I wonder why he's so damn angry?

At least Lance is getting the safety and comfort he deserves lmao. He's such a sweetie and I love him so much!

Chapter 3: Fine, I'll Put You Outside

Summary:

Adam is... not handling the situation well. :)

Notes:

Horror warning: Environmental. Adam gets put outside at 3 inches tall and experiences very not fun things. I would say it's on the level of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, though. There's no violence, real injury, or torture. Adam does experience intrusive thoughts and some panic attack level emotions. :( There is some mention of being eaten, bullying, and there is a moment of a cat attack!

Adam is safe, though, promise! :D

Also, his issues with his father really start rearing their ugly head right about now!

Adam wasn’t freaking out. He wasn’t.

He wasn’t freaking out because none of this was fucking happening! None of this was real – not the giant teenage girl, not the plastic terrarium he was being kept in, not the guinea pig bedding he was settled into, not the screams of his friends as they were taken, terrified and squirming, from their own little partitions.

He’d been frozen to the spot when Lance was taken, but he’d gotten himself back together when the giant witch came back for Kyle.

              “Leave him alone! Get your hands off him, you fucking bitch!” Adam had screamed, pounding on the wall that separated them while she cornered and captured Kyle, who fought and screamed like her touch burned him. And it might have, she’d done this much to them, who’s to say she couldn’t fry them too?

              “Don’t worry, I’ll come back for you later.” Bec had said, hoisting Kyle, scared and screaming, out into her hand, walking away and closing the door.

She still hadn’t brought Lance back. What had she done to him? The fear of not knowing was actually going to kill him.

God – she’d taken Lance an hour ago, and there was still no sign of him, other than the gut-wrenching moment when she’d dropped off his clothes in his third of the cage. Adam looked at the faded pair of jeans and too-big brick red shirt and had almost passed out.

When he’d told Kyle, the poor kid had started to freak out a little, which wasn’t helping anything. Kyle had made a joke.

              “W-what if she ate him, right? I mean… aren’t we small enough?” He said, but Adam couldn’t laugh.

Why did she have his clothes? Where was Lance himself?

She’d said she wasn’t going to kill him, but who knew if that was a lie or not? What if she’d eaten him – swallowed him whole like Kyle had said, and she was about to do the same to Kyle, then him? Had she taken his clothes off to make him go down easier?

What it she’d given them to her cat to play with? What if she was torturing Kyle right now with a pair of nail clippers, already bloody from dismembering Lance?

No! Stop!

He clenched his fists hard, panic rising. He couldn’t think like that. No, he had to believe her, they were still alive. They had to be.

But… there were a lot of things you could do to someone and have them still be alive. He shivered, thinking of what had happened to Randy.

Stop it – that was an accident, it’s OVER. He told himself, the way he always did. This was totally different! What Bec had done to them was clearly not an accident. She’d done this on purpose, to hurt them, or scare them, or worse.

Maybe this was revenge. Maybe this bitch knew Randy or something, maybe she was just a psycho, getting off on making him feel like he was having a heart attack. Maybe she just liked having tiny victims to torture. Stripping them and cutting them to pieces or humiliating them some other way.

He swallowed heavily.

For a moment, he felt a pang in his gut. Regret. He shouldn’t have done this! He shouldn’t have even talked to this girl.

He shouldn’t have been shaking down kids for money anyway. Hadn’t he already learned his lesson? Hadn’t his father already had to clean up that mess for him once?

Because Jesus fuck, what would his dad think if he saw Adam like this, smaller than his thumb and kept in a freakin’ animal cage like a… a mouse or something? His face burned with the idea of being seen like that, his father leaning down over the cage like Bec did, his hand curling roughly around his only son.

He could even picture the disdainful look on his face, the same one he had whenever Adam disappointed him. He had no doubt this would be the most disappointing thing he’d ever done in his life.

Adam shivered. He’d rather die than be that vulnerable, especially in his father’s hands. Who knew what he’d do?

Sure, his father had cleaned up the whole Randy mess for him, but… the things he’d forced Adam to do to repay him would never leave him.

The door opened, and his heart leapt into his throat. She didn’t have Kyle’s clothes, and he wasn’t sure if that made him more or less afraid of what was coming for him. She sat down in the chair across from him, brushing her hands off.

              “Now… it’s your turn.” She said, her voice harsh.

              “N-no!” Adam shouted, stepping forward, pressing his hands to the plastic cage wall, glaring at Bec’s looming face. “Not until you tell me what happened to them!”

Bec raised an eyebrow, leaning closer.

              “No? You do realize you can’t exactly stop me, right?” She said, pressing her fingertip to the plastic where his hand was. He swallowed, realizing his hand didn’t even cover the tip of her finger. He pulled his hand back.

              “Fuck you, let me go!” He shouted, folding his arms. Bec smirked, shaking her head.

              “Do you even realize what you’re asking?” She said, reaching into the top, her hand coming down for him. He let out a panicked shout and headed for the corner, even though he’d watched it fail with Lance and Kyle. “You wouldn’t survive a single day like this if I let you go.”

              “I don’t care! You can’t keep me here, let me go!!” He shouted, his chest rising and falling like a panicked little animal.

Her hand approached, but he refused to give in. He dove for the side by her pinky, slipping past her hand and darting to the other corner.

              “Woah, slippery little guy.” Bec said, grinning. Her hand moved faster than he’d ever even realized hands could move, pinching him delicately between two fingers. He gasped as she gently squeezed his chest, drawing him out into the air. He struggled violently until he caught a glimpse of the ground beneath him, and froze. He closed his eyes and prayed that she wouldn’t drop him.

She didn’t, she just set him gently into her other palm, curling her fingers up around him like another cage. He hated the feeling of soft skin underneath him. It was too hot, too close. He thought about jumping off the side, but thought better of it.

              “Put… put me down!” He shouted, his face reddening. He didn’t like this. He hated everything about this. He didn’t like being small, and it was a million times worse in her hand. At least when he was sitting in the cage, he wasn’t being touched! He curled himself as tight as he could, minimizing the contact his body had with her hand.

              “Wow, you really don’t like being held, huh?” Bec asked, standing up. Adam swallowed while the bottom dropped out of his stomach, but he refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing that she was getting to him.

              “Nobody does, you crazy bitch!” He shouted, his head pounding. Bec shrugged, the motion sending him up and down like a wave.

              “I don’t know, some people do.” She said dismissively.

              “Maybe because they’re sick in the goddamn head!” He shouted back, and Bec looked down at him, her face clearly tinged with annoyance. She sighed.

              “Okay, can you chill? I’m giving you what you want, jeez.” She said, and Adam paused. What he wanted?

Was she about to make him big again? He bit his lip, not even daring to hope as she opened a door, and the cool night air flowed over him.

              “Well, here you go.” Bec said, kneeling to the ground, tipping him roughly onto the wood of the back step.

              “W-wait, what?” He called up, scrambling to his feet, trying to regain what little dignity he had left. Bec cocked an eyebrow, still kneeling over him.

              “I’m letting you go. Good luck, little guy.” She stood up, and he stepped back, craning his neck as she stood over him like a skyscraper. “Oh, be careful though, the neighbor’s cat got into our yard last night. I wouldn’t want to cross a cat if I was that small.”

              “You can’t just—”

              “Hey, buddy boy, I can’t hear you. I’m just gonna assume you’re thanking me, and I’m gonna go to bed.” She stepped into the room, looking down at Adam with a smile. “Goodnight. Stay safe.”

Then she closed the door, leaving him outside.

For a moment, he couldn’t really believe what was happening. Was… she really letting him go free? But the more he looked around at the dark backyard, the more he wondered if this was really a gift, or just another form of torture.

He walked over to the edge of the step, peering down. He probably wasn’t much taller than three inches. Even a fall from the step could mean a broken leg. He stepped back, swallowing heavily.

What the hell was this supposed to be? Was she counting on him giving up? Was she waiting on the other side of the door for him to beg for help?

Well, he wasn’t going to give in. He wasn’t going to call for help, no matter what. He’d figure out a way off this step, and then…

Then…

And then what?

What was his plan? Where was he going to go?

He couldn’t go home, that was for sure. If his sister Lily didn’t snatch him up as a doll first, his dog would eat him for sure.

And if neither of them got him first, he would end up at the mercy of his father. There was no way that was happening. He could just imagine it now.

His dad would put him in some kind of paperweight or something. He’d have to sit in an even smaller prison while his father glared down, using him to hold down legal briefs or stacks of contracts.

His coworkers would come by and wonder, and his father would sneer dismissively, tipping Adam’s little body out into his big, rough hand.

              “That’s my failure of a son. This is where I keep him so he can’t get into any more trouble.” He’d say, pinching Adam between his fingers, dangling him helpless and humiliated in front of the poor paralegal he was trying to impress. “Look at him. Isn’t he pathetic? Can’t even get out of my hand by himself.”

No. Non-starter. He would absolutely not be going home.

Maybe he could—

Something flew past him, wings the size of his arm fluttering past. He stepped back, his heart racing. What the hell was that?

He heard something rustle in the grass, and he froze, opening his eyes as wide as they could to see what was moving. Was it just a bug? Or a little mouse or something? Or… was he hearing the cat she’d been talking about?

Jesus, he was so small.

Even the familiar wooden fence towered around him like a border around the earth. What if this was like that old cheesy Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movie? What if there were scorpions or some other shit out there? Where was he supposed to sleep?

Maybe he could just… live in the walls of someone’s home, like a real mouse. He scoffed at the thought. But… what if there were mousetraps? What if he got caught by someone who didn’t know how to take care of someone so tiny?

At least… at least Bec hadn’t hurt him. Maybe he should—

Something else rustled in the grass, and his mind went blank. What, was he going to stand here on the back step all night, or was he going to start trying to escape?

He walked to the edge and sat down. It looked about fifteen feet of a drop. Could he make that without getting injured? Maybe if he dangled and dropped, he’d make it without breaking anything. He pushed himself off, lowering himself until he was just hanging on with his hands, then… he let go.

It was a bit further than he expected, and he hit hard, his legs collapsing underneath him. His body didn’t hit as hard as he’d been expecting to hit, but the fall still knocked the wind out of him. At least nothing was broken.

He stood and looked up at the looming step, biting his lip. Well, this was a one way trip. No way was he going to be able to climb back up that step. Movement caught his eye, and he startled back.

Holy shit, there were bugs on the side of the step. And… they were the size of his entire hand, if not bigger. He fought down a girly scream and looked away, trying not to imagine bugs that massive crawling on him.

Ugh, too late.

But now he was staring into the grass, where it rose to his chest, sometimes up to his neck. If he was three inches tall, that was pretty long grass. Didn’t this family ever mow the lawn?

A breeze rustled through the grass, and he paused, shivering as it brushed against him. At this size, the grass edges felt razor sharp, and he could feel the scratchy fibers already catching on his clothes.

He took a step into it, willing himself forward, and shivered when he felt the grass stalks hook to his clothes, almost as if they were pulling him back.

Headlights flashed over the backyard, and he ducked before he realized what had just happened. His heart racing, and feeling like a cowardly idiot, he stood back up, smacking the clingy grass away from his hair.

Goddamn, this sucked in every way possible. He just… he just wanted to go back home and lay in his own comfy bed and not think about anything that happened today. He just wanted to go back to his life and not feel so small and helpless!

He took a few more steps into the grass, forcing his legs to keep trudging forward.

Okay, this wasn’t so bad. Once he got used to the clinging grass always scraping against his newly thin skin and the skittering bugs around his feet, it was mostly like walking through the woods or something.

And it was better that whatever was waiting for whatever Bec had been planning to do with him in the first place. Who knew what Lance and Kyle had endured before they’d met their untimely end?

She had to have eaten Lance, that was the only thing that made sense. She’d taken off his clothes so they didn’t hurt her stomach and swallowed him down. Whole, probably, just to be extra cruel. She’d probably given Kyle to the cat or something. Probably no clothes left, just tattered shreds.

His face twisted in guilt. It was his fault that they were gone, now. All because he had to prove to his father that he wasn’t a waste of space.

Whatever. It wasn’t like he’d forced them to hang out with him. They wanted to feel cool too! It was their fault as much as his.

But still… what a way to go.

At least… at least out here, he was in control of how he died. At least she didn’t get to torture him directly. This was a win.

It had to be a win.

Something rustled in the grass, and he tried to calm his pounding heart before he realized that this sound was different. He’d heard the sounds of the suburbs at night, before. Crickets chirping, grass rustling, he could even hear the bugs skittering.

But something had changed, now. Something was watching.

He turned, slowly, only to lock eyes with the one thing he was hoping Bec had been lying about. Shimmering green eyes, reflecting the light pouring from the house windows, high in the air above him. Silky black fur that blended in with the darkness behind it. A golden collar with a bell on it that didn’t ring when it moved.

A cat.

He let out a quiet whimper, his body flooding with adrenaline. He couldn’t move. He had to stay still. Any sign of movement and… Jesus, he’d seen cats with toys before. His little sister had a cat called Mr. Fluffy. He hated the thing.

This wasn’t helping matters.

As slowly as he could, without drawing attention, he stepped back, wincing with every rustle of the grass.

It was prowling. He’d never really understood that word before he’d seen it blown up to the size of a damn elephant, but it’s exactly what he would call the terrifying thing it was doing. Its shoulders were low to the ground, its eyes like glass, unblinking and wide.

Jesus… it was the most terrifying thing he’d ever seen in his life.

All he could think about was Mr. Fluffy at home batting around a squeaking little mouse toy, and imagining himself in that toy’s place. The squeaking coming from his own mouth.

Oh god… what was he going to do? How was get going to escape from this thing? How was he going to get out of this one?

He kept backing up, but his foot slipped on a rock that was probably only a speck of sand, and he fell backwards, his heart racing. By the time he’d gathered up the courage to peek out over grass, he thought he’d been prepared, but he wasn’t.

The cat was looking at him now, its massive dead eyes locked onto him like a homing missile. The bottom dropped out of his stomach, and he tried to freeze, but deep down, he knew it was too late. The cat began to move toward him.

He couldn’t help it – he ran. The cat was on top of him in a second, silently descending from the sky like death with four paws. One of its passive paws slammed into his side, and he flew several feet before hitting the ground.

Despite gasping in a breath, he hit the ground running. He dove for the step, slipping between the cross-hatched wood into the damp, muddy dirt under the step.

He sank in the muck up to his ankle, and it reeked of rotting leaves and mold and dirt, but the cat hit the step with a yowl, its claws pressing into the holes between the slats of wood.

Adam let out a whimper as the cat hit the wood, bending the slats with its incredible mass. Its paw squirmed at the openings, and he watched claws the length of his entire hand stretch out, trying its hardest to sink those claws into him.

The claws scraped against the wood, and he shivered, letting out a whimper at the sound, like nails on a chalkboard.

He stepped on something soft while backing up, and fell ass-first into the soft dirt, watching in horror as a snake the size of a boa constrictor writhe around in the dirt around his feet. It wrapped around his ankle and he screamed.

Oh god, no, not a snake, a worm! Nothing more than a slimy, pink earthworm, one as big around as his entire leg. Jesus, the thing was longer than his entire body. He couldn’t help the horrified sound he made as it slithered around underneath him, making the dirt swell and undulate. The slimy pink length brush up against his arm and he jumped away with another scream. It felt like a squishy pink muscle flailing around on its own.

The cat let out another yowl, batting at the wood again, and he let out a dry sob.

A beetle the size of his entire head scuttled over his chest, its tiny legs scrabbling across him. He was so small he could feel the actual weight of this bug as it crawled over him. He couldn’t suppress a gag. One of its tiny hairy feet caught on his shirt and thrashed on him. He flailed, sending it flying with a shriek.

Was there nothing that was safe at this size? Was everything so crazy and dangerous? The wet dirt was soaking through his shoes and his pants, making him shiver. Why was he so cold? It was August, but he felt like he’d been put in a freezer.

He curled himself close in the dirt under the step, letting his panic finally overtake him. He couldn’t do this! He didn’t want to be small, he didn’t want to be eaten by a cat, he didn’t want to be out here anymore.

              “H-help! Someone help me!” He cried out, but who was going to hear him down here in the dirt under the back step? There was no way Bec was actually watching him, she’d let him be chased by the cat under the step here. She really had just left him out here to die.

              “P-please…” He whimpered as the cat finally retreated. But who knew how far it would go? Maybe it was just sitting there waiting for him to emerge so it could rip him apart.

An ant crawled over him, and he choked out another dry sob as he flailed his limbs to get it off him, but another one followed right behind it. Their legs and antennae brushed against him, making his skin crawl. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stop them from crawling on him.

His hands were covered in muck and freezing water and grit, and every time he tried to brush himself off, he just smeared the sludge over himself more.

Dammit, he didn’t want to die! He didn’t want to die…

Then something echoed above him, and the wood trembled over his head. He curled up, his heart racing.

Oh god, as if it wasn’t bad enough, now his only shelter was going to come down on his head. But then something massive crushed the grass right on the other side of the wooden grate, and he watched as Bec’s head lowered down to peer inside.

He let out a sigh of relief, unable to hide how his body slumped.

              “Oh man, what are you doing under there?” Bec asked, putting her hand flat on the ground. “Come on, that’s… that was a little too much, okay…? I didn’t mean for it to be that bad, I promise. I’m sorry…”

He crept forward, peering at her from the other side of the wooden grate. She couldn’t get to him from here, he could stay under here and stay out of reach.

              “H-how did you know I was here?” He asked, trying to sound harsh, but his voice didn’t have any of the bite it had an hour ago. Bec sighed and rolled her eyes.

              “My mom found you. Said she chased a little human under the porch. I’m sorry, I didn’t think she’d be up this late.”

Adam blinked, processing the information he was hearing. Wait… her mom… chased him?

              “B-but the cat…” He breathed, stepping closer. Bec didn’t move her hand, just kept it there patiently. “Your mom’s a cat…?”

              “Ugh, god no, my mom’s not a cat. She just… looks like that sometimes, you know? My dad does this thing, and it's like... God, it’s so embarrassing. Okay, can we not talk about my parents right now? Come on, I’ll take you inside and you can wash off. That was my plan before… well, never mind.” Her fingers twitched, beckoning him closer. “Come on, Lance and Kyle are waiting for you, okay?”

Wait, what? They were still alive?

              “D-don’t lie to me! You k-killed them, didn’t you?” He cried, backing up. Bec let out an offended noise.

              “What the hell, what is wrong with you? I didn’t kill them!” She said, wrinkling up her face.

              “You ate Lance!” He screamed, his chest tight. Bec’s mouth dropped open.

              “W-what are you talking about?” she asked, furrowing her brow. “What…? Are you insane? I wouldn’t eat someone, that’s fucked up! I'm not... you know... I mean, my aunt... whatever, never mind!”

              “A-and Kyle… you…”

              “Oh my god, I gave them a bath and new clothes! Jesus Christ, what is going on inside your head?” Bec said, her voice both hurt and annoyed. “I guess if you think so little of me, I can just leave you here overnight!”

              “No!” The words were out before he could stop him. His face burned with the humiliation, but the idea of spending the night out here, surrounded by cats and bugs and worms and dirt was just too much. “N-no… don’t… don’t do that.”

Bec sighed, putting her hand back down.

              “Come on, let’s go, okay? Maybe we can just chalk this up to… a tie.”

              “A tie??” Adam burst out. “You shrank me! You… you put me outside!” He said incredulously, but he was more afraid than he meant to sound. Bec scoffed.

              “Well, you threatened me for my money and, don’t forget, you asked me to let you go!” She shot back, and Adam swallowed. Okay, so that was true. “Dude, if you don’t come back, Lance is gonna freak out all night, okay? He was already really worried when I told him what I did with you.” Bec said, and Adam couldn’t help the feeling that flooded him when she mentioned Lance.

Was it true, was he still alive?

Or was she just lying to him to get him back in her clutches? Honestly, though, at this point, he didn’t care. He was just so sick of being wet and cold and tiny. He slipped through the wooden grate and gingerly stepped into her hand.

The warmth was immediate, and he couldn’t help an involuntary shiver of relief.

The world spun around him as she stood and carried him back in through the back door.

              “Come on, let’s go. I’m tired, okay? I’m going to bed.” She mumbled as she carried him through the house.

 

 

Notes:

So genuinely, this is the chapter that I had in mind when I wrote the original prompt. :) I'm really happy with the chapter, because I don't usually write my tinies outside, experiencing environmental hazards! But Adam just kept demanding to be let go, and Bec has patience, but it's not infinite. :] It was pretty fun to make the outdoor experience gross without being dangerous! Channeling my favorite miniaturization movie to write this chapter for sure.

If you're curious about Bec's family, worry not! They're coming up soon. :)

If you read 514 HL, you may notice the easter egg of Adam's sister and her cat. :P But it's not the same family! Though I have no doubts that Adam's father and Ella would get along.

Chapter 4: That Awkward Moment When You Meet Your Girlfriend’s Dad For The First Time

Summary:

Adam finally gets to come back inside, but that doesn't mean things get any easier for him!

Notes:

CW: Body horror! :D Nothing happens on screen, but it gets discussed gleefully. Hopefully this serves as an intro to just what kind of stuff might be coming for these guys.

Bec padded through the house, Adam cupped in her palms.

Adam himself tried to keep himself from seething. It was some crazy whiplash to think he’d just been outside, drowning in freezing mud and running away from a cat at three damn inches tall. Now he sat, cradled in warm, soft hands, still caked in drying mud.

He wanted to scream, but he was getting so tired. And he didn’t dare say anything that would get him put outside again.

              “Honey!” A man’s voice rang out from beside them, and Bec jumped, sending Adam sprawling in her palm. “Becquerel, sweetheart, what have I told you about having boyfriends over?! It’s after dark, baby girl. He’s gotta go home!” He boomed. Bec groaned loud enough that Adam felt it rumble through her hand underneath him. He risked a glance at the intruder.

He was a pretty unassuming-looking guy, all around. The kind of guy that he’d expect to see at Burning Man or the maybe local dive bar. His hair was curly and shoulder length and streaked with gray. His face was tanned and covered in fine smile lines. He was even wearing some hokey ragged Nirvana tee. Adam thought if they were the same scale, he’d actually be taller than this guy. He didn’t even seem much taller than Bec! He was skinny, too, but covered in lean muscle, like a runner.

He turned his blue and shining eyes down to look at the cowering, filthy little teenager in Bec’s hands.

              “Ugh, dad!” Bec sighed as her dad leaned closer. “Don’t do this, I’m… I don’t have time to deal with this right now! And… stop calling me that, call me Rebecca, please?” She griped.

              “Oh, don’t be so shy! I won’t hurt a hair on his little human head. And it’s a perfectly good family name, darling, I won’t have you out here trying to rebrand yourself! You can change your name when you’re 18, if you want to, and not a moment before!” He said, wagging his finger in Bec’s face.

              “Rebecca’s a human name.” She grumbled under her breath. “Becquerel’s a freak name.”

“I’m Harlan, son. Nice to meet you.” The man grinned and extended a finger to Adam, who reared back as far as he could. There was something really off about this guy. “Gotta say, my baby girl doesn’t want to introduce me to boyfriends very often. Can’t imagine why!” He laughed, running his hand through his hair.

              “Come on, daddy, he’s not… look at him, he’s not my boyfriend!” Bec flushed, looking away.

              “Oh, good thing, too! If you brought home a boyfriend this dirty, I’d be wondering what happened to my sweet little baby girl! Come on, buddy, you don’t have to be scared, I don’t bite!” He laughed out loud. He poked his finger closer, and Adam scrambled back until his hands hit Bec’s wrist.

Adam flinched, completely taken aback by this man’s casual energy. Shouldn’t he be freaking out, seeing a person so small? He was treating Adam like he was just a normal guy Bec happened to bring home.

              “Oh my god, Dad, stop! You’re embarrassing me!” Bec said, flushing, pulling Adam away from him. “Leave him alone!”

              “Well, sweet pea, the rules are the same for non-boyfriends, I’m afraid. He can’t be in your room after sunset, young lady!” He tapped his wrist, his nail clicking against the plastic hiking watch he was wearing.

              “Jesus – dad! He’s… I mean, this afternoon, I might’ve… They were bothering me, okay? I… changed him, you know? Don’t pretend you don’t see it!” Bec snapped, and her father’s eyes lit up.

              “Oh! Oh… I get it, you got your hands on him, huh?” He asked, grinning excitedly. He tilted his head. “Sorry, he just still looks so… human, I didn’t even realize. Humans are just little souls in fleshy shapes, right? I guess he looks a little different from your average, garden-variety. Though he looks like you might have dug him up out there!”

He burst out laughing again, and Bec sighed, waiting for his glee to pass.

“I mean, what, did you give him a nose job or something? Let him lose a little weight? Come on, Becca, what’d you do to him?” His eyes shone as he bent back down to look closer. Adam blinked up, confused.

The man in front of him had the energy of any awkward, goofy man he might have encountered at a basketball game or something, but there was something behind those eyes that scared him. As Harlan leaned closer, he could see throbbing power pulsing behind those blue eyes. He shivered.

              “Come on, dad, don’t be such an old-fashioned loser, okay? He’s… don’t act like you don’t know he’s different! I just… I made him twenty times smaller, isn’t that enough?” Bec turned her face away. “Why are you always pushing me? I was trying to lay low!”

              “Well, I’m sorry, sweetheart! He’s so close to normal I didn’t even notice… I’m just glad you’re finally taking an interest in the family art, sweetness!” He said, smiling lovingly. Adam furrowed his brow, but Bec scoffed. “I mean, of course he’d look better with a few extra arms, maybe a recalibrated circulatory system… A row of spines would look pretty damn good too.”

Bec huffed.

              “Whatever! I like how he looks right now, okay? You know I have my own ideas about humans, and I know you don’t respect them!” Bec shot back, and her father frowned, looking hurt.

              “Honey, I respect your projects! I… I just don’t always understand them. Is this about the music again?” He said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

              “Dad!” Bec said, her face flushing red. She glanced down at Adam and swallowed. “Don’t… not in front of Adam!”

              “Becquerel…” Harlan said, his voice dropping to something serious for the first time. “If it’s about this… sound nonsense again…”

              “Stop it! It’s not about that! It’s… I should have known you wouldn’t understand!”

“I’d like to, honey, I just don’t know why you keep yourself so limited! Come on, baby, tell me what you’re doing with this one! Did you do any internal work? A little mental tuning?”

              “I’m – I just wanted to teach them a little lesson, okay? They tried to take my money, and I—"

              “You know, I don’t tend to leave them nearly this human.” Harlan interrupted. “When I get my hand on someone, I really dig in, you know? I really go for it!” He made a fist and shot Bec a toothy grin. “Remember Alan? With all those tentacles and teeth and the hair… Man, and Nancy? Whoop, poor lady didn’t know what hit her! I mean, did you see what I did to—”

              “Yeah, I know, dad!” Bec sighed. “I know. We had to move last week because of it, believe me, I know!” She turned away, and her father’s lip pushed out in a pout.

              “Aww, Becquerel, you know I don’t want to keep… you know, moving us around. I just… sometimes people just really get under my skin, and I just can’t handle it anymore!” His tone started to get more energetic, his hands flailing wildly. Adam curled up next to Bec’s thumb, hoping to escape notice. “And god, Roger was just really pissing me off that day and I stepped in a puddle – a puddle, Beccy! – and what was I supposed to do? NOT give him all those extra arms? Though… they didn’t really end up like arms, though, did they… more like tentacles. Maybe whips?”

              “I don’t know, dad, maybe reign it in, like I do?” Bec said, turning away. “At least we only had to move twice because of me. What are you up to now, huh? Forty?”

Her father folded his arms.

              “Young lady, I won’t have you talking to your father that way! If I hear another word like that, I’ll step in and take over your little project.” He said, grinned down at Adam. Adam shivered. He definitely didn’t want that.

              “You don’t understand me!” Bec shouted, turning and storming up the stairs, slamming her door shut behind her and locking the door.

She looked down at Adam in her hands, sighing with frustration.

              “S-sorry you had to see that. My dad’s such an awkward… embarrassing idiot, okay?” She mumbled. Adam didn’t even know how to respond. “God, you’d think he was harmless and stupid, right? Ugh, wrong. I keep telling him he has to act more like a jerk, so people quit baiting him, but nooooo. I swear, he just likes looking for trouble.”

She stopped ranting and looked down, as if she’d just remembered Adam sitting in her palm.

              “Jesus, whatever. I’m so done, okay? I’m going to bed.”

She gently lowered Adam back into the aquarium, but he realized she’d taken out the partitions. She also set some fabric over the paper bedding, making it more comfortable, and slightly less humiliating.

He turned around, watching her turn off the lamp and flop down in her bed, not even bothering with her clothes or hair or anything.

              “Adam!” Lance said, carefully wobbling over in the thick, soft flooring. Adam stared openly.

Lance wasn’t even wearing his old outfit; he had on something totally different. Normal looking shorts and a T-shirt.

In fact, Lance looked great. He looked so clean his skin was glowing, and his hair was soft and brushed.

              “W-why do you smell like… vanilla?” Adam crackled through his raw throat. Lance wrinkled his nose, taking a step back when he saw how dirty Adam actually was.

              “Why do you smell like actual dirt?” Lance shot back. Adam flushed. Lance didn’t look like he’d been eaten. Or tortured, or put in the dirt, or had anything bad happen to him at all.

              “Wh-what did she do to you?” He asked suspiciously. Lance shook his head.

              “Gave me hot water and new clothes.” He said, tilting his head. “She said she put you outside.”

Adam shivered, feeling a little embarrassed.

              “I… I thought she… I thought she was going to kill me, too.” He admitted. Lance snorted.

              “Kill us? Yeah, not even close.”

Kyle stepped closer and Adam looked at him. He’d been given new clothes, too, a pair of soft black sweatpants and a red T-shirt.

              “Oh my god, what… the whole time? Just… a bath and clothes?” Adam wheezed out, his face reddening.

Kyle shrugged.

              “Well, yeah. I mean, she like scared the shit out of me first, but yeah, she gave me these and told me to wash up. Dude, she even left the room.” He said, his head bobbing.

              “But we were kinda freaked out when she didn’t bring you back.” Lance admitted, looking down and fidgeting with the hem of his shorts. Adam looked away.

              “I… thought she ate you.” He murmured, looking down at his filthy, still soaking clothes. Kyle blinked.

              “Ate me? W-what? Why?” Lance asked, eyeing the sleeping teenage girl nervously. Adam scoffed out a laugh.

              “I… I don’t even know. It just – when she brought your clothes back and wouldn’t tell me what happened to you… I mean, it was like an hour before she came back for me. I was kinda freaking out.”

He hadn’t expected to feel like such a moron. When he wasn’t expecting to die out in the backyard, he’d imagined himself as a little heroic survivor. But… now he just felt like an idiot for choosing to suffer pointlessly.

But still… at least he hadn’t been bathed and dressed like a pet. At least… at least he was still himself

              “Dude, you look awful.” Kyle said, making a face.

              “W-well at least I’m not a pampered little pet.” He mumbled, and Kyle stepped back, a hurt look on his face.

              “Woah, Adam, not cool!” Lance said, folding his arms.

              “Yeah, what the hell, man?” Kyle echoed, his face flushing. He looked down at his outfit. “We… we’re not pets, okay? It’s just clothes.”

              “Just her clothes.” Adam said, his face burning. His own clothes were starting to dry to his skin and make him itch, but there was no way he even wanted to consider letting her dress him up like a doll. No matter how comfortable and normal the clothes looked.

Because here, in the warmth of the bedroom and the softness of the bedding and blanket underneath him, the terror of the backyard felt further and further away. He hadn’t nearly died, he’d survived. The cat hadn’t scared the shit out of him, he’d escaped it!

He WAS a survivor. The other two were just little bitches who let themselves be taken care of like girly little dolls.

Kyle nudged him gently in the arm, but Adam pulled away.

              “Leave me alone, okay?” He said, trying to storm away. The damn bedding was so thick that every step was wobbly and embarrassing, but he stomped his way to the corner, where he flopped onto his side and curled up into a ball.

The thought of Harlan, huge and grinning with his finger extended still made him want to shiver

“God, this whole family’s insane. We’re so fucked.” He mumbled. Right outside the room was an actual eldritch freakin’ god who wanted to turn him into some fleshy tentacle monster abomination, and here his daughter was just keeping Adam like a pet in a cage!

He couldn’t even run away. He was so helpless, surrounded by a family that wouldn’t help him anytime soon.

He could hear the other two talking about him, but he refused to give them attention.

              “Do you think he realized she put beds down?” Kyle whispered, watching his filthy best friend flop himself into the corner on the floor. Lance shook his head and glanced over.

It wasn’t perfect – it wasn’t the same as a real mattress, but she’d cobbled together something that looked pretty comfortable out of a pencil box and a folded-up scarf.

              “What’s his fuckin’ damage?” Kyle murmured, shaking his head.

              “Dude, it’s Adam. He’s nothing BUT damage.” Lance sighed. He looked over to where Adam was curled up, filthy and shivering. He probably should have gone over and tried to help him again, but he wasn’t interested getting insulted again.

Adam was the one who got them into this whole damn mess in the first place! Maybe he deserved a lonely night covered in mud.

              “I’m uh… I’m gonna go to bed.” Lance mumbled, flopping down into the soft fabric. Kyle joined him, kicking his feet up.

              “Think he’s feel better tomorrow?” Kyle mumbled, his eyes flickering closed.

              “Who knows?” Lance replied, drifting off to sleep.

 

 

Notes:

I genuinely love Harlan as a character. He's just so... goofy and disarming! But don't let it fool you, like it did Alan and Roger and Nancy! Harlan is a limitless well of fleshcrafting power and a shocking lack of empathy. Although he does have a lot of feelings, he doesn't see humans as anything more than just... souls in fleshy shapes. Or art supplies. He does really love his daughter, though!

And Bec is just so teenage girl about the whole thing. I loved writing this confrontation, because it uses the language and structure of a normal teen girl and embarrassing dad argument with the subject being... you know... horrors beyond human comprehension.

Oh, did you think Adam was the only character with daddy issues in this story? ;) Hell no! Bec's got her own brand. Her and Adam actually might have a lot in common, if they ever got the chance to talk.

Chapter 5: Mom, You're Embarrassing Me!

Summary:

We meet Bec's mom, and maybe learn a little more about why everyone is the way they are. :)

Notes:

CW: No real horror in this segment, but the people as pets theme is stronger than ever in this chapter. :)

Lance woke up to the sound of knocking on the bedroom door. He opened his eyes, and looked around. At first, he couldn’t make sense of the room around him.

Where was his bedroom? The posters on the wall? The scuffed Ikea dresser his parents had bought a decade ago?

He glanced at the huge, clear wall, and his heart slammed into his chest.

Oh… right. They’d bothered the new girl, like idiots, and ended up here. Shrunken down to the size of mice and put in a terrarium she’d filled with blankets and bedding. He rubbed at his eyes and looked down at his clothes.

He was still wearing what she’d given him after letting him wash up in a saucer of warm water. They were shockingly comfortable, and they still smelled nice, like expensive laundry soap. Whatever soap she’d let him use had done real work, too. He still smelled like vanilla and his skin had never felt so soft.

She’d even let him brush his hair with a comb that could get lost under her fingernail. Where the hell had she gotten something so small?

He glanced over to see that Adam was still curled up in a tense ball in the corner.

Lance felt bad for him, he really did, but… he’d kinda been asking for it. I mean, what was he supposed to do, turn down the comfortable clothes? Beg to be put outside like Adam? God, he didn’t want to go anywhere near outside, not when he was tiny like this.

The door opened, and he scrambled out of the little bed Bec had given him, his breath catching.

A woman walked in. She was tall, even considering his diminutive perspective, with long, raven black hair and a golden choker around her neck. He couldn’t stop staring at how huge she was.

                “Becquerel, sweetheart, are you awake?” The woman asked, her voice gentle and soft. Lance wanted to hide, but he couldn’t get himself to move. He watched as Bec rolled over in her bed, groaning at the light.

                “M-mom…” She grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

                “Oh, darling, you fell asleep in your makeup again, didn’t you?” The woman sighed. “And you wonder why you keep breaking out. Your youthful skin will only last you so long. Then it’s hello weekends at the medical spa.”

Bec’s eyes snapped open and she sat up, looking directly at the aquarium with the three boys inside.

                “Oh, Jesus – mom! You… can’t just come in here!” She burst out, her face flushing. The woman crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

                “I am your mother, Bec, and I will come in here if I please. Are you paying to live here? I don’t see your name on the lease.” The woman shot back and Bec let her head fall into her hands. “When did you start paying bills?”

                “God, you’re embarrassing me…” She moaned.

Lance blinked. The scene playing out in front of him was so normal, it almost felt like a joke. Because here he was, watching it from inside a plastic aquarium at three inches tall.

                “Honey, how am I embarrassing you? There’s no one else here.” Her mother tutted.   “I just wanted to check on that little bitty human I found huddling in our backyard. He looked just… awful.”

She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and Lance saw Adam straighten up, looking at the woman with wide eyes. His friend pressed his back against the corner and wrapped his arms around his knees, red-faced.

                “Oh god, mom, you scared him half to death!” Bec said, sighing and sweeping her hair into a bun. “He told me you chased him under the porch! He thought you were going to eat him.”

Bec’s mother sniffed, checking her nails.

                “Eat him? Ugh, of course not! Humans taste disgusting. I’m not your auntie Kyshtym, darling! But when I found that itty-bitty little thing in our backyard, I wondered if you had a runaway. I just thought I’d bring him back for you! I didn’t think he’d manage to squeeze his way under the porch.” The woman said, her voice haughty.

Her eyes dropped to the aquarium by her elbow, and her eyes lit up. She dropped down, her face level with the dresser top so she could peer inside.

                “Oh! How adorable!” She cooed, pressing her fingertip to the glass in front of Lance. “Wonderful job, sweetheart! He looks so healthy! What a lovely little mind he has.”

Lance’s heart pounded at the sight of her. She was absolutely huge, and the expression on her face, like he was something small and cute and completely harmless, had never been leveled at him before. His face reddened.

                “Oh, now who’s a clever little human, hmm?” Bec’s mother smiled at him. He looked away, wishing he could bury himself in the blanket and never show his face again.

                “Not that one, mom.” Bec said, coming to step over and look into the aquarium. “That one.”

She pointed at Adam, who was still huddling, filthy and uncomfortable, in the corner. He stiffened when he realized they were talking about him.

He looked up, keeping his body curled as tight as he could. Bec’s mother tilted her head and furrowed her brow.

                “He looks sick, darling. Are you sure… you don’t have a stray in with the others?” she asked, glancing at Lance, who looked down, embarrassed. She smiled down at Kyle, who rubbed his eyes and blinked up. Damn, that guy always picked the worst times to wake up. “These two look fine, but this one… He could get your other ones sick. And what a mind! Do you know he’s thinking about killing me? That little thing?” Her lip curled.

Adam put his head down, curling tighter. Bec’s mouth twisted guiltily as she looked down at them.

                “I… Well, I just didn’t have time to clean him up, okay? And yeah, he’s terrified! After YOU chased him and scared him, I ran into dad, and…”

                “No excuses, sweetheart.” Bec’s mom stood up and turned to her daughter, arms folded. “What have I always told you about getting involved with humans?”

Bec looked down, her face flushing.

                “Jesus… I—”

                “Becquerel.”

                “No half measures.” Bec grumbled, and her mother nodded.

                “That’s right. You can’t just take care of some and neglect the others. I mean, look at him, Bec! I mistook him for feral! It’s up to you if you want to get involved in projects with humans while we’re here. But I won’t have you being cruel to them.”

                “I’m not being cruel, mom! He ASKED me to put him outside, I didn’t know you’d be out there, scaring him to death!”

                “Well, darling, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from your father, it’s that you must always plan for the unexpected.” She sniffed, checking her nails. “How many memories have I erased, hmm? How many times have I cleaned up that man’s messes?”

                “Like a million.” Bec said bitterly.

                “I know, sweetheart. I know it’s hard.” She reached forward, rubbing Bec’s shoulder affectionately. “Your father’s set in his ways, has been as long as I’ve known him. No use in trying to change him now. You know, when your powers started showing, I was so nervous you’d grow up to be just like your father.”

                “I know, mom… I know you wished I was more like you.” Bec choked out.

                “No, Bec.” Her mother said softly, her face loosening into something kind. “Don’t ever think that. I love exactly who you are. I just… I was afraid you’d let it consume you. I know how hard it is for your father. I didn’t want it to be so hard for you. It’s a hard path for you, Bec. I want you to have a better life.”

                “I… I know. Thanks mom.” Bec said, swallowing hard. Her mother straightened, then looked back at the cage.

                “Now I know you don’t like to hear it, but that means you need to take care of them better, alright? Don’t let them be feral, if you’re going to keep them like this.” She smiled down at Lance. “You’re doing a good job with that one. Now you just need to get that one up to the same standard.”

Lance wanted to curl up and hide. Because if she was calling Adam feral, what did that make him by comparison? He was clean and brushed and wearing clean clothes… Was Adam right? Did that make him a pet?

His face burned with humiliation.

                “Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to just… fix him up for you right now? I could just get rid of all that anger and fear, darling. He’d be so much easier to get cleaned up, then, wouldn’t he?” Her mother said. Bec shook her head.

                “N-no, mom, I’ll take care of it. I promise. I want to do it the old-fashioned way.”

He looked at Bec’s mother again, and the dismissive look while she regarded Adam in the corner.

But then he looked at Bec, and his thoughts skipped. She didn’t look condescending, or dismissive, or even like she agreed with her mom.

She looked apologetic. When she realized he was looking at her, she mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ and rolled her eyes.

                “Darling, I know you’re struggling with all the moves recently.” Her mother said, reaching forward to tuck a strand of Bec’s hair behind her ear. “But it matters to me that you don’t take it out on humans. I don’t want you to end up cruel, Bec. I love your father, but he…” She sighed, letting her head fall to the side. “We just want life to be easier for you, Becca.”

                “I know, mom. I… I’m trying, okay? I just…”

                “I know, honey. Your father and I are very proud of you.” Her mother said, pulling her into a hug. Bec relented and put her arms around her mother.

Lance still couldn’t even really believe what was happening. Yesterday, he’d been a totally normal kid, and today he was watching a giant teenage girl and her mother coo over him like he was some kind of hamster.

                “Make sure you keep them taken care of, okay? We’re trying to lay low this time. Let’s make this town last longer than two weeks.” She pinched Bec’s cheek and sailed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Bec turned to the aquarium and rubbed at her face again, her cheeks bright red.

                “Oh… my god. I am so sorry.” She said, slumping her face down to the table. “Ugh… she’s so annoying.”

                “Dude… what was that lady’s deal?” Kyle asked, stepping up beside Lance. He looked away from Bec and swallowed.

                “I don’t know.” He mumbled. Bec pressed her lips together and frowned.

                “Okay… I know how she made it sound, but like, I swear I’m not like her.” Bec said, biting her lip.

Lance still couldn’t look up. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel. Bec’s mother hadn’t even acknowledged him as a person in the room. She’d called him adorable, looked at Adam and compared them, then told Bec to ‘keep them taken care of’. How could he feel any less of a person?

Last night he’d eaten dinner with his family, taken a shower in his normal-sized house, and teased his little brother. Now a giant woman looked at him through glass and called him adorable, and he couldn’t even speak up to contradict her.

Because what WAS he? He was sleeping in a terrarium on small animal bedding, looking out at the world from his perspective of being smaller than his own little finger.

                “Dude, does she know we’re people?” Kyle shouted up to Bec, who sighed, her shoulders slumping.

                “I mean… I guess. She knows you’re human, I think, but… my parents don’t really see people like that.” She sighed, looking at the door. “We’re not… like you guys.”

Adam finally pushed himself to a stand and stalked over, slamming his hand onto the Plexiglass.

                “Yeah, I think I realized that when you shrank us into fucking mice!” He shouted, his face red. Bec blinked at him. “Yeah, and your dad? Major goddamn psycho, okay? Dude, what the fuck is he talking about, what did he do to Alan? What is he talking about, tentacles and teeth and hair and—”

                “Woah, man, chill a little—” Kyle tried, but Adam totally ignored him, glaring up at Bec.

                “Dude, this whole house is cuckoo fucking bananas! Is that what you’re gonna do to me too? Or are you happy just… treating me like a fucking animal? I’m not feral, got it? I… I’m a normal person! This is your fault!” His voice was raw and Bec’s mouth twisted.

Then her eyes got teary. Adam froze, more words catching in his throat.

                “I… I know, okay?” Bec cried, a tear falling down her cheek. She brushed it away roughly and sniffled. Lance gulped nervously. “I know. My family’s a bunch of psychos and I’m a freaky monster, too. I… I know how you guys see me.”

She stood up and looked away, scrubbing at her face.

                “But I’m trying, okay? I… I didn’t hurt you. You’re lucky it was me and not my dad you guys decided to shake down for money.” She mumbled. “Whatever, I don’t know why I thought you guys would understand.”

She stepped back over and reached into the cage. All three boys leapt back, but Bec went straight for Adam.

                “Come on.” Her voice was lacking emotion as she deftly scooped him into her hand, despite his struggles.

                “What the – hey! Put me down!” He shouted, flailing his limbs in surprise, his face immediately going red.

                “No. Listen, you look awful. Mom was kinda right about that, at least.” She grumbled. She carried him out of the room, and Lance and Kyle could only just stand there and watch them go.

                “Damn.” Kyle said. “This is so weird. Did I even wake up this morning? Am I still dreaming?”

                “Nah.” Lance said, falling back into the soft bedding on the floor. “This is real, somehow.”

                “Do you think he’s gonna come back clean?” Kyle asked, and Lance shrugged, letting out a quiet laugh.

                “We’ll see. I feel like he’s never gonna stop fighting.” Lance said. “Remember that time that one kid called us out, and he refused to back down?”

Kyle smirked.

                “Jesus, yeah.” He sat down next to Lance on the soft floor. “Dude, I thought he’d keep going until his face was pulp. I think that scared the kid more than anything else.”

                “What’d we get for that, like ten bucks?”

Kyle laughed.

                “Yeah! Barely, I think. We bought a Taco Bell party pack.”

                “Adam used all the napkins to plug us his bloody nose.” Lance said, shaking his head. “Dude, what the fuck was wrong with us?”

                “Hey, Taco Bell slaps, okay? I could seriously fuck up a Crunchwrap right now—”

                “Not Taco Bell, idiot.” Lance said, kicking his foot into Adam’s knee. “I mean… what we did in the neighborhood. Why the hell were we doing that stupid shit?” He put his hands over his face and hid the giant room and clear cage from view. “I mean, look at what it got us. Bloody noses, Taco Bell, and… kept in a girl’s room in a damn terrarium.”

Kyle snorted and kicked Lance’s leg back. He picked at the leg of his sweatpants.

                “I don’t know, man. It got me out of the house.” He said, shrugging his shoulders. “It, uh… I mean I hung out with you guys. It was better than home, anyway.”

Lance looked at him, not responding just yet. He’d known, to some extent, that Kyle’s house wasn’t exactly the place he wanted to be. Too many kids, too much screaming, too many flying, careless fists.

He’d looked the other way when Kyle came to hang out with them sporting a black eye that he blamed on wrestling practice.

                “People don’t take me seriously anyway. Too freakin’ short.” He laughed dryly. “Now look at me. Jesus, if people thought I was small before...” He glanced at the room beyond the layer of Plexiglass.

Lance followed his gaze. The scale of the room was ridiculous. Unlike Adam, he hadn’t spent much time outside the cage. He’d been in the bathroom by himself, then after the bath, she’d just given him the corner of a granola bar and told him to wait before she brought him back to her room.

Kyle hadn’t been very far behind, and they’d just watched old episodes of Supernatural on Bec’s TV and worried about Adam. When Bec told them she’d put him outside, all Lance could do was sit there and worry.

But still, everything around him served to remind him of just how tiny he was right now.

                “Yeah, we’re… freakin’ finger food right now.” Lance joked, looking down at his legs. Even the flannel fabric they were laying on was so big he could see the weave.

                “Dude, remember how Adam thought she ate you?” Kyle said, a weird look on his face. Lance shrugged.

                “Yeah, I have no fuckin’ clue where he got that idea. I like—”

                “That was my fault.” Kyle said, running his hand through his hair awkwardly. Lance paused and looked at him.

                “What?”

                “Yeah… when she brought your clothes back, we both kinda really freaked.” He chuckled and tilted his head. “I was the one who said it, but he was the one that really, like… I think he actually believed it.”

                “Dude!” Lance said, shivering. “Eww… That’s fucked up…” He grimaced at the thought. There was no way Bec would eat him… right?

                “I know… But like, he literally wouldn’t stop. He was so convinced. I wonder… how long he was thinking that. I feel really bad.”

                “Don’t feel bad.” Lance said, though he did feel a little bit worse for Adam. He’d kind of been wondering why his friend seemed so freaked. But now he thought about what he’d been through.

He knew Adam wasn’t good with just stewing alone. He kind of tended to spiral when he was left to his own devices for too long. He must have really driven himself crazy before Bec brought him back.

                “I didn’t mean to freak him out so bad, though.” Kyle said shaking his head. “I really… I mean, I kind of meant it as a joke, but like… I don’t know. Look at us.”

                “Right. Look at us.” Lance said, pulling at his shirt collar.

                “I feel bad. I think I might have made him worse.”

                “You can’t make Adam worse!” Lance said, rolling his eyes. “He does a pretty good job of torturing himself without us in the mix.”

                “Jesus, right? I think dude is medically incapable of chilling.” Kyle joked, and Lance laughed.

                “Seriously. I mean… yeah this is really weird and it kind of sucks, but like… at least she’s not hurting us, right?”

                “Literally. It’s better than my house.” Kyle said, laying back onto the soft floor underneath him. “Sure, it’s a little boring, I guess. I wish I had my Xbox. But seriously, if I had Xbox Live in here, I don’t think I’d ever go home.”

Lance blinked and looked down.

If he had the choice, he’d reverse this and get out of here in a heartbeat. It wasn’t like Bec had been cruel or anything, but he missed his life. He missed being big, and he didn’t like how much control she had over him, especially when she picked him up.

At least… at least she knew how to do that without making it painful. It was still terrifying, though. And, well… there was something kind of comforting just not having to worry about anything, really.

                “Right…” He said, laying back. “I hope Adam’s okay.”

Notes:

We finally meet Bec's mom! :D And she's just as much of a treasure as her husband! Don't worry, she'll be coming back, for sure. Bec's mom doesn't bother to introduce herself, but her name is Cher! And she does have her own powers, only hinted at here. She's not like Harlan and Bec, but... she's got her own role in this family, and she's the reason that none of them have been discovered yet.

I love Bec's struggle here. :') She's caught between her mom and her dad in her approach to her powers and humans, but she also has her own love for humans in the mix as well. Why does Bec care so much about humans and not becoming her parents? We'll find out soon. ;)

Even though Adam is kind of unofficially the main character of this story, Lance and Kyle are SUPER important, too! Why were boys like them hanging around causing trouble the neighborhood? Well, I hope I explained it a little more!

Chapter 6: You're Not Feral, You're An Insect!

Summary:

Adam fucks around and finds out. :') And Bec tries her hardest to not be like her parents.

Notes:

No real content warnings for this chapter! :D Though Bec DOES discuss what her father has done to humans in the past, so there's some discussion of body horror that should feel par for the course by now!

Adam was not okay.

He couldn’t stop himself from fighting against her grip, even when she tried to loosen it to keep from hurting him. Every corner they rounded, his heart pounded for fear of encountering her father again, or seeing her terrifying mother calling him ‘feral’.

                “Adam, come on!” Bec said, readjusting her grip for the hundredth time. “Can you please calm down? We’re just going to the bathroom!”

                “No!” He shouted, red in the face. “N-no, just put me down! I don’t want a… a fucking bath!”

Bec sighed, bringing up her other hand to cup him in between her palms, adjusting so that she wasn’t gripping him at all anymore. Adam only tried to scramble up the side and throw himself over the edge.

                “Jesus!” Bec cried, shifting to catch him between her fingers. “Even Kyle didn’t fight this much, and I thought he was going to break his back! Seriously, settle down. I don’t want you to get hurt!”

                “Then you shouldn’t have shrunk me at all!” He shouted back, squirming desperately against her fingers. “J-just make me big again and you can stop feeling bad for me!”

Bec pressed her lips together in annoyance.

                “I will, eventually, but you’re seriously being a psycho right now. Can you just chill? For five seconds?”

                “You’re calling ME a psycho?” Adam shouted back, a vein popping out in his temple. Her finger was pressed solidly into his chest, and nothing he did even budged it. He settled for kicking his feet into her thumb as hard as he could, hoping to annoy her into letting him go. “Your dad is the fucking psycho! W-what the hell is going on, here? What ARE you people?”

Bec narrowed her eyes, and Adam froze. It wasn’t that he was afraid of her, even though he probably should have been, but she hadn’t gotten angry at him even once yet, not really. This was his first time really, truly pissing her off. He was a little more cowed than he should have been.

                “You’re being such a jerk, oh my god.” She murmured, brushing her hair out of her eyes. He felt his blood pressure rise even further. He was so close to her face, he could see every one of her splotchy freckles across her nose. Something deep in his chest told him he needed to calm down and stop yelling, but there was no way he was backing down now!

                “I’m being a jerk? Who’s the one that shrank me and brought me into her weirdo home and put me outside with a fuckin’ cat??”

                “It wasn’t a cat! That was my mom, and… she was actually really worried about you!” Bec said, exasperated.

                “W-worried about me?” He squeaked out incredulously.

                “Yeah, worried about you! Is that so hard to believe?”

                “Uh, yeah!” Adam shouted, and she finally set him back down into her palm, letting him free again. He was vibrating with anger and tension. “It’s hard to believe when she batted me across the fucking yard and chased me under the porch!”

                “Jesus – she was trying to bring you back inside! She – I mean, maybe she wanted to tease you first, but… she was just going to bring you back to me!”

Adam was so angry and embarrassed by her words that he couldn’t speak for a minute. He couldn’t even believe what he was hearing.

How humiliating to even think about! Being hunted by a giant cat, who apparently just wanted to bring him inside back to this crazy girl who shrank him in the first place. And she just wanted to tease him? How was he supposed to know what cats were predators and which cats were shape-shifted mothers? Why should he put up with being chased around in the first place?

He was human, not a goddamn mouse!

Okay, so maybe he shouldn’t have tried to take this girl’s money, but he hadn’t signed up to be fucking TINY!

And the way she was touching him, clamping him in her fingers and trying to pin him! He hated feeling this helpless and weak. He couldn’t stop from struggling again. He twisted and thrashed in her hand again, scrambling to escape her grip. Bec caught him again, wrapping her fingers around his torso. Her fingers pressed into his ribcage and he shouted in pain and overstimulation.

                “FUCK OFF!” He screamed, every muscle in his body tensing.

                “Okay, goddamn. If you’re going to make this hard, I’m gonna make this easier.” She said, glaring at him, and Adam swallowed, still trying to wriggle against her grip. All of a sudden his heart was pounding, and he thought of what her father had said he could do.

But she didn’t make him sprout tentacles or grow arms or teeth or anything. Instead, he felt her skin swell around him, the ridges of her thumbprint becoming even more pronounced.

At first, he wondered if she was growing herself or making her skin bubble or something, but the entire room was shifting around him.

Oh god… she was shrinking him again!

                “Holy – shit, stop!! Stop, don’t!” He shouted, squirming again, redoubling his efforts to escape. His eyes blew wide with fear, but she didn’t stop until he was less than half his old size, maybe smaller! Her thumb was twice as wide as his chest, and his feet didn’t touch her palm anymore.

                “There you go. Will you stop trying to jump to your damn death, now?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. He only looked up at her, his heart pounding in his chest, while she set him back down.

If her palm had been the size of a queen size mattress before, it was even bigger now. The size of his bedroom floor. He could literally sit in the wrinkle of her palm! He’d stood at least a little taller than her finger before, but now…

Fuck, he’d barely stand more than a single finger joint! Her pinky would be taller than him! He couldn’t have been more than a single inch tall, IF that.

Her voice was even louder, her heartbeat pounding even stronger. He couldn’t even get his mouth to form words.

                “Okay, let’s get this over with.” She sighed, curling her hands around him. He wouldn’t even have a chance to climb out and escape now.

The light from the bathroom flooded over him, and she set him down onto a folded washcloth she had by the sink. He recoiled from the fibers. Fabric at three inches had been rough enough, but at this new terrifying size? It was almost like sandpaper against his paper-thin skin.

                “Okay, listen. We’re not human.” Bec said, her voice tight, while she turned on the tap and ran her fingers under the water, testing the temperature. “I don’t even know if there’s a word for what we are.”

Adam pressed his lips together. Fucking obviously, he wanted to shout, but… he kept his mouth shut. He was still angry, but he wasn’t going to keep screaming. He was small enough already.

                “All I know is that my whole family has these… abilities. And… well, you know how they are.”

She pulled out the saucer and eyed him, then swapped it out for the soap dish, something even shallower and smaller. She filled it with warm water and set it on the counter.

                “They were so excited when I turned out just like my dad.” Bec said, scraping up a little fingernail of soap. Adam frowned. Man, that scrap was the size of his entire hand. “But I don’t want to be like him. He… makes things really hard. For himself. For everyone. For… for me.”

She leaned over and pulled open the drawer, pulling out something he couldn’t even see pinched between her fingers. A blue cotton T-shirt in his size, and a pair of black shorts.

                “W-where did you…?” He started, eyeing the clothing. Why the hell did she have clothes HIS size just… in the bathroom drawer?

Bec shrugged, standing up.

                “Wash up. Get dressed, then…” She sighed. “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”

The door clicked shut behind her, and Adam looked at the soap dish filled with warm water. He didn’t want to get in. He didn’t want to wear her clothes! He was a person, dammit, not a pet! He wasn’t going to be like Lance and Kyle.

But… the steam rising up looked inviting, and the mud caked all over him was really starting to itch and sting.

                “I’m not your pet!” He shouted to no one, stripping off his clothes and slipping into the water. He meant to just dip in and rinse off, but he hadn’t been expecting the water to be so thick! It almost felt like that slime his little sister was obsessed with. It beaded in drops he could hold in his hands, and slid off him without resistance.

But it was warm, and took the dirt off without problem. He didn’t touch the soap, though. Damn if he was going to smell like her, too.

He vaulted out and rolled in the itchy washcloth, letting the giant beads of water absorb into it before throwing on the clothes she had for him. Maybe he should have put on his old outfit, but now that he wasn’t covered in filth, he found himself surprisingly loath to put on his filthy jeans and dirt-caked jacket again.

Whatever. It was just clothes. And the fabric was actually really soft and comfortable.

He spent the next five minutes wandering around the bathroom counter, staring up at the way everything loomed over his head. He couldn’t even reach the mirror, it was so high off the counter. The faucet was too for him to even consider. The tap was longer and thicker than his entire body.

Even when he looked around, it just looked like a normal bathroom, but everything was blown up to a ridiculous size. He could see the texture on the towels, he could hear the water dripping from the showerhead, and he could even hear the creaking of the water in the pipes.

It was disorienting, but… it didn’t feel dangerous, the way the outside had felt last night. He was just leaning over the edge of the counter to look down at the towel rack when the door opened, and Bec came in.

                “You decent?” She asked, her hand over her eyes. He flushed. Well, he had to give her credit for at least giving him his dignity. He cupped his hands around his mouth.

                “Yeah!” He shouted. Bec moved her hand and smiled gently.

                “Okay. Come on, we’ll go back to the room, and I’ll… get you guys something to eat. Sound good?” She set her hand down on the counter, and he eyed it.

He wasn’t sure if he was on board with all of this yet, but he didn’t want to be shrunk again. He pushed himself in, crawling awkwardly to the center of her hand so he could sit. He refused to look up.

All he wanted was to get away and be done with feeling so incredibly small around her. And look what fighting got him!

                “Woah…” Bec said, lifting him up and walking out into the hallway. “You’re.. uh, being really calm.”

Adam glared up at her. He doubted she could even see the expression on his miniature face, but she smirked in response.

                “Maybe I just don’t want you to keep fucking with my size, okay? I’m… I’m choosing my battles!” He shouted. Bec’s smirk settled into something genuine, and she shook her head.

                “I… I won’t, okay? I’m sorry, but you really were trying to hurt yourself. No more size shifting, I promise.” She said, extending a pinky. His eyes went wide at the fingertip the size of a goddamn truck flying at him, before she paused right in front of him. He calmed his fluttering heart just enough to realize she was making a pinky-promise. “Is this how you do it? I… I’ve seen humans do this.” She said awkwardly.

Adam reaching his own tiny hand up and pressed his pinky to hers, a little afraid of how tiny his own hand was. His entire fingertip slipped between the ridges of her fingerprint.

She smiled widely, her cheeks going pink, and he flushed in response. What the hell? He definitely shouldn’t have felt anything from making her happy. Not when he was this small in the palm of her hand! He should still be fighting with her! He should be pissing her off, not… making pinky-promises like little girls at camp!

They were not friends. And… he didn’t even believe her anyway.

He swallowed, something warm spreading through his chest.

                “W-whatever, okay?” Adam mumbled, looking away. Bec heard him anyway.

                “Thanks.” She said, and she opened the bedroom door.

Adam only had a few seconds to recalibrate before he realized where he was. Her hand lowered into the terrarium, and she tipped her hand, letting him slide off onto the floor.

Jesus, if he though it was cushy before, it was even harder to navigate now. Every step felt like he sank in up to his knees.

And that was nothing compared to his friends.

He hadn’t even thought about that – now, standing at full height, he barely stood higher that Lance’s knee.

                “J-Jesus, man!” Kyle said, stepping over to tower over him too. Adam flushed, his mouth felt like it was welded shut. His heart was pounding. He hadn’t even been thinking about how he’d look to his friends now. “What the hell happened to you?”

His previously shorter friend reached down and placed his hands under Adam’s armpits. He tried to back up, but before he could move, Kyle had hoisted him into the air. He cried out, his legs dangling uselessly underneath him. He’d been picked up like a toddler!

                “P-put me down!” He shouted, his eyes wide, looking into Kyle’s giant face.

                “Whoa… you’re so light!” Kyle said, grinning. “I’m taller than you for once!”

Adam’s heart raced, his breath amplifying. It was one thing to be held in Bec’s hand, completely another to be able to be picked up like a damn kitten! He put his hands on Kyle’s thumb braced over his chest and tried to pry them off.

                “Dude, put him down!” Lance said, reaching out to put his hand on Kyle’s shoulder.

                “What?”

                “Look at him, he’s clearly freaked.” Lance said. Adam could have hugged him if he wasn’t dangling ten feet off the ground in someone’s hands.

Kyle looked back at Adam and winced.

                “Oh… shit. Sorry man.” He said, gently lowering Adam back down to the ground. Adam’s knees were shaky, and he collapsed the minute he was finally set down.

Lance knelt down, and even then he was still taller than Adam.

                “What happened, Adam?” He asked gently. Adam looked away.

                “I-isn’t is freakin’ obvious?” He said, his voice harsh and angry. Though he was mostly just feeling humiliated. It was one thing to be the tallest of the three when they were the size of mice. It was a completely new and awful thing to be the height of a toddler to his friends.

                “He was trying to jump out of my hand and kill himself.” Bec said from above, and they all looked up.

Lance looked back down and smirked.

                “Really? Dude… Is life really that bad?” He grinned. Adam reddened even more, his entire body on fire.

                “N-no! Jesus, I just… she was holding me too tight! I didn’t want her to fuckin’ crush me!” He shouted, and Lance raised an eyebrow. Even Kyle folded his arms, standing like a 15-foot statue in the park. Kyle had never once looked tall to him, and now he towered. Adam grit his teeth. “She… all right, fine. I just hate being held!” He said, folding his arms and hating how much it made him feel like a petulant little kid.

                “Wow…” Lance said, pushing himself back up to a stand so he was looming over Adam. He looked down at his own hands, then turned to look up at Bec. “Was he really that slippery?”

                “I thought he was really gonna break his neck trying to escape.” She said, sitting down in her chair and leaning back. “He was worse than you.” She pointed at Kyle, who grinned, rubbing the back of his head.

                “Jesus.” He glanced down at Adam. “You must have really been kicking it up.”

                “He was, oh my god.” Bec said, holding up her hand. “I think he gave me a bruise by my thumb.”

Adam wanted to melt through the floor. He didn’t think his face could get any redder. As if being this small wasn’t bad enough, they were all treating it like a joke!

                “I-it’s not funny, okay?” He shouted, and all three of them looked at him. Lance was biting his lip, Kyle looked like he was barely holding it in. Bec just averted her eyes completely. “I… this fucking sucks!”

Lance sat down all the way, putting him at eye level with Adam. He shrugged.

                “Yeah… I know. This whole thing is kind of wild.” He said, leaning back. “But like… she said we’re not gonna be like this forever.”

Adam scoffed looking away.

                “You’re saying that because you’re not this small.” He grumbled. Lance shrugged and looked over to where Kyle was still towering above them. Adam swallowed. Kyle could totally pick him up right now, if he wanted to. He shivered.

                “I mean… yeah.” Lance said suppressing a grin. “I didn’t freak out cursing at her, either.”

Adam narrowed his eyes in a furious glare, but he knew it wasn’t having the right effect when Lance only barely hid a smirk.

                “She just likes you, or something.” Adam said bitterly. Lance glanced up at Bec, who was still looking through the glass, watching like some kind of giant observer. He shrugged.

                “I mean… Maybe she just doesn’t hate me because I didn’t, you know, fight her kicking and screaming.”

Adam decided to take the loss and sit down himself, mostly to save his legs the exhaustion of trying to keep himself upright in the incredibly soft floor.

                “Yeah but like… don’t you feel like you gave in?” He asked quietly, hoping that Bec wouldn’t overhear. Her face didn’t change, and he couldn’t tell if she’d heard or not.

Lance shook his head.

                “Nah. I mean… yeah, when her mom came in, that felt pretty shitty. But like… I’d rather feel shitty and be wearing clean clothes than feeling shitty because I spent the night in the dirt, you know?”

Adam scoffed, but he didn’t have a retort to that.

                “She’s treating us like goddamn pets.” He said through his clenched jaw. Lance rolled his eyes.

                “And we tried to shake down a damn eldritch god for money, okay? Honestly, this is pretty mild.”

Okay, he really didn’t have anything to say to that. He still didn’t think he deserved all this – being smaller than his mouse-sized friend’s leg – but… sure, maybe this could have been worse.

                “Still fucking sucks.” He said, but he didn’t feel quite so furious. Lance nodded.

                “Yeah, it blows. But at least we’re alive, right?” Kyle said, plopping himself down next to Lance. Ugh, Adam hated how much it made him feel like he was so much smaller than them, even.

                “Yeah. I mean… I met her dad, right? And… yeah, things could have gone way worse.” He shivered, and Lance blinked.

                “Worse? Like… worse how?” He couldn’t help a backwards glance at Bec. She sighed.

                “You’re talking about my dad’s power, right?” Bec said, and Adam flushed. Jesus, she must have the hearing of a damn bat, because he felt like his voice should have been too small to even hear at this size.

                “Uh, yeah.” He said, looking away. He couldn’t look at her right now.

Bec sighed and put her chin in her hands to look into the terrarium.

                “Yeah, you guys are really lucky you didn’t cross paths with him before me. He’s… a little eccentric. And he’s not nearly as restrained.” She said, shaking her head.

Adam scoffed.

                “Yeah, what the hell was he talking about? Alan?” He prompted and Bec’s face went scarlet in a second. Lance raised his eyebrows.

                “Who the hell is Alan?” He asked, looking between his diminutive friend and Bec’s massive face. Bec groaned.

                “Jesus… he… He was one of my dad’s coworkers from Ashville, the last town we were in. I’ll admit, he was kind of annoying, but one day he spilled coffee in the work breakroom and didn’t clean it up, and my dad like… exploded.”

She swallowed, glancing at the door. Her face was so red her freckles stood out like stars on her face. Adam flushed just looking at her, and he had to look away.

                “Umm… God. Sorry, I hate talking about it. He… well, he’s usually pretty crazy when he starts, like… modifying people.” She cleared her throat and bit her lip. “But even for him, Alan was… messed up. He like… made him three times bigger, took his bones away, turned his fingers into these long, like… slimy things. Teeth literally everywhere. It was gross, even for him.”

All three of them blinked up at her and she looked down into her lap, like she was about to cry.

                “It took me like… three hours to get him even close to normal, and mom needed like, two days with him before he stopped screaming. We had to leave the next day.”

                “What… the hell?” Kyle asked, his eyes so open they looked like they’d pop out of his head. “Dude, I mean… what?”

                “Oh my god, and he almost touched me!” Adam said, shivering. He knew that Harlan was dangerous, but hearing Bec describe it almost made him want to run and scream at the memory of his finger approaching.

And… Bec had pulled him away. She’d kept him safe, before he even knew what the danger was.

                “Are you like that?” Kyle asked, and Lance shushed him nervously. But Bec didn’t look pissed off, just embarrassed.

                “I mean, sort of?” She murmured. “My dad thinks I could be like him someday. He really wants me to be, anyway, but… I can’t do what he does yet. I can change things, I just can’t add anything mass or anything. I can just… take away or rearrange.”

                “Holy shit…” Kyle said, rubbing his arms. “I, uh… that’s fuckin’ terrifying.”

Bec looked even sadder at his words. For a minute, they were all quiet, then she stood up and turned away.

                “I’m, uh… gonna get you guys some food. I’ll be back.” She sprinted from the room, the door slipping shut behind her.

Notes:

Uh-oh... Bec!! What are you doing, girl??

She's kind of all over the place, but she's got a lot of feelings going on behind the scenes. She's a lonely girl, right? And she wants to use her powers responsibly, but she has no healthy model for that at all. Of course she's sincere, but that doesn't always mean she's doing the right thing.

Adam is... man, this guy is gonna need therapy after all this! And I'm afraid things aren't going to be getting easier for him any time soon. :')

Chapter 7: What the Hell Are We Doing, Man?

Summary:

The boys bond a little, and Bec answers the big question for them - will they ever be big again?

              “Woah.” Kyle said, looking at Lance, then down at Adam. “I, uh… what the fuck? What the hell did you get us into?”

              “Me??” Adam said, tensing up. “How is this MY fault?”

              “Uh, whose idea was it to fuck with the new girl? Who’s the one that started the whole confrontation in the first place?” Lance said, folding his arms and straightening up. Even sitting, he was taller than Adam. Adam clenched his tiny fists.

              “That – hey, I mean you guys wanted to do it, too!” Adam said, frustrated. “You guys didn’t have a problem with it until we messed with the wrong girl, okay? Even after the whole Randy thing—”

              “Damn, dude, don’t bring up the Randy thing… That’s… it’s over, man.” Kyle said, shooting him a glare. Adam swallowed. He really didn’t like how that glare looked on someone three times his size. God, he hated being this damn small!

But he wasn’t going to let being small stop him from being himself. Hell no!

              “Yeah, I’m bringing up the Randy thing!” Adam shouted.

              “Dude… why?” Lance said, sighing.

“Because you guys don’t even know what I had to do to pay my dad back for making it go away! And I didn’t hear either of you two offering to help with that. I didn’t hear either of you fuckers say anything about it!” Adam said furiously. He could feel his blood pressure rising in his neck, his tiny pulse popping at his throat.

The other two just looked away, and Adam folded his arms, looking away.

              “What did you have to do?” Kyle asked, folding his arms around his knees. Adam sighed.

              “Fucking…” His face went red. “God. Every week, he has these stupid parties, okay? At his law office. They’re supposed to be these like, highbrow networking events. A bunch of rich assholes gathering over fancy wine and cheese and they talk about their clients and who they just sued out of their house and whatever boat they just bought.”

He rolled his eyes and looked away.

              “Sounds… uh, terrible?” Kyle said, scratching his chin. Adam scoffed.

              “That’s because you’ve never had to go to one.” He said bitterly. “You’ve never met a creepier group of psychopaths than a party of bloodsuckers. Dude, those people don’t have a reflection in mirrors, okay? They don’t have fucking souls!”

              “Jesus…” Lance said, trying to fight a smile. “Isn’t your dad one of those bloodsuckers?”

              “Yeah, that’s my point!” Adam snapped. “He’s… he’s one of the worst ones, okay?”

              “Jeez, sorry.” Lance said, putting his hands up.

              “Whatever. My dad, after the whole Randy thing… he had me work the parties as a server. I had to wear a suit, carry a tray – the whole nine yards.” Adam said, his face going red.

              “So… you had to, what, work a few shifts as a waiter?” Kyle asked, his face contorting in confusion. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

              “You don’t get it!” Adam shouted, clenching his tiny fists. “These people are… they’re barely human, okay? They treat you so shitty, and if you mess up even a little, they humiliate you in front of the whole room, and I mean really humiliate you. I’m talking like, screaming insults and throwing drinks, and you’re not allowed to leave, or… or say anything! And of course, my father just… he didn’t just let me do it quietly, he called me out every time!”

He reached down for a piece of the bedding and tried to tear it, but it was too thick for him to get through. He tossed it down in frustration.

              “He always made sure everyone in that room knew I was his disappointing son, and he didn’t cut me any slack. He spilled wine on me, tipped my serving tray, and made me wipe up spills on my hands and knees! And he told them all to treat me the same.” His voice caught, and he burned with the memory. He tried to summon the anger he always used to mask how those parties had made him feel, but… he just couldn’t this time. “He made me do it for six months, okay? It was fucking awful.”

              “Holy shit…” Lance said, swallowing.

              “Yeah, those people are like piranhas. Or sharks, you know? They see blood in the water, and they want to tear it apart. My dad just… cut me open and threw me right into the tank over and over and over.” He looked down and picked at the hem of the shorts. “S-so yeah. You’re welcome.”

              “Dude, you shouldn’t have done that!” Kyle said, pushing himself up to pace around the inside of the terrarium. “There was no way it was worth it!”

              “Hey, it’s not like I had a choice!” Adam snapped back. “My dad didn’t ASK if I wanted him to get us out of all the trouble! He didn’t ask me if I even wanted his help! He just… did it, and then made me pay him back.”

              “That’s messed up.” Lance said, leaning back. “Talk about messed up dads.”

              “Right.” Adam said bitterly. “Maybe I’d rather have Bec’s Cronenberg nightmare dad instead of Alexander Lochner, Esq.”

              “Speaking of… uh, Bec, I guess...” Lance said, glancing at the wall beyond the wall of the terrarium. “Do you think we should ask her again about getting big again? Or maybe like… at least getting you back up to our size?”

Kyle shivered.

              “I don’t know, man. I don’t want to get on her bad side.” He glanced down at Adam. “No offense, but I don’t wanna be that small.”

              “Ugh, you make it sound like a damn death sentence.” Adam said sharply. He glared up. Unfortunately, the glare didn’t have the effect he’d been hoping, because both of his friends looked like they were fighting a smile.

              “Not a death sentence, buddy, but… yeah, it looks freaky as hell.” Lance said as gently as he could.

              “Try living it!” Adam snapped, standing up on his feet, still needing to look up at his friends. “Fucking look at me! God, as if I needed to feel even smaller.” His voice was bitter.

              “Aw, come on, man.” Kyle said, rolling his eyes. “You were always the tallest of all of us. You wanna talk about feeling small, try being 5’5” at sixteen.”

              “That’s not – that’s not what I meant.” Adam said, his face getting red. “Whatever. You guys wouldn’t get it, anyway.”

Bec chose that moment to walk back into the room, her face flushed, and a plate in her hands.

              “Um, okay, sorry that took forever.” She said, her voice breathy and nervous. All three of them looked up at her. “I, uh… I don’t know what you like, so I just kind of got some of everything.”

She set the plate down inside the terrarium, then sat back, biting her thumbnail. The three boys looked at each other for a moment, the air still a little tense, but then Kyle’s stomach broke the silence. He slid a hand over his stomach and blushed.

              “Oh, uh… sorry guys.” He said with an awkward smile. “I’m kinda starving.”

He pushed himself up and walked over to the plate Bec had set in there. She really had done a little bit of everything. Some sliced ham, a piece of cheddar cheese, an apple slice, and an entire cosmic brownie.

Kyles eyes lit up, and he went straight in for the brownie, grabbing an entire fistful.

              “Holy shit, this is my actual, literal dream.” He said around a huge mouthful.

              “Dude, that’s why you’re so short, because you don’t eat anything but sugar.” Lance said, rolling his eyes. He tore off a piece of ham and chewed on it thoughtfully. “Doesn’t taste any different, I guess.”

Adam tried to follow, frustrated with how difficult it was to walk on this fleece covered bedding. It was like walking on a waterbed. Then, of course, as if it wasn’t all humiliating enough, he wasn’t even tall enough to get onto the plate.

Lance glanced down, then at Kyle, who was still eating brownie like he’d never seen food before. He sighed, then, without a word, wrapped his hands around Adam’s chest and swept him up.

              “Hey!” Adam protested. “Don’t—”

              “It’s nothing, man.” Lance said, immediately looking away and going back to his own food. “Don’t worry about it.”

Adam opened his mouth to say more, but then his own stomach growled. God, he hadn’t eaten since dinner with his family last night, and so much had happened since then. He grabbed a slice of the ham and bit into it. At this size, it felt more like beef jerky in his mouth, but he needed the protein.

              “I… we don’t have any vegetables. My mom says they’re too close to dirt to eat… is that okay? Do you guys like… need them?” Bec asked nervously, looking down. Kyle laughed.

              “Fuck no, we don’t need vegetables!” He laughed. Lance rolled his eyes.

              “We need SOME vegetables.” He said, glaring at Kyle. He looked up at Bec. “We’ll be fine for now. You guys don’t eat them?”

Bec shook her head.

              “N-no…” She murmured.

              “Dude, come on, tell me you’re not into this.” Kyle said, holding out another handful of cosmic brownie.

              “I mean…” Lance said, taking it from him. He took a bite and huffed. “Okay, yeah, that’s pretty damn tasty.”

              “Yo, Bec!” Kyle shouted, waving his hand now sticky with chocolate. “You think you could get a stack of pancakes like this? Ooh, or like, a plate of taquitos? Shit, or even like, chocolate milk. Holy shit… guys, I could actually swim in chocolate milk.”

Bec grinned.

              “Well, uh… yeah, I could. But I think you might puke if I did that right now.” She said, biting her lip.

Kyle waved his hand dismissively.

              “Sure, sure. Listen, why don’t you let me worry about my own stomach, and you just get me the giant food that my heart’s calling for, okay?” He joked, licking his fingers off. Bec laughed quietly, and her eyes flicked to Adam, who was still chewing quietly on his piece of ham.

              “How, um… how is it?” Bec asked. “Aside from him, I mean.”

              “Good stuff.” Lance said appreciatively. “I didn’t know I was so hungry.”

Bec waited, her eyes still caught on Adam’s tiny figure. He glanced up, paused, then grit his teeth in embarrassment. He did NOT like being watched while he ate, especially not when he must look like a little animal right now, clutching a piece of meat with both hands.

              “It’s fine.” He said sharply, looking away. Bec’s face fell just a little, but she recovered quickly.

              “Umm… so…” Bec said, unwrapping a cosmic brownie of her own, and taking a bite. She swallowed heavily. “I, uh… I think you guys are right.”

Lance and Kyle looked up at her. Adam still refused.

              “I think you guys have probably learned your lesson, right? You’re not gonna go back out there and like, do this again.” She said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Lance and Kyle looked at each other, their eyes wide.

              “Oh, yeah, totally.” Kyle said, bobbing his head. Lance glanced over at him in disbelief, and Kyle paused. “Wait, no, we’re not gonna do it. Promise!”

              “Yeah…” Lance said with a shrug. “I’m done with that. It was never worth it, anyway.”

The two of them looked down at Adam, who was just finishing his miniscule scrap of meat.

              “What?” He asked testily.

              “Bruh, come on.” Lance prodded. “We’re not gonna go out and like, shake people down anymore, right?” He prompted. Adam’s face hardened and he looked between the two of them.

              “So you’re just going to give everything up, just because she did this to us?” Adam said harshly. Lance and Kyle glanced at each other.

              “Uh… yeah?” Kyle said, smirking. “This wasn’t enough? Listen, man, I don’t know what you think I’m getting out of fucking around in the neighborhood to make all this worth it.” He shrugged. “Honestly, I’d be fine if we just played Fortnite instead.”

              “Yeah, Adam…” Lance said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You can’t seriously think there’s a point in keeping that shit up.”

              “W-well maybe it’s not just about keeping it up!” Adam snapped. “Maybe it’s about the principle, you know, of not letting giant girls with creepy powers tell us what to do! Just because she made me small doesn’t mean I have to listen!”

              “I mean, doesn’t it, though?” Lance said, cringing. “We’re literally stuck in a terrarium right now. What are you gaining by fighting?”

              “My dignity, for one!” Adam shouted, and Lance bit his lip. Did Adam really not know what he looked like right now? He must not, or he wouldn’t have said that.

              “R-right.” Lance said, and Adam fumed.

              “What do you want me to do, just bow down and tell her whatever she wants to hear just so she gets off her power trip and makes me big again?” Adam said, folding his arms.

Lance and Kyle just looked at him, brows furrowed.

              “I mean… Yeah, kinda…” Kyle said awkwardly.

              "Yeah, man... I wanna be big again." Lance said.

              “Fine!” Adam spat furiously. “Fine, whateeeever you want, Bec! No, no, let me change everything about myself to be what you want! No, in fact, why don’t you just do it for me? Why don’t you just shrink me down to nothing? Why not have your mom come in and just erase me, right? Just have her come in and ‘fix me’, and then all of this is fucking pointless!”

              “Woah, Adam… What is your damage?” Lance said, glancing back up at Bec. Her face was tight at the corners, but she looked more hurt than anything. She didn’t look angry at all.

              “Come on, Bec!” Adam taunted. “Do your worst, okay? Bring your dad in here and turn me into a slimy tooth monster! Just do whatever you want, just to make yourself feel better!”

              “Jesus, man!” Kyle said, sliding forward, reaching out for Adam. “Can you shut the hell up? Maybe don’t ruin this for all of us?”

Adam leapt back, his hands up, though he really couldn’t do anything if Kyle decided to pick him up.

              “Back off! All of you! Just… stop trying to tell me what to be!” He shouted, his voice raw, now. “You’re all just like my dad, okay? And I’m done with that! I choose who I am and I choose what I do!” Kyle put his hands up and Lance shook his head.

But Bec only sighed.

              “I… you know what, fine.” She said, tiredly. All three of them snapped their heads up to look at her. “I’m not like them, okay? I don’t want to just… change you. That’s not fair, and it would mean I was just like my mom and dad.”

She looked toward her bedroom door and her shoulders slumped a little.

              “I mean, I could keep you here until you got worn down enough to change, but like… what does that make me?” She whispered.

Adam was too wound up to even respond. Kyle and Lance glanced at each other.

              “I think whatever lesson you were going to learn, you already did. And A-Adam… you…” She trailed off, her face going red. “I’m not going to hold you hostage until you agree with me. I’m better than that. I… I’m going to be better than that.”

She looked at her hand, and Lance’s eyes widened. He could see something glowing and shifting under her skin.

              “I’m going to change you back.” She said, gripping her hand into a fist. She looked down at Adam, fixing him in her gaze. “And it’s not because you said what I wanted you to say. I’m doing it because… because I want to. And it’s my choice.”

Kyle and Lance both visibly relaxed.

              “Oh, thank god.” Lance mumbled, glaring down at Adam. “I swear to god, if you fucking ruined that for us…”

Adam’s face was still red, but his face wasn’t nearly as tense now.

              “Yeah, dude, you’re lucky she’s a cool girl, okay?” Kyle said, shooting Bec a thumbs-up. But his face was hard when he looked at Adam. “Cuz if you fucked up our chance to be big again because you wanted to kill yourself on this freaking hill…”

              "Not fucking cool, man." Lance said quietly.

              “I… whatever.” Adam said angrily. “I didn’t fucking ruin everything, so… it’s all good.”

Bec nodded.

              “Listen, like I said.” She folded her arms and glanced at the door. “I’m not going to keep you hostage. I just… will you at least like, think about it? Think of it like… a recommendation?”

              “Oh my god!” Adam said, shaking his head. “I – yeah, fine. I’ll take it into consideration, okay? It’s with the committee for review. Or whatever.”

Bec smiled.

              “Great.” She looked between the three of them. “Alright, who’s going first?”

Notes:

Hopefully this helps explain a little bit of why these boys, especially Adam, act the way they do. Though we aren't done delving into the depths of his issues, not by a long shot. ;) Man, Kyle really seems to love food. I wonder if that's going to come back in a big way in the future?

Bec also is beginning to come into her own, here. She has an as yet unseen moral code that seems to skew towards humans. Which... considering who her parents are, is pretty impressive. She's very powerful, and maybe a little overly confident, but... well, she's still only 16, with all the same insecurities and moral depth.

This chapter marks the end of the first arc! :D We are really going to get more intense in the next ones, with more body horror and emotional drama! But I am keeping the emotional tone, so it should stay fun, even when things get crazy. From here on, you will especially want to check beginning chapter notes. I'll be tagging things very clearly and offering skips if you need them!

Chapter 8: Lance Learns What Being Fleshcrafted Feels Like

Summary:

Poor Lance is the first one that Bec tries to restore to human form. Unluckily for him, this process isn't going to reverse as easy as it happened in the first place!

Notes:

Here we go! Welcome to Act 2 of this story. :D From here, everything's going to ramp up a step or two in intensity! I'm really excited about this act, because all the characters are going to get tested in the most fun way.

CW: Body horror! Bec's powers aren't painful, but they are creepy, and reality-warping. If you're sensitive to body horror, I've marked the beginning and ending of the actual horror with "***". You should be able to skip this section without losing any of the actual story!

Bec smiled, then reached in. They all stiffened, but she paused, biting her lip, before wrapping her fingers around Lance.

                “Woah, hey!” He said, flailing in her fingers before she pulled him out.

                “Okay, you’re the easiest, so you’re first.” Bec said, nodding. Lance took a long breath, trying to calm himself down. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been picked up before, but it was insanely disorienting to just be… picked up like that.

                “Aw man, that’s not fair!” Kyle whined. Bec shook her head and rolled her eyes.

                “Relax. You’ll all get your turn, okay?” She said, looking down at Lance in her hand. He tried to hold still, despite how hard his heart was pounding. “Umm… okay, here goes nothing.”

Lance’s heart rate spiked.

                “Wait, here goes—” Lance started, but then he felt something flowing through him. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it felt like lightning was about to strike. Every hair was standing on end. “Augh!” He cried out, thrashing uncomfortably.

He felt something, like a little voice in the back of his head, and he shivered involuntarily.

                “S-sorry…” Bec said, and the feeling stopped. Lance shivered, looking around. He was still just as small as he had been.

                “Jeez, what was that, the warm up?” he asked, rubbing his arms.

                “I… I uh… well, that was supposed to be it.” She said nervously. “Sorry, I think I’m a little… Let me try again.”

Lance didn’t even have a chance to speak up before the feeling was back, even stronger this time. His skin was crawling, and he felt like someone was inside his skin, trying to claw out. He let out another uncomfortable noise.

L-let me change… please? A nervous little voice asked in his head. He nodded his head, but he was so nervous about what was about to happen.

                “Holy shit!” He squawked out, unable to keep himself still. He closed his eyes as the feeling kept building, but…

                “What’s going on?” Kyle asked, and Bec let out a frustrated noise. The feeling stopped, and Lance let himself go limp, breathing heavily.

                “Ugh, god… that feels so weird.” He said. But he still wasn’t any bigger. He looked up nervously at Bec. “What’s happening? Why isn’t—”

                “I… I don’t know, okay?” She said, her voice up an octave. “I… umm, let me—”

                “Wait, wait!” Lance cried out, putting his hands up before the feeling started again.

***

He cried out, but it was over as soon as it began. He wasn’t any bigger, but—

                “Holy shit, my hands!” He screamed out, looking down. He wasn’t even sure what had happened, but his hands had… switched places. Palm up, the thumbs faced in. He looked up at Bec, his eyes wide. He tried to say something else, but his words completely failed him.

                “Oh, Jesus!” Bec said, biting her lip. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry! Here, let me try again!”

                “Ahh, no!” Lance cried, his body overtaken again with that horrible skin crawling.

Will you let me change? Are you scared? The little voice asked.

Yes, I’m scared! He wanted to shout back.

He clenched his backwards fists together, covering his head. By the time the feeling had stopped again, he was afraid to look.

                “L-let me see you…” Bec said nervously. Lance opened his eyes, and looked up at her, uncovering his head. Something felt wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. “Oh god… that’s not right.” She said, cringing.

                “W-what?” Lance asked, reaching up. His hands were still in the wrong place, and he shivered, touching his face. He slammed his fingers into his eye, but… no, there wasn’t supposed to be an eye there – that was forehead! “Ahh! What the fuck!” He screamed, sliding his fingers around his eye socket. One was still there, but the other was empty, just think skin grown over where it should have been.

                “I’m just making it worse!” Bec wheezed out, her voice shaking. “Fuck… fuckfuckfuck!”

The feeling was back again, and Lance trembled, too afraid to even think about what she would do to him next. Ever second that his skin spent crawling, he worried about his bones shifting, his eyes moving… He gripped his arms tight around himself, as if he could hold himself together if he did that.

It’ll be different this time! He felt Bec’s powers whispering. Please please please?

Please just make me big again! Don’t change me! He thought desperately.

When he looked up at Bec, she had tears in her eyes. He was too scared to move.

                “Why isn’t it working?” Bec whispered. Lance whimpered. His body didn’t feel right. When he looked down, he had to fight the twisting in his gut, his heart beating harder and harder.

                “W-what did you do to me?!” He shouted, and even his voice sounded weird, now!  

His legs looked like tree roots, branching into fleshy fractals. When he bent what used to be his knee, they all moved in tandem. He couldn’t help a scream as he looked up at her helplessly. Not only was he tiny, now he was broken in a way only Bec could fix!

What if she couldn’t fix him? What if he was just some tiny handheld freak of nature forever? His myriad of tiny, whiplike legs writhed and braided together, and he reached down with his hands.

Holy shit, his hands were even more wrong, now! The skin was covered in silvery scales, his fingernails sharpened into talons. He whimpered, his misplaced eyes going wide. Nothing felt right! His body was falling apart!

“Oh, god… Let me…”

                “No!” Lance shouted, putting up his backwards hand. His voice came out from somewhere near temples, his voice in stereo. Holy shit, he had two mouths! “No, stop! Just… don’t try to make me big again, just put me back together!”

He reached up, stabbing the place where skin had grown over where his mouth used to be, but his weird, taloned fingers only met smooth skin. He started to hyperventilate, and he started feeling lightheaded.

                “Oh my god…” He moaned.

Bec bit her lip.

                “B-but… I want – I have to fix this! I have to fix you!”

                “P-please!” Lance begged and Bec nodded. The feeling was back.

Are you going to let me fix you? Please? I’m begging you!

Just make me human again! Don’t do anything else! PLEASE!

He shook in terror, but when he opened his eyes and looked down, his hands were back to normal. He let his hands crawl over his face, making sure everything was in place.

                “What happened?” Kyle called up. “Adam’s freaking out!”

                “I don’t know!” Bec wailed, her hand shaking. Lance put his hand to his chest. His heart was beating fast, but it felt normal again. He kicked his legs out experimentally. Only two, which was at least an improvement.

                “Holy shit!” He said, shivering. “W-what the hell was that?”

                “I… I didn’t mean to—” Bec started, putting her free hand up over her mouth. “I thought… I was trying to…”

                “Woah, calm down!” Lance said, putting his hand up. Thank god they were back on normal. “D-don’t freak out, okay? I… I’m fine. Just… calm down.” If that’s what she did when she freaked out, he was going to do anything he could to keep her calm. He did NOT want to go through that again!

***

                “Oh my god…” Bec breathed, lowering Lance down to the table and pulling her hands back. He stood up and flexed his fingers, bending his knees, feeling his own body again. He looked behind him into the terrarium. Kyle vaulted off the plate and ran over, brown eyes wide.

                “W-what happened?” He asked, his voice muffled through the Plexiglass. “We couldn’t see.”

                “Holy shit…” Lance said, putting his hand up onto the plastic. “Dude, she was not kidding. That like… messed with my body hard.”

                “What did she do?” Kyle asked. He put his hand over where Lance’s was.

                “She like… changed everything around.” He said, motioning to his body. “Nothing was where it was supposed to be.” He touched his forehead, keeping one hand where Kyle’s was. “One of my eyes was up here.”

                “What the hell?” Kyle said, his eyes widening even further. “That’s fucking sick!”

                “S-sick is right.” Lance said, shivering. He glanced behind him, where Bec had her head in her hands. “Damn…”

                “Well, you look all put back together.” Kyle said, then tilted his head. “Except for those.”

                “W-what?” Lance said, his eyes widening. Kyle pointed to the top of his head and Lance, his heart racing, brush his hands through his hair. He felt two soft, pointed ears covered in fur sticking up through his hair. “Holy shit!”

                “Dude, you look like my cat.” Kyle grinned. Lance tugged on the new appendages, but they were just as much a part of him as his own fingers. “Can you hear with them?’”

Lance nodded, his fingers trembling.

                “Wild.”

                “Bec!” Lance shouted, pointing to the ears on top of his head. Bec looked down and then covered her mouth.

                “Oh my god! I’ve… holy shit, those are… new, aren’t they?”

                “Yeah, they’re new!” Lance shouted back. His finger brushed over one of them and he felt it twitch in response.

                “F-fuck… here, I can try and put you all the way back.”

                “N-no!” Lance shouted, watching her hand come near him. He cleared his throat. “Let’s… maybe wait a little bit before trying again? It’s… they’re not so bad.” He said nervously. Bec slumped in her chair and put her face back in her hands.

                “She looks terrible.” Kyle mumbled quietly.

                “Yeah, I… don’t think this was supposed to happen.” Lance said quietly. He felt a little bad. Yeah, his body had been twisted beyond human comprehension, but… at least it hadn’t hurt. And now he had weird ears, too.

Kyle turned around, then rolled his eyes.

                “Adam is having a damn meltdown over there.” He said. Lance looked over. His friend was still perched on the plate, unable to get down by himself. Lance couldn’t help but grin.

                “What did I tell you? Incapable of chilling.” He mumbled. Then glanced back at Bec. “Why do I feel bad? I’m the one that should be crying right now!”

                “Did she hurt you?” Kyle murmured. Lance shrugged, then shook his head.

                “Nah. It just felt really weird.”

                “Is it bad that I kind of want to do it too?” Kyle said with a grin. Lance scoffed, but grinned.

                “Yeah, that’s super weird.” Lance teased. “Are you sure you want to be a fleshy abomination?”

                “Uh, yeah!” Kyle joked back, slapping his little hand on the Plexiglass. “Am I not one of those already? And if I get a sick pair of cat ears, that’s like, bonus, right?”

                “Shut the fuck up.” Lance said with a smile, running his hand over them again. He glanced back, to where Adam leaped off the plate and into the fleece covered bedding, crash landing hard. “Oh, jeez.” He smirked. Kyle turned around.

                “Let me go get him.” He said, jogging away. Lance watched Kyle stand over Adam, reaching his hands down to pick him up. Adam kicked at his hands, screaming something he couldn’t hear. He couldn’t help but laugh a little.

But before they could resolve that, Bec cleared her throat. Her eyes were sparkling with tears.

                “U-umm…” She started. Her fingers twitched, reaching down for Lance. He flinched back, and she paused. “Oh… I’m sorry.” She whispered.

Lance bit his lip.

                “I-it’s okay.” He said, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her hands. He knew she wouldn’t do it again, right? She’d picked him up before, and hadn’t done anything.

                “I didn’t mean… to mess it all up.” She said. She looked afraid to reach down for him again. “I swear on the King in Yellow himself. I meant – I meant to make you big!”

                “What happened, then?” Lance asked, trying to keep his voice steady. “I thought you could just… make us big, you know? The same way you made us small.”

                “I know! I thought I could, too!” Bec said, wincing. “I… umm…”

                “Wait, have you never done it before?” Kyle shouted up. Bec blushed.

                “I… I mean, I’ve fixed everything my dad’s ever done, so I thought – I mean, I was SURE that…”

                “Wait, what?” Adam shrieked, so loud that even Lance heard it through the Plexiglass. “You’re telling me you shrank us and you didn’t know if you could grow us back?”

                “I thought it wouldn’t be a problem!” Bec said defensively, but her face only got redder. “Yeah, okay, I’ve never tried it by myself before, but my dad does it all the time, and I thought—”

                “Holy shit!” Adam burst out. “We got shrunk by an amateur! An amateur fucking eldritch god!”

                “W-well, I wouldn’t call myself an amateur!” Bec cried, putting her hands on her flaming cheeks. “I… when my dad blows up, I know how to make a human normal again, okay? I’ve done it like, a million times! I don’t… I didn’t think this would be any different!”

                “Hold on, hold on.” Lance said, putting his hands up. “Because you were still able to mess me up and put me back, right? Or, well… mostly. So your powers work fine.”

Bec nodded, swiping at her eyes.

                “Y-you said you could take away a-and rearrange.” Lance said, his heart pounding. “Have you ever tried to add mass?”

She thought for a moment, then, to Lance’s despair, she shook her head.

                “D-do you know anyone who can?”

                “No… no!” Adam shouted, his tiny face red. “No! Do not say it!” He pointed a finger up at Bec, and Lance could see the desperation in his eyes.

                “My… dad…” Bec whispered, glancing at the door, her eyes wide.

                “Hell no!” Adam shouted again, and Kyle shivered.

                “He can add mass.” Bec said. “But I don’t want – I mean, I can’t ask him for help!”

                “Why not?” Lance asked. He’d never met Bec’s father. Her mother was terrifying, sure, but he was starting to get desperate.

                “B-because!” She said desperately. “Because then he would think I was a failure! I can’t clean up my own messes so I have to call my dad over to fix everything for me? No, I… I can’t!”

                “Come on, Bec, you’re not a failure!” Lance called up, brushing his hand over his arm.

                “Yeah, I mean, look at us!” Kyle said, putting his arms out with a dopey grin on his face. “You did this!”

                “But I can’t put you back to normal!” Bec cried out. “And I can’t ask my dad for help! What am I supposed to tell him?”

                “Tell him you need his help!” Lance said, folding his arms. “I mean, it’s not a bad thing to need someone to help you.”

                “But him…?” Bec whispered. “I can’t.”

                “Why not?” Kyle asked. “I mean, you’re not asking a lot, right? Just make us a little bigger?”

                “He… I mean… Adam, come on, you know what I’m talking about, right?” She looked desperately at the tiny blonde boy in blue.

                “I mean, I don’t like the guy either, but… if you can’t make us big again, w-why can’t we at least ask him?” Adam said, and Bec looked at him, almost betrayed.

                “Because then he’d know! He’d know I couldn’t do it, and he’d… I don’t know! I’ve always been able to fix what he messes up, okay? I’ve never NOT been able to clean up every single one of his messes… he’d know! He’d know I’m weak!”

                “Bec, come on!” Lance said. “Please, can’t you at least ask?”

                “Please?” Kyle added.

                “No!” Bec shouted, and all three of them flinched. “I don’t want him to touch you!” She threw her hands up to her mouth, her face red.

All of them were quiet for a second, as Bec took a long, shuddering breath.

                “I… I don’t want him to touch you.” She whispered, her eyes fixed on Adam.

Lance and Kyle turned to look at Adam, who was frozen where he stood, looking up into Bec’s eyes. Bec blinked, then looked away.

                “I mean… I don’t want him to touch any of you.” She whispered. “It… you wouldn’t be safe with him. He wouldn’t listen to me. He wouldn’t u-understand.”

None of the boys said anything. Lance shifted on his feet.

                “U-um, I hate to break the mood, but can you… put me back in there?” He asked, pointing to where Kyle and Adam were standing. Bec sniffled, then nodded, reaching out. Lance did his best not to flinch as she gathered him up into her palm and deposited him back onto the soft floor in the terrarium.

His skin was crawling when she set him down, but she didn’t do anything else to him and his body.

                “You okay?” Adam mumbled when Bec set him down. Lance nodded, and he turned to give Bec a shaky thumbs-up.

                “Yeah. Just… don’t really want to do that again.” Lance said awkwardly. “Are, uh… you okay?”

                “Yeah, I’m fine!” Adam snapped. “Why wouldn’t I be fine?”

                “Okay, dude…” Kyle said, stepping over, grinning. “You GOTTA let me touch them.” He put his hands out, and Lance sighed and ducked his head. Kyle reached over and ran his hand over the strange new ears on Lance’s head. He pinched them, then pet them.

                “Woah, careful! W-with the grain, please?” Lance said, wincing. Kyle nodded and changed direction.

                “Fucking wild…” He whispered. “You don’t have your human ears anymore, either.” He said, and Lance winced, touching the smooth skin where they used to be.

                “Ugh, that’s so creepy.”

                “Nah, nah…” Kyle said. “It’s cool! Adam, you want me to hold you up so you can touch them, too?”

                “No.” Adam snapped, crossing his arms furiously. “I don’t want to PET Lance like a baby at the fucking petting zoo.” Kyle blinked at him.

                “But dude, they’re so soft…” Kyle said, petting them again, grinning when they twitched under his fingers.

                “Do I look like I want to touch anything fucking soft?” Adam griped back.

                “Jesus, okay.”

                “Okay, fine, I hear you.” Lance said, holding his hands up. “So… what are we supposed to do now?

They all looked up at Bec, who sighed, scrubbing her face with her hands.

                “I… I don’t know.” She said mournfully. “I’m sorry, guys.”

                “Don’t be sorry!” Adam shouted, folding his arms over his chest. “Just… figure it out! You’re like your dad, right? So you CAN do it, you just don’t know how.”

                “Jeez, dude, a little harsh?” Kyle said, nudging Adam in the shoulder with his foot. Adam stumbled, then glared up at his giant friend.

                “No, it’s not harsh! I’m being real, got it? You did this to us. You put us back.” Adam said, pointing his finger up at her. Bec sniffled, then looked out the window.

                “B-but I can’t! I just tried, and… well…” She glanced at Lance, her face flushing again. Lance shivered.

                “Y-yeah, I’d prefer not to be test subject number one again.”

                “Jesus, I’m such a failure…” Bec moaned. Adam stomped his foot.

                “Lance, not fucking helping!” He said angrily. “Come on, Bec! If you can fix everything your dad screwed up, then you can fix your own screw ups too.”

Bec looked down at him, and her fingers twitched in her lap.

                “I really did screw up.” Bec said softly, her eyes watering. Adam nodded.

                “Yeah, you did. You fucked us up bad, okay?” He said. Lance shot him a look, but he ignored it. “But it’s worse if you don’t figure out how to fix it. Because if you make a mess you can’t fix on your own, you’re just like your dad.”

                “Holy shit, dude… you’re gonna piss her off.” Kyle mumbled, but Adam just shoved him in the shin.

                “Your dad’s the fuckup, got it? You’re the fixer. So fucking fix it!” Adam shouted. Bec bit her lip. “You don’t want to be like your dad? Prove it! Fucking FIX me! I dare you!”

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t look angry. She stared at Adam, her eyes intense, before pushing herself to a stand.

                “I – you know what? Fine.” She took a deep breath and blinked hard, smacking her hands on her face. “Let me try again.”

She reached in, and Lance jumped back, but she didn’t go for him. She pinched Adam between her fingers, lifting him out and placing him in her palm. He scrambled to sit up, bracing himself on her palm.

                “Woah, wait – I… hold on!” Adam said, putting his hand up. “Think about it, first, got it?”

Bec curled her fingers closer.

                “No, I know. I’m not going to do it yet.” She looked at the door and let out a long breath through her nose. “I’m going to ask for help.”

She stepped for the door.

                “Wait!” Lance shouted, sprinting to the side of the terrarium to press himself against the Plexiglass. “Bec, where are you—”

She didn’t answer him. She opened the door and carried Adam’s inch-tall form out of sight.

                “Holy shit!” Kyle said, jogging up behind Lance. “Where the hell is she taking him?”

                “I don’t know… to her dad?” Lance speculated softly. Kyle gulped.

                “Oh… shit.”

Notes:

Haha poor little Lance!! :D He probably didn't deserve this, but... well, someone had to be the guinea pig!

Bec's starting to crack a little, too. She really didn't think this one through! And it turns out that using her powers the way her dad wants her to is a little more difficult than she thought. Also - meet Bec's powers! Yes, they are their own little entity. :)

Love this chapter, I really enjoyed the pivot into something a little crazier!! :D Let me know what you think if you enjoyed it!

Chapter 9: Our Daddy Issues Are All In The Past... Right?

Summary:

Adam and Bec manage to stop yelling at each other long enough to... bond??? And find out that they have a little more in common than they might have thought.

Notes:

TW: Bullying. While this is all happening in the past, Adam's experiences with the Randy incident are pretty brutal. Very human-scale bullying with long-term consequences. Bec also goes through her own version of bullying, and there's some body horror and reversable violence happening as well!

Also... daddy issues. In a MAJOR way. :D

                “Bec!” Adam shouted from the center of her palm. He hated being held already, and being so small only scared the shit out of him even more. So he shouted at her to mask it. “You better not fucking take me to your dad!”

                “It’s the only way.” Bec said, biting her lip. Her voice echoed through her hand, nearly rattling him. Each step sent a jolt through his body. “I… I uh, have a plan.”

                “Is that plan for me to be exploded? Or made even fucking weirder?” Adam shouted furiously. “I want to be big again, not some toothy tentacle creature!”

                “Okay, you know… I can hear you just fine, you don’t have to scream at me all the time.” Bec said, annoyed. “Or do you just fucking like screaming?” Adam scoffed, and his face flushed.

                “W-what?”

                “Yeah, I’m like… attuned to you guys. I can hear everything you say. Even if you say it quietly.” Bec admitted.

                “Th-this whole time, you could fucking hear me?” He shouted, this time out of anger and embarrassment. How much of him had she heard? “Can you hear me now?” He whispered.

                “Uh, yeah.” Bec said, blushing herself. “What do you think I am?”

                “I don’t even know!” Adam said furiously. “How is any of this supposed to be something I can plan for? How do you expect me to know the goddamn rules? Dammit, this is ridiculous. What the hell is going ON? What do you want me to fucking do?”

                “I…” Bec faltered, looking away. “I don’t know.”

                “Jesus, fuck this… So, you’re taking me to your terrifying, all powerful dad, huh?” Adam groused quietly. Bec responded anyway.

                “Yeah. He’ll know what to do.”

                “And what’s your plan from keeping him from just… messing me up completely?” Adam snapped. Bec swallowed.

                “I’m not going to let him touch you. I’m going to make him show me, but I’m not going to hand you over.” She said confidently.

Adam clenched his jaw. That was her plan? To just… ask for help and hope he wasn’t a hands-on teacher?

He’d seen the guy with his own eyes! Not even two seconds into meeting Harlan Chambers and he was reaching his gigantic finger into Adam’s face, trying to touch him. Bec had needed to pull him out of reach!

                “Are you serious?” Adam sniped. “That’s such a shitty plan! I’d trust myself in my own dad’s hands before I trusted yours!”

                “Well, Jesus, if you have a better plan, just tell me!” Bec snapped back. “If you want your own dad so much, maybe I’ll just hand you over and call it a day!”

Adam shut his mouth, his chest getting tight instantly. He felt something more deep-set than his anger. Terror.

The thought of his father’s hands around him like Bec’s were, those massive, uncaring blue eyes peering down like he was some kind of insect, overwrote his fury for just a second.

He looked down, surprised to see that his hands were shaking.

Bec could do that, couldn’t she? They only lived a few houses down. It would take her ten minutes to walk down the street. His dad would be home on a Saturday, drinking his coffee, reading some stupid legal brief, snapping at his kids.

She could knock on the door, dump Adam in his father’s palm, and turn around without saying a word, and Adam couldn’t do anything about it. What the hell would happen to him then?

                “Adam?” Bec asked gently, her voice a little worried.

                “What?” He said, harshly, looking up. Nope. Get angry again! Don’t… don’t let him kick you down when he’s not even here!

                “A-are… what happened?” She asked, her brow furrowing worriedly. Adam huffed, crossing his arms and pulling his knees close.

                “Nothing.” He said, looking away.

                “I’m… not going to do that.” Bec said nervously. “I, uh… I swear.”

                “Whatever. Do whatever you fucking want!” Adam snapped. He didn’t mean to be so angry, but his chest felt like it was knotted up, now.

                “I’m sorry!” Bec said, tilting her head. “What did I say?”

                “Oh my god, you didn’t say anything!” Adam shouted. “Forget it, okay? Just… do whatever you want, forget about it, and just… ugh! Fuck off!”

                “I… I’m sorry.” Bec said again, and he could hear the hurt in her voice. He wanted to let his chest unknot, but all he could see was his father’s face. He didn’t answer. “I promise I’ll be fast, okay? I’ll be careful with you.”

                “You better be.” He mumbled to himself. “No one else is.”

Bec glanced down at him, her face stricken. She’d said she could always hear him, so maybe she’d just heard that. Whatever. It didn’t matter. Nobody was going to listen to him. He looked down, glaring at her palm like it had offended him somehow. He couldn’t stand to look at her face right now and see whatever expression was hanging above him.

                “I… uh, dads, huh?” Bec asked quietly. Adam scoffed.

                “Yeah. Dads. What’s their fucking problem?” Adam griped. Bec sniffed out a soft laugh.

                “Who knows? Always making life hard.”

                “Always ruining your life.” Adam said, setting his head on his arms and resting on his knees.

                “Always moving you around, making sure you never have any friends.” Bec said.

                “Always scaring away every friend you do have, unless they’re a couple of morons.”

                “Telling you you’re not living up to their standards.” Bec whispered.

                “Never happy with who you are.” Adam said, his voice hurting.

                “Always pushing you to be more like him.”

                “Never thinking about anyone—”

                “—but himself.” Bec finished, looking down. Adam looked up at her, his head tilted, his eyes stinging with something he tried to blink away.

                “Umm…” Adam started.

                “Yeah.” Bec whispered back.

                “Huh.”

                “R-right.” Bec said, swallowing heavily. Adam kept looking up. What the hell was that? In what world was Harlan Chambers even remotely comparable to Alexander Lochner? He’d met Bec’s father, and he was nothing like his own.

Except… maybe he kind of was. In the ways that mattered, anyway. In the effect they had on their kids.

                “I don’t hate him.” Bec said, softly. She brought her free hand up under the one she was using to cradle Adam. He immediately felt the difference. It was steadier. “I like what I am, even if… well, I mean, even though I’m kind of a freak. I get to do some really cool stuff.”

                “Shrinking people is cool?” Adam said, but his words lacked the venom he usually put behind them.

                “I mean…” Bec chuckled. “Yeah, kinda.”

                “Yeah, okay. It sucks to be this small, but… okay, yeah. It’s cool you can do it.” Adam admitted. How would it feel to be able to rearrange limbs and shrink people on a whim?

                “It makes everything harder, but I can’t imagine giving it up.” Bed said quietly. “I have it because of him.”

                “Sure, no, I guess I get that.” Adam said, looking back down and picking at the seam of his shirt. His father made major money. Their family lived in more comfort than anyone else he knew. Compared to Kyle and his family, Adam was pretty much royalty.

He’d never gone hungry, he’d gotten to travel abroad for vacations, he always got whatever clothes he wanted.

                “My dad’s fucking loaded.” Adam said, scoffing. “Which is cool. But it doesn’t mean he doesn’t suck.”

                “Uh, right.” Bec said, smirking. “I mean, reality warping powers versus like… a lot of money…”

                “Hey, not cool!” Adam snapped, pointing up at her. “I’m trying to commiserate!”

                “Right, right. Sorry.” Bec said, biting her lip. “But, uh… yeah, you’re kinda right. He gave me such an interesting life, but… it’s hard not to feel all the strings attached.”

                “Y-yeah.” Adam said, softening just a hair. God, did he understand that. All the pleasures of his life meant he’d never escape his father’s high standards. He’d never just… enjoy life the way Lance and Kyle seemed to.

                “There’s always pressure. I mean, you heard my mom, right? No half measures, don’t be cruel, always clean up. And then my dad always wants me to go bigger, try harder, be more!” She sighed. “What am I supposed to be? I just want to make my own choices.” She bit her lip and looked down. “And then when I do… I just fuck it all up.”

                “Yeah.” Adam said, leaning back to look up at her. “You did. Fucking look at me, right? What am I, a cockroach?” Bec sighed.

                “Okay, Mr. Perfect. And you’re telling me you’ve never fucked up? You’ve never had to ask your dad for help?”

Adam sighed.

                “If I tell you… promise not to tell anyone else?” Adam said. Bec shrugged.

“You three are the only three people I know here.”

                “Yeah, right. Whatever.” Adam said, looking away. “But… there was this kid named Randy, okay?”

Bec leaned closer. Adam ran a hand through his blonde hair.

                “I mean, he was just this dorky little guy, right? And he… I mean he wouldn’t leave us alone. And I mean, we were a couple of guys his age, living in the same neighborhood, and like… whatever, right? But he wasn’t, like… I mean he just didn’t get it. It was always Pokémon cards and these little kid toys, and… He was just kind of pathetic. I was younger, and a lot stupider. And… meaner.” Adam admitted.

He looked down and brushed a stray hair off his leg.

                “It was my idea, okay? Lance and Kyle… they went along with it. But I wanted to get him to leave us alone for good. I just wanted to scare him off, maybe, like… just get him to realize we were too cool for him. Fuck, I was such an idiot.” He flushed. “So, there’s this river, about a mile away, and like, there was this place where you could ride your bikes to it. We all threw rocks into the water. It was like… a 15-foot drop.”

Adam’s throat felt like it was closing. He never liked to talk about it, but something felt like it was urging him to keep going. He hadn’t admitted what he’d done to anyone but his father. Lance and Kyle never talked about it.

                “Well, we all, I mean, Lance and Kyle and I, convinced him that we were gonna prove our friendship and… jump off the rock together. Into the river.” He looked up into Bec’s eyes. It felt like a rock was sitting heavily in his gut. “We all… told him he’d go first, and we’d jump in after him. Fucking stupid.” He said, looking back down, unable to hold her gaze.

Adam had been crossing his arms, grinning confidently, his heart racing with the thrill of the lie. He swallowed, remembering the way that the sun had reflected off Randy’s big round glasses for a moment, obscuring his eyes. What had the kid been thinking?

                “I… I didn’t think he’d really do it. I swear, I thought he’d chicken out.” Adam said, his blood pressure rising, the same panic starting to crawl up his throat. “I didn’t… um… but he didn’t. He kind of just… turned around and jumped before any of us could stop him. I swear, we were going to stop him… One of us would have – right before he… but...”

He swallowed.

                “The river was only like, two feet deep. He must’ve not… known.”

Adam paused and closed his eyes. He could still see the image in his head like it had happened yesterday. He could still feel the summer breeze on his face, the sun on his neck, the nausea in his gut.

The feeling that things had changed. The helplessness as he watched it all happen.

He could still hear the cicadas, the wind in the trees… and the scream. He’d never forget the scream.

                “H-his legs were like… shattered.” He whispered. “He needed so much surgery. I mean… he was in the hospital for months. Th-they said he might never walk again.”

He shook his head, squeezing his fists tight. He wanted to chase the image away. Bec didn’t say anything.

                “W-well, his parents tried to sue us all for medical bills. Randy’s family wasn’t exactly rich, and… uh, he needed a lot of medical care. It was… god, it was really bad. His parents had to like, declare bankruptcy, they defaulted on bills and stuff…” Adam put his face in his hands, his face burning. “But my dad, the fucking bloodsucking freak of a lawyer he is, just… fucked them over, bad. He countersued or something, and they lost their house, his dad had to quit his job… They had to move in with Randy’s grandparents in another state.”

Adam peeked back up at Bec. She regarded him with a fairly neutral expression, but her lips were tight. He looked back down.

                “I never saw him again. I don’t… I don’t have his number or anything. My dad told me never to call them or talk to them, or…” He gulped. “God, I didn’t ask him for anything, but he just made it all go away for me, saying he didn’t want this to keep me out of law school someday. How fucked up is that? I never, uh… I never even told Randy I was sorry or anything.”

He swallowed. Sometimes he tried, when he was alone, to scream it into his pillow loud enough that somehow, Randy would hear. But he knew that no matter how much he screamed it, it wouldn’t change anything.

                “And then, on top of all that, he made me ‘pay him back’ by humiliating me in front of all his stupid lawyer friends at their awful parties. You wanna talk about a dad you don’t want to ask for help? Jesus. There you go.”

For a moment, Bec was quiet.

                “Jesus… uh, n-no wonder…” Bec whispered. Adam looked away and wrapped his arms around himself.

She carried Adam into another room, and sat down in one of the comfortable chairs. She pinched him up in her fingers and set him on the arm, settling herself down, closer to his level. Adam swallowed nervously.

                “Umm… one time…” Bec started quietly, glancing at the door. She blushed. “One time, I was getting bullied at one of my old schools.” She admitted.

She put her hand on the arm of the chair and gently brushed her fingertip over Adam’s shoulder. He couldn’t even believe how light of a touch she had on his inch-tall body. Even her finger outsized him three times.

                “I usually get some kind of problems, because nobody ever really knows me, and I don’t… I can handle myself, right? When people try to mess with me, I… I know how to stand my ground.” She smiled at Adam.

                “Yeah, I mean… look what you did to me.” He said, motioning to himself. Bec nodded and pulled her finger away.

                “But these girls… they were just awful. And they weren’t mean in a way I couldn’t just… confront with powers, you know? They just… called me names, told lies about me behind my back. They said I smelled poor and… had a hippie dad and that I was too stupid to stay in schools for long. They called me gypsy girl.” She sighed, pressing her fingers into her eyes. “I know it was just words, but like… it really hurt. They knew how to get under my skin like no one else ever did.”

She shrugged.

                “I… I mean, I could handle it. I can handle anything, but…” She closed her eyes. “I told my dad about it, when he caught me crying. They’d just… they’d given me a body spray and told me I needed to start using it. I… god, I know it’s nothing, but I swear, in that moment, it hurt so bad.”

Adam kicked his legs out, sitting on the plush arm of the chair.

                “I mean, so they gave you free Bath and Body Works?” Adam asked uncomfortably. Bec rolled her eyes and scoffed.

                “No, they didn’t just… God, you’re such a guy, I should have known you wouldn’t get it.” She looked away, but then let her shoulders go slack. She sighed.

                “Sorry.”

                “Whatever.” Bec said. “But anyway, my dad found out. And he… he got super mad. He wouldn’t let it go. He got the directory somehow and he like, interrogated me to tell me who the hell did it. He had these tears in his eyes, and his face was so red, and he was screaming and holding up the picture. I… it wasn’t that I was scared of him, but he just - he was so intense. His eyes were… I don’t know. He disappeared. Something else was looking at me. My dad’s always emotional, but this… I was – I mean, I didn’t want to tell him, but he wouldn’t stop until I pointed them out.”

Adam shivered.

                “Jesus.”

                “Yeah. And then… he went and found them.” Bec’s lip trembled. “And he made me watch what he did to them.”

Her eyes began to sparkle and she looked away.

                “I mean… I’ve had to fix my dad’s work before, but… this was different. He was unhinged, Adam. I’ve… I’ve never seen him so angry in my life. His veins were pulsing, his mouth stretched open, his eyes were… It looked like something was possessing him or something.” She shuddered. “And he flayed them. Tore them apart. Just… blood and flesh and organs and bones… He took away their mouths, but I could still hear them screaming. In my head.”

Adam’s eyes bugged, and he looked at Bec’s fingers nervously. She didn’t notice.

                “He kept shouting that ‘this is what they get for messing with his baby girl’ and ‘this is what they deserve’… but all they did was… I mean, they were mean, but…”

                “But they didn’t deserve that.” Adam finished. Bec shook her head and bit her thumbnail.

                “Not to me, anyway. I mean, they were just 13-year-old girls, right? Kids are - kids are stupid, and mean sometimes. God, and after he was done… I had to clean it up. I had to be the one to put their bodies back together. Dad just stormed out and melted the whole school. I had to look those girls in the eyes and see the terror there, when I was the one who fixed them! Because it was all my fault. I’m the one they saw when I put their eyes back. They should have been my friends, and instead… they were…” She trailed off for a moment and looked away. “My mom erased it, of course, but… I didn’t forget.” Bec whispered.

 Adam looked at the giant girl in front of him, and for a second, he saw something other than the girl who’d stolen his size and left him outside.

                “My mom told me not to think about it because they were only humans, but… they were scared of me. They didn’t even really know me.” Bec said, her mouth twisting. “And they never will, thanks to my dad.”

                “He said he did it for you.” Adam said softly.

                “But he did it for himself.” Bec finished bitterly. “And I’m the one who has to remember. I didn’t ask for his ‘help’.”

                “He gave it to you anyway.” Adam added. Bec nodded.

                “And I’m the one who had to pay for it. I’m like that, too, Adam.” Bec’s eyes teared up, and she looked at her hands. “I… all that is living in me, too. H-how… what am I supposed to do with that? I don’t want that! What if my mom’s right? If I mess up, a-and if I lose control… what’s stopping me from being the same?”

They were quiet for a moment, and Adam’s chest loosened, something deep in his stomach giving way.

                “I’m, uh… I’m sorry.” Adam said. He kind of wished he could reach out and touch her, but even though she was a foot away, he couldn’t bridge the gap.

                “I’m sorry, too.” Bec said, turning her face to him. She reached forward to pinch him up, but then paused. Her hand opened and turned, forming a platform. “H-here.” She said, her face turning pink.

Adam swallowed, then stepped forward, putting himself in the center of her hand.

“Humans… you don’t even know how lucky you are.”

                “Lucky?” Adam said incredulously. He wanted to get angry, but… he had nothing left to yell with. Not at the moment. “Getting shrunk and turned into god-fucking-knows what is lucky?”

                “Yeah.” Bec said, shrugging with one shoulder. “You know, the music? You don’t hear it either?”

                “Hear what?” Adam said. Bec closed her eyes and sighed.

                “When humans feel things, or like… feel connected with each other, there’s like… this sound.”

                “Uh… what?” Adam asked, looking around. There was nobody else here… no human he was connecting with. He shivered.

                “Ugh, I don’t – I don’t know. I think I’m weird. My parents can’t hear it either.” Bec said a little sadly. “But when humans talk to each other, or… when they feel things about each other, there’s this noise. It’s really… um, it’s really nice. It’s like…” She hummed something, then shook her head. “It’s kind of like music, I guess.”

                “Wait, are you saying you can like, hear connection?” Adam asked, tapping his chin. Bec nodded.

                “Maybe. More or less.”

                “Okay, so that’s lucky for humans… why?” Adam asked. “I can’t hear it, so like, what’s the big deal?”

Bec flushed, then swallowed hard.

                “Oh. Well, it sounds really nice. And because… it doesn’t happen for me.” She said, her voice quiet. “I don’t know, it’s like I block it. Or something.”

                “Are you sure? Maybe, like… you’ve just never had a friend.” Adam said, smirking.

                “I’ve had friends!” Bec said incredulously. “Wh – I’ve… I mean, I haven’t like…”

                “Come on, Bec, when was the last time you had a sleepover or something?” Adam said, then held up his hand when she opened her mouth. “And no, keeping us in your terrarium doesn’t count!”

                “Okay! So I’ve never had a friend.” Bec said, her face red. She sighed. “I mean, when your mom erases everyone’s memory every time you get to know anyone… how the hell are you supposed to?”

                “I mean, if this…” He motioned to his shrunken body. “…is how you make friends, I’m not surprised you don’t have any.”

                “Oh, fuck you.” Bec said, rolling her eyes. “Need I remind you that you were going to steal my money from me?”

                “Ah, whatever. Who remembers?” Adam said.

                “You’re such a little asshole.”

                “Yeah, yeah. But… hopefully I won’t be little for much longer.” He said, settling into her palm.

                “Well, that’s the plan.” Bec said.

                “You better not let him fuck with me.” Adam said seriously, pointing at her. Bec smiled softly.

                “I won’t. I promise.”

Bec stood up and walked for the door, but then she froze.

                “He’s wonderful, isn’t he?” A woman said from down the hall. Adam felt Bec’s heart rate climb.

                “Oh, no.” She whispered.

                “Oh, delightful, Cher!” Another voice said. “What a little sweetheart. Your daughter is truly talented.”

                “Isn’t she?” Bec’s mother said affectionately. “How sweet are they? I’m so proud of her.”

Adam looked up into Bec’s horrified face.

                “Mom…” Bec said, her voice high.

The other woman let out a light, delighted laugh.

                “What a delicious little sweetheart!” She giggled, and Bec’s mother let out a gently tut.

                “She had another, but these two really are special. Worth showing off, I think.” Cher said, and the color drained out of Bec’s face.

                “Lance…?” Adam asked, his heart stopping.

                “And Kyle.” Bec said, looking down. Then Bec took off, toward the living room.

Notes:

I actually had so many emotions writing this chapter! I kept writing this story and wondering "Jesus Adam, WHY are you always so angry? Why are you so opposed to showing even the slightest vulnerability?"

So I wrote the punishments he went through with his father, to explain why he hates 'feeling small' and 'moral superiority' from those who think they're above him. But this story, hopefully, explains why he's so desperate not to feel anything but anger. Because if he lets his anger slip, all he feels is guilt and regret. This kind of experience is one that literally lives behind his eyes, and if he slips up... it comes back to haunt him.

I also LOVED writing the shades of Adam's anger, here! He's angry in the fun way most of the time. Incredulous, snappy, sassy... but when Bec brings up his father, and he's genuinely afraid, he masks it with a different anger. He wears it like a shield! And now we know why. ;)

As for Bec herself, girls bully in a different way! Bec prides herself on being powerful, and really, if anyone decided to mess with her physically, she could hold her own, easy. But because Bec is a bit sheltered, unable to make friends or put down roots... she's uniquely vulnerable to this kind of social bullying. And there's no response to this kind of situation that would make her feel better in the moment. Did this happen to me? Maybe. :')

And Bec finally reveals JUST why she cares about humans so much more than her family! This'll come back, so if it doesn't make a ton of sense, don't worry! :D

Anyway... if you made it this far, let me know what you think of the story in the comments! I LOVE reading them, and I'm always willing to answer questions and gush more about what I write! :') <3

Chapter 10: Sticky Cotton Candy Minds

Summary:

Lance and Kyle learn the hard way that humans shouldn't be left unattended in the Chambers household!

Notes:

CW: Mind control, hypnosis, complete identity-blanking, from a first person perspective!

I told you this act was going to start getting a little more intense! Yeah these boys are NOT safe when Bec's not there to protect them. She can't walk away for even a second!

Lance and Kyle had only had a minute to process where Bec had taken Adam before they were interrupted.

                “Bec, I swear, you better not have—” Kyle slammed his mouth closed when he saw the figure who entered the room. Not Bec. Her mom.

She was just as terrifying as she had been that morning, tall and slender, her hair long and silky. She stepped over to the terrarium and smiled down.

                “Oh, there you are!” She said sweetly, placing her fingertip near where Lance was standing. His heart was racing, and he couldn’t get his body to move. Where was Bec? How was she going to stop her mom from… whatever was about to happen?

                “W-what…” Kyle whispered, but Lance couldn’t respond as the giant woman slid the top off the terrarium and reached inside.

Nope, that did it. Lance dashed away, his heart racing, but he was immediately caught in her fingers.

Cher drew out the tiny teen into her palm, and regarded him softly, tilting her head.

                “Now… I’ve got my sister over.” Cher said, looking at him seriously. Lance trembled in her hand. Oh god, was she going to melt him like Bec had? Was she going to turn him into something terrifying again? “And I want to show her how talented my daughter—”

She cut herself off, wrinkling her giant brow. Her lips pursed.

                “Why are you so afraid? What happened to you?” The giant woman asked. Lance was too terrified to answer. Her fingers were longer and colder than Bec’s, and he had no idea what was about to happen to him. Of course he was afraid! She was so huge, big enough to keep him cradled in her palm. His voice was so loud in his modified ears.

The giant woman sighed, shaking her head gently.

                “You were so clear before… this won’t do, not at all.” Cher said to herself. Her other finger came up and pressed against Lance’s tiny forehead. “There’s nothing wrong with you, but I’m sure Bec wouldn’t mind if I just… tidied up around the edges.”

Lance wanted to shrink back from her finger, and he opened his mouth.

                “I – please! Don’t… don’t hurt—” He started, but then his voice faded. Everything faded.

He forgot where he was. He forgot what had happened to him.

All the terror slipped out of his chest like it had never been there. Had he just been afraid? Why?

He blinked, slowly. His vision was tunneled, all he could see was someone’s face hanging over him, with a broad smile.

Oh, smiles were good. He smiled back.

                “So much better.” Cher said, and he felt her finger pat him on the head, her finger brushing over his ears. They flicked happily. He could barely even see her face, everything was just blanketed in a thick, pink fog.

He rolled his head side to side. That felt nice.

                “Oh, stay still, darling.” The voice commanded, and Lance felt himself obeying before he could even process what she’d said. Oh, man… obeying felt nice, too. Even nicer than rolling his head. He wanted her to say something else so he could obey her again.

                “Lance! Lance, what the fuck!” He heard someone say next to him. It felt like a mosquito buzzing in his ear. “Listen to me, man! What the hell did she do to you? Wake up! Wake UP!”

The voice wasn’t right. It was talking about things he didn’t know anything about. Who the hell was Lance? And… he was already awake.

Something touched his shoulder, and shook him roughly. His vision blurred into nothing but fluffy pink.

                “Say something! Don’t just… what the fuck is happening?” The wrong voice said. Lance didn’t listen to it. He could tell that was not an order to follow.

                “You’re even worse than he is!” The right voice said, and he heard disbelief and disappointment in it. It made him want to cry. That voice should never be disappointed. His own eyes welled up with tears.

Come on, tell me to do something else! He thought desperately. His mouth wouldn’t move. I’ll do it. I’ll make you happy!

                “Oh, Becquerel… Well, I suppose she did want to do things the old-fashioned way. But not with Kyshtym over.” Cher said mournfully. Lance saw something shift in the pink fog, and the other voice, the annoying one, stopped immediately. “There we go. All ready?”

Lance nodded fervently. Whatever she wanted from him, he’d be ready for it. The pink turned to darkness, and he felt something soft wrap around his body, pinning him tight against cold flesh and another body, one his size. The other body was completely still, but it smelled like the pink fog too.

He wrapped his arms around it, and felt hands wrap around his arms in response. He was carried away, blissful and silent.

Before he knew it, he was back in the fog again, but this time, he could see another face, far away. He felt the flesh around him shift, and he was somewhere different, somewhere warmer.

                “So… this is what your daughter’s been working on, hmm?” The woman holding him said. Lance arranged his limbs so that he was sitting comfortably and lazily in her palm. “How interesting! She takes after her father, with your restraint.”

                “And those precious little ears, so like the noble cat. A lovely little touch.” Cher said proudly, brushing her fingers over the ears that Bec had given him.

Lance took that as the compliment it was. He was a combination of good things, wasn’t he?

                “What a sweet little thing. And she shaped them herself?”

                “Her father hasn’t laid a finger on them, Kyshtym darling.” Cher said, smiling broadly.

                “Such talent, dear sister.” The woman holding him said. “You must be so proud.” A finger came up to brush his cheek, and he smiled, leaning into it. “Such a subtle touch. She’s truly something special.”

                “Oh, isn’t she?” Cher gushed. “And look at them – clean and sweet. Not a drop of aggression, but still autonomous.”

                “Fascinating.” The strange woman said, lifting Lance’s arm. He didn’t fight it. Wherever she wanted his limbs, she could put them there. “And yet fully present?”

                “Give him an order.” Cher said, grinning proudly. “Go on.”

                “Stand up, little human.” The woman holding Lance said. He stood as fast as he could, and his legs refused to buckle in the softness of her hand. “Hold my thumb.”

Lance looked around, finding the indicated finger. He dropped to his knees and threw his arms around it, hugging it. Jesus, it felt so good to do what she wanted. Her skin was so soft. He wanted to rub his face on it, but she hadn’t told him he could. He looked up at her, bringing her face into the pink foggy tunnel of his vision, and hoped she would understand.

                “Oh… How well-behaved!” The woman said, smiling. “Yes, you may, darling human.”

Lance sighed in relief and pressed his face to her fingerprint.

“He’s wonderful, isn’t he?” Cher said happily. 

                “Oh, delightful, Cher!” The woman holding him said. She ran her finger down his back, and he sighed into her touch. “What a little darling! Your daughter is truly talented.”

                “Isn’t she?” Bec’s mother said affectionately. “How sweet are they? I’m so proud of her.”

The woman’s finger came up under Lance’s chin, and she scratched gently. He let out a little happy sigh, letting himself melt back into her palm.

                “What a delicious little sweetheart!” She giggled, and Bec’s mother let out a gently tut.

                “She had another, but these two really are special. Worth showing off, I think.” Cher said. Lance smiled.

That was him! Special. Worth showing off. Whoever the poor ‘other’ guy she was talking about… Lance felt bad for him. He was missing out on everything.

Another voice, this one younger, came from the side.

                “Mommy! I’m bored, I wanna play, and Bec doesn’t have any toys!” A child’s voice whined.

                “Now, Cahara…” Kyshtym chastised. “We don’t whine.”

                “What’s that?” The child said loudly, giant sticky fingers wrapping around Lance’s body. He sat still in them, obediently. These voices were good, too.

                “Be gentle, it’s your cousin’s summer project. He’s a human.”

                “Oh, he looks cool!” Cahara said roughly. Lance felt dizzy, his thoughts and body swirling strangely. “Can I play with him? Velka and Lachesis and I want to play a game.”

                “Cher…?” Kyshtym asked, looking up.

                “As long as you’re gentle, darlings.” Cher said, patting the child on the head. Then Lance was moving, faster than ever before. His hair ruffled in the wind, the sticky fingers locked around him.

                “Mom!” Bec shouted, running into the room, out of breath. “W-what are you doing with my… w-with my…”

                “I was showing your aunt your wonderful project, darling!” Cher said happily, grinning widely.

                “They really are special, my darling.” The woman holding him said.

                “T-thanks Auntie Kyshtym…” Bec said, looking around, terrified. “C-can I have them back?” Bec asked sweetly, stepping closer.

                “Oh, Becquerel, darling, come and sit with us! Let’s talk about your newest projects! I’m always hearing about Harlan this and Harlan than… I want to hear about you!” Kyshtym said.

                “Um… there’s supposed to be two.” Bec said nervously. “W-where’s the other one?”

                “Oh, the little one in green! He’s playing with your cousins, sweetheart.” Cher said offhandedly.

                “W-what?” Bec squeaked out. “With m-my…”

                “What a thoughtful girl you’re growing up to be!” Kyshtym said. “Your little humans turned out so well!”

                “Oh, I… T-thanks.” Bec said, reaching for her mother’s hand, scooping Kyle gently into her palm. He was so still in her hand, and she winced. Her mother had totally done something to him!

                “You’re going a wonderful job.” Kyshtym said. “They’re truly special. You’re learning from your mama and your father, aren’t you?”

                “I’m… I’m trying, Auntie.” Bec said, her voice thin. Her mind was spiraling around where Lance was. Her cousins… Oh god.

She needed to find him!

                “Will you be joining us for lunch today, Becquerel?” Kyshtym asked. Bec cleared her throat, her mind feeling like it was shattered into a thousand pieces.

                “M-maybe, I’ve got a lot to do to prepare for the school year, here, there’s a reading list, and I’ve got to catch up in science, and…”

                “Oh!” Kyshtym said dismissively. “I wouldn’t plan on you being here until the school year begins. Just watch. Your father will get into another disaster, and you’ll be somewhere new in the snap of a pseudopod.”

                “Kyshtym!” Cher chastised.

                “I know, I know! He’s your husband, dear sister. But Yellow King only knows why you married him.”

                “I’m going to my room.” Bec said, her voice hurt.

                “Now, Kyshtym, insulting the poor girl’s father, right to her face?” Cher’s voice faded behind them as Bec carried Kyle in her hand back to her room.

Notes:

If Kyshtym is giving you bad vibes... GOOD. >:D This lady is NOT here to help.

You also get extra bonus points if you can spot all the various references in the names! Honestly, with the exception of Kyle, every single character has a thematic reference name! :') Sorry Kyle!