Home Again

Shrink Ray

THIRD PERSON

"You will assist me in every way." a royal voice boomed towards a young girl. She fidgeted with her glasses, and puffed out her chest.

"Of course. You saved me," she replied. "And will I get my reward?"

"Yes," the royal voice said, its owner standing up. "My brothers- nor the other gods- are aware you're here. They will all be worried about that other brat. The mortal villains will to try earn immortality, a bounty for her that I posed up as a distraction."

"But why?" the girl questioned. "Why do you need her?"

"It's part of my big plan," the man answered. "I swore revenge on her, and she would be a good distraction. All they will care about is her, and they will not expect my real plan- which is where you come in."

"Oh, yes, of course, m'lord," the girl said, lacing her fingers together. "But don't forget your promise."

"I shan't," the man replied, with a sly smile. "As long as you do as I ask. One of my requests is that you will stay in this world. You will not go back to your home world."

The girl bit her lip. "But what about-" She ended her protest when she saw the man's piercing gaze. "Of course. I'll stay here, m'lord." The man slyly grinned; the girl let out a cry, trapping her in the world forever.

ALICE

We headed into PS 101, which is kind of similar to my school. It's made of stone brick, and the inside has all the regular things- lockers, smelly toilets, and sport awards. We skipped past those and headed into the River City science fair, which is in the school's gym. As much as I wanted to check out the science exhibits, we didn't have time, so we headed to the end. Mr. Silva, the antagonist (though we weren't supposed to know it) was at the end of the room, as well as C.J's- the protagonist- parents.

We spoke with C.J's parents, who were worried about their daughter. Despite being her parents, they didn't go out looking for her. Oh well. Her father told us to head on over to their apartment, which is on Avenue A. On the way, I told Fierce Fox a bit about the island.

"So, C.J is the star of the school because she's so smart, but she's gone missing for the science fair," I explained. "Our job is to find her."

"Well, shouldn't you already know where she is?" Fierce Fox asked, her brow raised.

"I do know where she is," I answered, suddenly feeling a tingle down my spine. "But I'd rather not say it right now..." Fierce Fox gave me another glance as we entered C.J's apartment. I haven't been to many apartments, but if they all look like C.J's, then I'm definitely going to avoid visiting another one.

The wallpaper is torn and covered in weird smudges, and there's also such smudges in other parts of the house. Mess is pretty much everywhere, like the house isn't well cared for. It also isn't very big, so I felt a little crammed being in there. Perfect environment for shrinking.

"Oops, we let a cat in the house." Fierce Fox piped up, eyeing a ginger cat.

"Wait," I said, holding up my hands. I remembered the words of the people from my school, and how they were talking about the shrink ray. "I... I don't think it's safe for me to be in here."

"What do you mean?" Fierce Fox asked, raising her brow. "It's just an apartment."

"Danger can be anywhere, Fierce Fox," I explained. "I just... don't think I should be in here. You go. Chase after the cat. Think small. I'll be back soon to help you, okay?" Fierce Fox's brow furrowed, but she left me alone. Again, I remembered the splitting up thing, but it was only for a minute, so I figured we'd be fine. I exited the unpleasant apartment, and came outside. My eyes scanned the sun, which was setting into the horizon. Staring at the sun brought back childhood memories, which settled over me like rays of peace. I almost smiled.