Mini-Virus

Chapter 02: T.I.N.Y.

However it wasn't that simple for Katie to accept her shrinking status. She was in her junior year as a nurse practitioner and had her whole life before her. One that involved getting engaged to her boyfriend, buying a house, having children, and working the job she loved. None of which could happen if she were to be shrunk to a height of 5 inches 7/8 tall.

What would her parents think? They had practically poured all they had into her dreams. Often times neglecting their much younger daughter Kalie for Katie. Now to be tiny and to be coddled everywhere?  

What would her boyfriend of two years think? She felt he was about to propose! Katie remembers when Emily Novak and Alice Emmons appeared on the commercials and adds explaining Mini Mom incorporated. Then the camera zoomed out and they were tiny shrunken women standing in Emily's husbands hand the whole time. Katie remembers her boyfriend laughing at their minuscule size glad to never have to deal with that.

Katie had to stand on her tip toes as she looked in the bathroom mirror. "I'll just see if it's my clothes." She frowns trying to deny she looked about two inches shorter. Katie's right barefoot hits the cold bathroom tile having slipped right out of her white leather Keds sneaker. She sigh turning around and picking it up. It definitely was two sizes too big and she had tied them as tightly as she could.

Luckily for Katie she was alone in her dorm. Her roommate Abigail was already off having a 8 am morning class. Abigail was a few inches shorter than Katie was. So when Katie took a pair of blue scrubs from Abigail's closet, Katie knew she had indeed been shrinking. They were even a little baggy on her. Katie snatched an older white pair of nikes from Abigail's shoe rack and tightly tied them on with a whimper. Katie knows that her shoe size is nine and a half size and that Abigail wears a whole size smaller. 

Katie couldn't deny it even though she wanted too with all that was inside her. Hearing the energetic voice of Alice Emmons on tv saying; "Being small isn't dull, so don't be afraid to make the call!" Then the jingle sang in Katie's head "1-800 Min-A-tur." Followed by the tiny red head woman Emily Novak with her hair pulled back wearing a little white lab coat saying "Remember its as simple as T.I.N.Y. Tell, Immediately, Notify, Yourselves to your family and friends. We at Min-C are here to help." 

Katie knew that making the call to 1-800 Min-A-Tur and announcing it (though it was the safest and most responsible thing to do for other women's safety) meant that Abigail, her mother, her little sister, along with every other female would outcast her until she fully shrank. As is commonly believed (through the uncertain fear and panic that they would shrink too) by most non Mini-V females, the virus is most contagious while in the current process of shrinking rather than already have shrunk. 

However there has not yet been a single case of a victim having Mini-V that showed any signs or other cases where a female family member, friend, or even coworker had also contracted the virus. Mini-V still remains to be random among women with the only other exception of age. In fact the last few months no cases have succeeded past 50 total since the virus first appeared a year ago. Katie Kales however, is case 53 of this month. There have been no advances made to curing and with very little understanding of sustaining it. Miniature Female Virus seems to be completely random, a few victims every few months.

"Hello, welcome to Mini Mom incorporated." A females automative voice spoke through from Katie's cellphone. "Please follow our instructions on how we can serve you today," Katie felt a powerful urge to hang up. She wanted too. She didn't want to have to confess out loud her gut wrenching fear she was infected and in the shrinking process. 

"Press one if you'd like to donate to Mini Moms incorporated, your donations help continue scientific research to MFV. Press two if you'd like to receive a B.I.G. vaccine -and how you can qualify." The B.I.G. Vaccine was one of many vaccinations conjured up by the researchers lab in attempt to thwart mini-v from spreading. So far; Bigerotomy Ingorgeous Glucosamine was a dimly lit stab in the dark. No one yet who'd had the vaccine had contracted mini-v, but with its unknown cause and random selection not one lab could be sure of its efficacy without a span of time.