Chapter 2
Evie
The click of the doorknob echoes menacingly. Each sound is magnified to an astounding degree, bouncing off the metal walls of the now tower-like chamber. I make a terrified, weak whining noise as the glass door swings open, and I’m trying again to scooch backwards, bending my legs up but making very little progress. Aiden is a veritable monster now, all thoughts of his handsomeness completely vanished as I take in the hulking form of this colossus approaching me like some gargantuan predator.
He crouches before me again, the movement causing me to feel like everything’s closing in, and although it’s helpful to not have to take in the entire looming form of his body, having his face come so close to my perch is entirely unnerving. His head alone looks as big as a house.
My breath is coming in shallow as every instinct is hating how exposed I am and wanting me to flee. I’m having to remind myself that I’m staring at another person, not some unthinking beast. I need to communicate with him.
Aiden doesn’t look like he’s used to whatever experiment he’s helped run, completely fascinated by the sight of a shrunken girl. He just watches me for a moment, holding himself still as he observes my miniaturized body, his eyes darting over the length of my tiny frame. I try to form words, to call out to him, but even if there weren’t drugs impairing me I think I’d be frozen right now as I observe him in turn. Finally, Aiden seems to catch himself, his expression changing with a blink.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to stare,” he says quietly, though the vibrations of his speech are practically palpable. There’s something weirdly intimate about the rumbling of his voice being so close as I’m now hearing him actually talk, without the use of a speaker. “This is nuts… Although I’m sure it’s even more intense for you, especially since you can’t really move right now.”
A small whimper sounds at the back of my throat and I feel a tickle on my cheek as the tears that had been welling up finally overflow. Aiden’s brow furrows and he bites the edge of his lip. He thankfully is attempting to stay quiet as he continues to try and reassure me.
“Yeah, this is probably really scary, huh? Even if you know it’s coming… I’ll be careful, okay? We’ll take things nice and slow and then we’ll have you back to your normal self before you know it. Just think about all the lab credit you’re getting out of this.”
I’m momentarily distracted. He… he thinks I knew this was going to happen? I’m starting to put some things together. He might have known what this experiment was all about, but meanwhile I had no idea. Is this some horrible misunderstanding? Or have I been deceived? The older man’s voice rings out just then, catching my attention as if the universe is trying to answer my question.
“Aiden? Today, please.”
The closer giant’s expression shifts again as he frowns with annoyance. With a slow breath he regains himself, brow smoothing out as he turns his head to the side to respond, “I’m just… giving her a second.” When he turns back towards me, it’s with a smile and a lighter tone. “Giving myself a second too. This is incredible.”
The other person doesn’t respond. What was his name again? Some things are still fuzzy, but I know it’s with this older man that I was originally in contact with. Is he also just following orders, under the impression that this is an experiment I’ve consented to? Or could it be that he…?
There’s a strange sound, like an elastic stretching, coming from near Aiden, and as I focus on him I put together what he had reached for before entering the chamber - he’s putting on gloves. I realize immediately what this must mean. He’s about to touch me. I almost fall over as I shove against the metal floor, trying to push myself more upright. Even if I appear to be facing a gentle giant, the sheer scale of him is dangerous in and of itself. But I’m reminded yet again by the sluggishness of my body that there’s nothing I can do to stop any of this.
A massive blue hand comes into view, making me flinch as it rises up over the edge of the cliff. It’s over twice as long as I am, a monster in its own right. Aiden lays his hand flat in front of me, leaning it onto the surface of the bench. I stare at the latex covering his palm, trembling at the sudden proximity of this moving mountain of a man.
“I’ll be carrying you over to the scale. Are you able to climb on?”
I’m not sure how he thinks I might be able to get onto his hand if I can barely hold myself upright. Instinctively, I want to get away, but this time when I push back with my arms I really do fall over. For a second I make it to my hands and knees, legs twisted out awkwardly on either side, but then my elbow buckles and I slip forwards, my face crashing right into the side of Aiden’s hand. There’s a pain in my neck as it bends uncomfortably from the way I’ve landed.
The giant winces sympathetically and I watch in horror as his other hand appears, coming in from above. It hovers for a moment, unsure, until his thumb and forefinger open like a mammoth claw machine. “I’m just going to help you on, okay?”
The blue fingers move down to encircle my frame, and my entire body tenses up as they pinch around my torso. I’m half expecting the vice of his fingertips to crush me, bracing myself for the snap of a rib. But to his credit he’s staying true to his word and being very careful. I’m dragged forward onto his palm, as big as a rubbery queen-sized mattress, until he sets me down again onto my side. As I struggle to move I only manage to wriggle feebly. Like a worm.
I’m pressed into the floor by the g-force as Aiden then lifts me up. I can’t see over the edge of his hand from my sprawled position, but I can only imagine the height as the blue platform brings me into the sky. I shut my eyes, trying to block out the dizzying visuals zooming by. Though there’s so much I can’t ignore… The echoing sounds of machines whirring and footsteps booming. The smell of the latex pressed against my face. The feeling of my heart racing. The nauseating movements as I’m propelled through the air, swaying with the giant’s gait, followed by the vertigo reminiscent of being on a descending airplane that’s coming in for a landing.
“You still with me, Evie?”
I think Aiden’s trying to be gentle with his voice, but he startles me nonetheless. My eyes fly open again and I can see that the surrounding scenery is no longer whooshing by. I manage to lift my head a tad, just enough to take in the structure that I’m about to be set on. A wide stage, a counter of some kind. There’s a variety of oversized instruments - I clock a beaker, a microscope, tongs, and… the afore-mentioned digital scale. This is where the hand platform comes to a halt.
I try once again to see how much mobility I can muster and manage to get up onto one elbow. Progress. Before I can try anything else, Aiden gives me the head’s up of, “Setting you down now… Easy does it…” just as his gloved hand begins tilting. I slowly slide along the surface of his palm, stretching out one foot to try and stand it against the slick black floor below me. My leg can’t quite hold my weight and I crumble to the ground in a clumsy dismount, back onto my hands and knees.
I try to push air out of my lungs in an attempt to produce sound, frustrated by the fact that my limbs are recovering faster than my mouth. The faint squeak that comes out is just enough to catch the giant’s attention - he was about to straighten back up but instead he leans down a little more, his eyes alight with interest.
I try to speak again and it comes out in a hiss. “Stop… this…”
Aiden is noticing again how panicked I’m looking, and he frowns as he strains to hear me, leaning in even closer. “Sorry, what was that?”
I fight against how scared I am of his gigantic face moving too close for comfort. “Didn’t… agree…” My voice finally comes out stronger this time but it’s at the expense of my throat going numb and I’m suddenly caught in a coughing fit.
The giant’s frown deepens and he’s opening his mouth to respond when the sound of approaching footsteps interrupts.
“Have you taken her weight?” The older scientist passes by behind Aiden, a massive blur of color and movement. He stops at another counter, his question hanging in the air.
I could scream in frustration as the giant face in front of me quickly moves away again. “Working on it right now,” he responds, looking a little nervous about how stern his superior has started acting with him. He looks back in my direction, but it’s not for an attempt to talk - instead he’s focusing on the buttons at the bottom of the scale I’m sitting on. “Make sure to hold still for me, Evie? Umm… wow. Less than 6 grams. Can that be right?"
“Sounds appropriate,” the other man responds absently.
I can’t process that number right now. It’s too insane. Aiden sure seems to get a kick out of it, though, as he shoots me a little grin. “No wonder you felt like nothing in my hand.”
I jump at a sudden loud sound, almost losing my balance. Looking around wildly, I realize it was the snapping of a glove as the other giant is donning his own pair. I feel goosebumps on the back of my neck. I’ve had a bad feeling about this mystery man from the moment I came to, and now it seems like it’ll be his turn to interact with me. Sure enough, his figure looms larger as he begins to approach.
Aiden has turned his attention to a nearby tablet now to record his notes, and I finally get a good look at the older man. His hair is darker, shorter. His eyes are dark too. Humorless. Hungry.
That’s when I remember his name. We’d exchanged several emails and the signature that was always at the bottom flashes in my mind’s eye. Dr. Charles Little. The irony is almost laughable. Almost.
I hardly have any time to take in this new titan as he’s already reaching for me, acting much less hesitant than Aiden did. I shy away, a yell getting caught in my burning throat. These new monstrous blue fingers crash right into me and knock me over - I feel my back hit the floor and I’m suddenly pinned under the heavy weight of his hand.
More terrified tears are forming as I struggle to take in a breath. I’m now entirely convinced that I’m not going to survive this nightmare. Dr. Little’s being so much less careful than the previous giant. He’s not even looking at me right now as he picks something up from a nearby shelf… a caliper. Which at this point just looks like a massive torture instrument.
The measuring tool hurtles towards me, and the scientist shifts his fingers, keeping his index pressing down on my upper chest while using his thumb to straighten out my legs. With his other hand he adjusts the jaws on the caliper, lowering it into position around me. I struggle desperately in my panic, though I can hardly budge.
“Please…” This time I manage to actually shout as I feel hard metal against the top of my head. “I didn’t… consent…” The pressure increases against my chest and now I can’t get anything more than a garbled cry out.
Aiden’s still standing nearby, and his eyes flick up from the tablet he’s holding. There’s momentary silence before he decides to say, “Did you catch that, sir?"
"Yes,” Dr. Little responds with an irritated but almost bored tone, “Interesting. She shouldn’t be able to speak at all quite yet. Take note of that, I’ll need to revisit the neuroblocker concentration.”
"Shouldn’t we be trying to listen to–”
“Take note of the height too. Almost exactly three inches, I’m seeing 7.617 centimeters. At least the accuracy was quite good this time… Still need to make sure everything’s in proportion - can you go get the micrometer, Aiden? I think we left it by the heat lamps.”
The younger giant seems to hesitate but ultimately obeys, vanishing from my view. As soon as he’s gone, Dr. Little begins leaning in, doubling over so he can bring his face closer and closer to me. My stomach jumps up to my throat at the sight of his head lowering enough that I can feel the breeze of his breath as he whispers.
"Keep your mouth shut. Alright? Be a good girl and maybe I’ll take it easy on you tonight.”
And just like that, it’s like my world has flipped upside down once again. I stop breathing and my blood runs cold. At this point it’s beyond clear that this isn’t some kind of misunderstanding. I stare wide-eyed at the titan who might actually be a nightmarish monster. Our eyes meet and he’s completely immune to the pleading desperation in my gaze. A whisper of a smile crosses his face and he slides his latex-covered finger down the length of my body salaciously.
Then he straightens back up to standing, getting back to business. I can tell my arm and leg muscles are regaining strength by how violently they’re shaking with fear. I squirm as Dr. Little readjusts his grip on me, enveloping me into his grasp… and lifting me into the air.