Chapter 7
Evie
As tired as I was, I still don’t get the best night’s sleep. Every time I turn over my subconscious senses how unnaturally thick the threads of the ottoman are below me and jolts me awake. Even when my eyes are closed, I can feel the vast empty space all around. The extra light probably doesn’t help, although I think if I was in darkness I’d probably be even more scared.
Nevertheless, bit by bit, my body gets some rest. According to the wall clock that’s hanging in the distance like a numbered moon, it’s about 4am when I give up on getting any more sleep. I get up, use the bathroom - now at least mentally prepared for the aggressive noise that comes out of it - and take a few minutes to sit and think.
I’ve always been pretty convinced that the universe has it out for me. As far back as I can remember, from the moment my dad died when I was four and my mom turned to drugs, it’s been one thing after another. This whole getting shrunk thing might just take the cake. But I’ve always dealt with each challenge the same way. Don’t give up. Fight back. Work harder. I really, really wish that the universe could just give me a lucky break, just once in my life. But I’m used to that not being the case.
As I stare out at the wide expanse of the apartment, dizzied by the sight, I give myself five more minutes to be upset about it. To wallow in the hopelessness and fear, and to curse whatever uncaring gods have allowed this to happen.
Then I put the lid back on. Enough with the tears. It’s time to pull myself together.
I make my way along the lines of miniaturized items - I’ve sorted out the things that I think will be particularly helpful in the coming days, but I don’t want to overlook anything. This stuffed narwhal might appear useless, but if Aiden hadn’t given me something to use as a pillow it would have come in handy.
Aiden… I don’t know how to feel about him. I’m not worried about his intentions, at this point he’s clearly proven himself to be kind and well-meaning. But I still can’t help being nervous about how things will go. It’s understandable that he’d find this whole thing pretty stressful too. Unlike me, if he wanted to he could just walk away from all this and move on with his life. Honestly, I wouldn’t particularly blame him. I really, really hope that we find a way to reverse the shrinking before that happens.
I trip and fall over, landing on my knees. I’d have hoped to be used to the texture of the floor by now, but this ottoman is just so difficult to walk on. I hate the idea of burdening my giant keeper by requesting a different home base, but I don’t know if I can keep spending all my time here. I might as well make it as quick and easy as possible to relocate… Let’s pack it up.
There’s a plastic letter opener among the shrunken items that looks like a dagger - since it isn’t made of metal it’s not as sharp as I’d like, but it can still do the trick. I approach the massive ziplock bag that had originally held all of the reduced items and start cutting into it, making large square sheets from the plastic. I use these to bundle up the miniatures, bringing in the corners of the tarp-like plastic and tying them off with a knot.
The process is slow, especially with how long it takes me to cut out the squares. Hours pass and the sun slowly begins to rise outside. But at least it keeps me busy. Eventually I finish making bundles and start piling them into the miniature bathroom like it’s a moving van. I’m almost done with this and am feeling very out of breath when I hear a disturbance in the distance. My muscles tense as I figure that Aiden’s getting up.
Even though I order myself to not freak out when I see him, I still go stiff at the sound of heavy thumping signaling his footsteps and then flinch at the sight of something so big coming into view so suddenly. But despite my heartbeat picking up speed, I manage to maintain a composed facade this time.
Even from a distance I can see more detail at this size than I normally might. Aiden clearly didn’t sleep great either. And yet despite the bedhead and heightened shadows under his eyes, he still gives me a warm, friendly smile as he enters the room.
“Good morning,” his voice resounds, “Sorry, have you been up a while? Do you need anything?”
“I’m okay, thanks!” I really try to project this time since he’s still a few feet away.
He comes closer to sit near me on the couch, and it’s as he crouches down that he notices all the shrunken items aren’t laid out anymore. His eyes move to the bundle in my hands.
“Huh. Looks like you’ve been busy,” he says, blinking.
“Yeah, I… guess I have been up for a little while.” I’m feeling embarrassed, holding my makeshift luggage a little tighter to my chest as I hesitate to make the request. “I was hoping to ask you, if it’s not too much trouble… since you said you don’t really use your desk… do you mind if I move up there?”
His eyes now glance down to my feet, still clearly unsteady on the squishy surface of the ottoman, before his gaze flicks back up. “Oh, yeah, no problem. Sorry Evie, I could have helped you with all that…”
I shake my head and take an unsteady step towards the metal bathroom, tossing the final bundle inside. “That’s alright, it’s been a good distraction.” I shut the door and step back sheepishly.
Aiden smiles at me and gathers the timer and the last of the tiny items, since a few of them are too big to have packed up - things like a calendar, a book, a baseball bat, all bigger than I am. Then he easily lifts the bathroom, standing up so he can transport it all to the nearby desk.
I stare out at the chasm between me and the high-up surface of the table, trying to imagine a ramp between here and there. It would be almost a hundred feet in length… How long would it have taken for me to have traversed back and forth across such a bridge in order to carry all of those items across? Meanwhile for this giant it takes him less than two seconds with practically no effort.
“Want to go up there right now?” he asks, his arm already outstretched as he comes back to me.
I keep it together best I can as the massive beast of a hand comes in for a landing. “Sure,” I respond and force myself to march right up to him. I try to continue talking so that I can keep my mind off of how intimidated I feel. “So I’m guessing there wasn’t anything useful in that journal?”
His fingers visibly tense at the question - well, it’s visible to me anyway. “No, not really,” he responds softly, “I’m sorry…”
I climb onto his open palm, silently crawling to the center of it with my eyes downcast. I’m surprised by how disappointed I feel. I mean, what was I expecting? To find out I just need a bit more vitamin C and I’ll be back to my old self before I know it?
“Yeah, I figured as much,” I say with mock indifference, settling into a kneeling position. I look up and give him a nod, an indication that I’m ready for him to carry me over.
He inclines his head in return. “Up you go.”
Aiden raises me skyward, a lot more slow and careful than he was with the bathroom. I do wish I had something more substantial to hold onto. A part of me wants to ask him to loosely wrap his fingers around me so I can do just that, but I feel way too awkward about making that kind of request.
Thankfully the giant continues talking, keeping me distracted from how far down the floor is as we traverse the gap together. “So for uh… next steps. I was planning to go out this morning, check out a few things. There was a news article about the fire, and from the photo it looks like the building itself is intact. With any luck, so is some of the machinery - I’ll see what I can find out. I should probably replace my phone and stuff too…”
“Don’t you have classes today?” I ask a little absently, keeping my eyes on my destination as I’m now elevatoring down to the surface of the desk. As I climb back off his hand, I catch Aiden’s bemused look.
“You’re kidding, right? That’s the last thing on my mind. I can stand to be absent for a couple of days.” He pauses to make sure I’m fully off of him before he pulls his hand away again.
There’s something weirdly nostalgic about stepping out onto the parking lot sized surface of the desk. The visuals are rather foreign - a wide expanse, some oversized office supplies littering the other end, the desk lamp hulking ahead of me like an otherworldly tree. And yet something still feels familiar. I’ve done a lot of moving around in my life, and I realize that I’m strangely reminded of the moment where I walk into a new, empty apartment for the first time.
Aiden takes a seat at the chair nearby, his gaze softening as he watches me take a look around. I rather prefer seeing him from this position - instead of being near his knees as he sits on the couch, I’m closer to his chest level now. He’s still looming over me, but not by quite as much. I have a feeling this view of him is going to become all too familiar.
“You definitely look steadier on your feet,” he remarks.
“Yeah, this is way better, thank you. Plus I can get more sunlight from here!” I motion to the window that’s just alongside the desk. “I promise I’ll stay over on this side.”
“No worries, take up the whole desk. I’m clearly not using it, it’s yours.”
My chest tightens. I keep feeling uncomfortable with how much he’s going out of his way for me. But I also don’t want to seem ungrateful.
“It’s more than I need but… Thank you…”
“You bet. With any luck it’ll be very temporary anyway.”
I’ve noticed that Aiden has these moments where his gaze tends to linger. Can’t say that I blame him - it’s been less than 24 hours since I’ve become a bit of a freak of nature. I must be a rather bizarre sight… And hell, sometimes I can’t stop staring at him either.
He snaps out of it, straightening up as he says, “Um, I saw you were almost out of water, I’ll go get you some more… Any breakfast requests? I’m not the best cook but the fridge is pretty well stocked.”
I blush, chest getting even tighter at the feeling of being so reliant on him. “Anything’s fine, really…” I say and realize my nervousness is peeking through so I add more lightheartedly, “I don’t even eat ‘breakfast foods’ usually. I’m a heathen and will just have whatever leftovers are in the fridge.”
Aiden grins at this. “You’re just like a friend of mine. He will literally roll into an 8AM class with his tupperware of lasagna.”
“Breakfast lasagna’s the best!”
We share a laugh. It’s our first genuine laugh since the incident and I watch how it lights up his whole face like sunbeams after a storm. I swear, for just a split second, I forget that I’m small. For this infinitesimal moment of time, I can pretend that everything’s normal and I’m just getting to know a new friend.
And then the nerves rush right back. I stay perfectly composed though as Aiden continues, "I’m pretty good at making eggs actually. We should have a proper meal this time.”
I extend an awkward thumbs up. “I’m game.”
He gets me another spoonful of water before he retreats into the distant kitchen. I can still see him just fine from where I’m at, but it’s more like watching clouds moving around, albeit too colorful and too fast. Sounds of clanging and sizzling echo in the distance, and cooking smells eventually travel across the room.
I decide to use my water supply not just for hydration - I really need to clean myself off. I can still smell the smoke on my clothes, a sobering reminder of just how recently everything changed. And speaking of clothes…
I already know from going through all the shrunken items yesterday that the only things that fit me are those little robes that Dr. Little had set aside. They’re so flimsy and scratchy, clearly something he bought as is instead of a real piece of clothing that he shrunk down. Still, it’ll have to do for now. I wish I had the tools to make my own clothes. I’m not too bad at sewing, but I would at least need a needle and thread and don’t have anything of the sort… Oh well, like Aiden said, with any luck this is all very temporary. I don’t want to think about the alternative right now.
I at least have a few tiny toothbrushes, toothpaste and a bar of soap. I duck behind the metal bathroom to strip down and clean myself best I can before slipping on one of the robes. It feels even worse when it’s on.
I hear and see the giant coming back from the kitchen, massive plate in hand. I take a deep breath but stay steady at his approach. Good, I’m starting to get more used to this.
He sets the food down a short distance away from me, the ceramic of the plate a loud clang against the wood of the desk. I ignore my quickened heart rate reacting to the noise by commenting loftily, "With all this junk he shrunk down, he could’ve included some more outfit options.”
"Ohh, right, that’s a problem,” Aiden says as he sits down, “Maybe we can get you some doll clothes?”
"That’s alright, I’ll make do.”
He sets a gigantic spoon beside me with little bits of scrambled egg and apple in it, and I realize that I’m starving. I thank him and dig in gratefully, not caring that I’m having to use my hands. I notice after a moment that I’m being observed - there’s a little frown on my new friend’s face as he’s looking me up and down and then his eyes swing over to where I’d left the soap near the teaspoon of water.
"Evie… I could at least have gotten you some warmer water or something.”
“It’s okay. This was fine. You really do make good eggs!”
Aiden still looks bothered but doesn’t push it, eventually mustering a smile instead. “Thanks. It’s one of, like, three meals I have any confidence in…”
Breakfast passes without further incident. It’s a little unnerving at first to watch such large amounts of food disappear into the giant’s mouth like it’s nothing. But strangely enough I get over it fairly quickly. Something about having a meal together like this is comforting. A small slice of normalcy in a very abnormal situation. Soon we’re back to discussing plans for the day as Aiden finishes up.
"Take your time eating, I’ll go get ready to head out. Speaking of which, um… I can try to bring you with me, if you’d like? Though I’m assuming you’d rather stay hidden if you don’t want to make a scene, so… maybe it’s actually safer for you to stay here? Even if some of the machine is still untouched somehow, I don’t think it would be as simple as just…”
He trails off and the air feels a little heavier. Neither one of us is quite ready to think too hard about what will likely come out of investigating the lab today.
I shake my head, breaking the silence. "No, you’re right. I’ll stay here while you scope things out.”
He nods in return, his jaw tight. "I’ll try to hurry back. You sure you don’t need anything before I go?”
“I’m good.”
I stare after him as he goes to get ready, feeling as restless as a dog whose owner is about to go to work. Just as he opens the door to leave the apartment, he turns to shoot me a quick wave and a “see you later.” He’s on the opposite side of the room, so even if I yelled I’m not sure he would have heard my response.
I hate the silence that’s left behind once he’s gone. It makes it harder to ignore the thoughts that are lurking in the depths of my mind, swirling beneath the surface and threatening to devour me. Everything’s too vast, too empty, I feel like I might drown–
No. No tears. It’s time to keep myself occupied.