(POV NICK)
I said that I wanted to stay.
"Nick dear, we're going for some work, probably won't be back till the night. Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
Not anymore, I wasn't.
It happened too fast. I knew 'fast' had a different definition for my 3.5 inch frame, but it was fast for any normal person too. Maria, my parents' lawyer and close friend, almost an aunt to me, came running in the house just a few hours later.
"N-Nick! NICK! W-WHERE ARE YOU?!"
My earmuffs were the only thing which saved my ears from blowing up. And that was the part which confused me most. Maria was quiet, even by my standards. When she came in my room, I got her attention easily. After all these years, she knew where to find me. But she froze on seeing me. And I tensed up too. She looked as if she'd fallen down a hill. But what startled my stoic demeanor was her face. She had been crying for a while, by the looks of it.
Nothing like that had happened before.
She stuttered with her words, but blurted out gibberish, something along the lines of 'someone needing my parents more than I did'...
Of course I understood what had happened.
A car accident.
But I didn't want to believe it.
They were two of the three constants I had in my life. And now, they were gone. Forever, into the howling dark of the night. And this night would stretch for an eternity...
And now, my third constant, who cried her heart out as she literally towered over me, was on the verge of collapse. I refuse to let her face this suffering. I refuse to give up.
It's what they would have wanted.
(3 Weeks later)
"Kill" Announced the even voice.
"Double Kill"
"Triple Kill"
"Overkill"
I guess I'm pretty good at games. I had won this match easily. But my mind was stuck on that day... I had helped Maria over the first week, ridding her of the guilt. She said that despite being so small, my heart was huge. Technically my heart is smaller than a centimeter, but I couldn't see her in pain. Ever since my parents passed away, she'd managed all the legal work, and had even gone ahead and helped my personally. Turns out, helping someone reduce their guilt tends to increase yours at times.
But being guilty around Maria was difficult. One- she was the guilt magnet herself, and two- I wasn't going to project myself as weak. Especially after what had happened. I wasn't about to give in and take the role of victim that could so easily have been mine.
But I'm only human.
Maria and I had learnt to rely on each other in this short span of time. Both emotionally and mentally. It wasn't easy, but not impossible either.
I tried my best to keep everyone happy.
(1 Week Ago)
"Maria, let me get this straight. You are my temporary legal guardian, yes?"
"Yeah..."
"And you have managed the legal work, right?"
"Of course!"
"Then why is Aunt Lisa becoming my legal guardian now?"
Maria froze. She didn't tell me about it. And I was furious. I was so furious that I looked intensely calm. How could she NOT tell me about such a thing? And of course, she was freaked out on how I managed to find out, just like I knew almost all her other secrets. She wasn't the brightest when it came to hiding stuff on computers, and I was the resident hacker. We went along just fine.
"Nick, h-how did you-"
"First, being 20 times smaller means everything is loud. And you, talk LOUD on the phone. It was practically impossible to ignore. And two, I cracked your password. Again. I told you to make it stronger. And 12345 is not strong."
She blushed and looked away, knowing she couldn't win an argument against me. Let alone an argument about technology. But she did something she had never done before, something which I never would have expected.
She apologized.
"Nick, look-" She said, picking me up gently from the floor and bringing me to her face. In any normal circumstance I would have flinched or backed off, but I was too preoccupied to do anything.
"-You know that I can't be your legal guardian. For several reasons. Don't get me wrong here, I just want what's best for you. Nobody asked Lisa to do this. She was the one who approached me, saying that it would be best if you stayed with family. But she didn't insist. She asked. And I couldn't say no, not after what had happened."
"I want you to be happy, Nick. I want to see you happy again."
For a minute I was dumbstruck. Despite hanging what was 100 relative feet high to me, that too in front of a huge face, I felt relief. For the first time, in weeks...
"Nick, I won't force you into anything. This is your life, and you have a say in it. I was going to tell about this... soon, but you just had to come in guns blazing. Like usual."
She suppressed a smile. But I couldn't. I laughed, for the first time in weeks, and Maria laughed too. One simple gesture decimated the emotional conversation, as she placed me on the wooden table.
"So, what did you decide?"
"Yeah, I'll go with Aunt Lisa. But if you don't come visit every week, I promise to make sure that you will regret it!"
"No way I won't visit! You know me, I will do it, against all odds!" She said in a fancy pseudo-British accent.
I'm trying my best to keep everyone happy.
(Present)
I looked around my 'complex'- a room that I along with my dad, had transformed to a me-sized space colony in the last 4 years. He gifted me a 3D printer when I was 12, and we together got to work. Well, he did most of the work, seeing that I couldn't lift anything above the size of scissors anyways. We had printed the colony, piece by piece and had assembled it, and then we did the interior so that I could live in it. Honestly, it was awesome, and still is. I never understood how he made the smaller details, but we did it, together. He even made some of the stuff, functional, like the elevators and even some space rovers, which I could drive. It blew my mind then, and still does.
As I stood on the normal sized table I looked around wistfully, knowing that he was no longer here to see the refits I had done in the place. He would never see what I was making now.
Maria had helped me pack up everything, complaining all the time that despite being so small, I had more stuff than her. Of course, that may be true, but most of the 7 gigantic cardboard boxes of mine were filled with 50 % foam. That's how protective of my things I am.
I looked around the now almost empty room, still filled with memories. So many of them.
(3 Years Ago)
"Dad, what have you been doing? You haven't let me see what you were doing on the 3D printer since the last week!"
"Nick, it's a surprise! Don't spoil it for yourself. Where are you anyways?"
Of course he couldn't spot me. I had never lost in hide 'n seek. Ever. But this time, it was different. This time, I wanted to be found. I needed to know what he was making. I probably could have waited. But being the unyielding and witty genius (or so I think) I was, I stepped right out in the open. And I found myself in a giant hand barely seconds later.
"I know you won't stop. Spartan. So I'll just show it to you. It's ready anyways."
It used to be our standing joke. He referred to me as 'Spartan' and I called him 'Admiral'. We were both Halo fans, and we strongly felt the need to show it openly.
As I was thinking just what he had been doing, he pulled out a small box, albeit larger than me, and placed both the box and me on the table. He lowered himself till his eyes were at my level, and told me to open it.
And open I did.
As the lid lifted, I took a step back. A car. A toy rover. Seriously, he could have cut the theatrics and just said that it was a toy.
"Neat, isn't it? Try getting inside! I made it your size. The controls are on the dashboard, take it for a ride!"
I didn't even wait for him to finish. I entered the thing, and saw that the 'controls' were just a Remote controller. What more did I expect from a car meant for someone 3 inches tall?
But I was still excited. And so was dad. A 3 inch tall kid riding a rover in a house? Sick.
Being small was not easy. Never had been. The constant struggle of just reaching another room was real enough, but being manhandled was another. Not the best experience to dangle 50 storeys high and go at nauseating speeds. But looking at this present, I smiled.
Yeah, I'm definitely coming around.
(Present)
"Maria, MARIA. NOOO!!!" I screamed as I ran back towards her on the table. The giant just looked down at me, more confused than anything.
"Maria, you mind telling me what you're doing with my laptop?" I said, as the hulking machine I couldn't even dream of moving hovered in the air, courtesy of her hands.
"I was just packing it...?"
"You do not touch my laptop. You do not pick my laptop. And most importantly, you do not pack my laptop in anything except for its original case!"
"Gee, boss, fine. How are you going to pack up the uh, smaller parts anyways?" She asked, glancing at the tiny computer peripherals scattered on a tiny desk on top of the actual desk.
Now why were tiny computer parts here?
That's because I simply couldn't use the full sized thing at this size. So I got a laptop, and these tiny parts manufactured by the government. Nothing too fancy, just a monitor, mouse, headphones and a keyboard. For something meant for 'patients' as we were called, they were surprisingly gamer quality, not that I'm complaining...
"I'll pack them up in the laptop box, you get the thing inside it first."
"Got it little boss!"
(2 Years ago)
"Mom, are you sure about this?"
"Yes, Nick. Maria is a close friend, and you should get to know her."
Whoever this Maria was, I did not want to meet anyone new. Being 3 inch tall was hard enough, and it had taken me quite a while to get comfortable around my own family that practically comprised of my own parents. I had never met any relatives, not that I looked forward to meeting a people the size of buildings from my perspective.
That changed when I saw Maria.
Sure, she was... uncanny at first, but we became friends in no time. And all of that was because she was actually scared of me. Wow. She tried her best to avoid me, and I felt obliged to do the same.
But first, let me introduce you to my trusty companion, the humble grapple gun. Issued by the government to all 'downsized' patients, it's meant for making our lives easier and definitely not pulling off crazy stunts. Let's just say that I had a different perspective...
So anyways, I was up at the dining table, minding my own business. Wearing a wingsuit I made myself. At 3 inches tall. Quirky? Yes. Crazy? Yes. Just like me? Yes.
I had spent the last week adding a little something new to it. See, pulling off near-spidey stunts with a grapple hook becomes boring after a while. So I decided to give myself wings. Or more specifically, a wingsuit.
I'll try not to die.
I leapt off the table with my suit extended, hoping not to fall like a brick.
All I heard was a deafening scream, and then I was snatched mid-air by a huge hand. I was terrified, no doubt, but the hand was shaking more than me. I looked up in this crazed state, and flinched instantly.
Maria.
Heh, I'm in danger.
She was shaking all over, and couldn't say a word. She dropped me off to my room and had a long talk with my parents. A long talk. After my parents calmed her down, we were put together in my room to explain whatever happened to each other. It was a comical sight, seeing Maria working her way through the floor full of so much tiny stuff, trying not to step on something as she came to the table I stood on. We stared at each other for good measure, and I broke the silence.
"Uh, Hi Maria... I-I'm sorry for what I did. I imagine it must have looked like I was falling down, but still, thanks for um, the helping hand?"
"Wait, you're fine with that?!"
I flinched and took a few steps back. Loud. Too loud. Where are my earmuffs when I actually need them!? I almost never wore them, as mom and dad kept their voices low. But I'll have to break-in Maria about that... Soon.
"Yeah, but I'd prefer if it was with my consent..."
"Noted. I'm... sorry for what I did..."
"No need. Friends?"
"Friends"
Even I don't understand how it worked out, but I guess we figured it out over time.
And that's how I met Maria.
(Present)
"Nick, aren't you going to take some more?" Maria asked as she downed her mountain of pasta.
"Nah, I'm good."
"But are you sure...?"
"Yeah, I'm full. Remember, I don't need nearly as much as you do?"
At this both of us grin. She had made fun of my 'small' proportions of food now and then, but in the end I always managed to shift the ridicule to her. Always.
"We leave in a few hours, hm?"
"Time." I deadpanned instantly.
"Ugh, you are so particular about everything! We'll leave Sunday night, 9:00 pm to reach your Aunt by tomorrow morning. That's in 2 hours."
"And what about the school there?"
"It's called St. Agatha's. Small school, the principal knows about your condition."
"And my cousins?"
"Yeah, a boy and a girl, Am- no. You can't trick me into telling you their names! Lisa hasn't told them your name or condition either."
Great. What's worse than 2 gigantic cousins is 2 gigantic cousins who don't know you are small. It did give me the element of surprise, if need be. Hopefully I wouldn't need it. Maria picked me up after dinner and we clambered into the car, already packed with boxes. I was duly deposited on my seat, of which I didn't take much space. When the car started, I remembered why I didn't like to ride in actual cars.
All. The. Shaking.
The old car shuddered as it came to life. Tomorrow is Monday. By morning, we should be at Aunt Lisa's. I felt my eyes close as thoughts danced in my head. Tomorrow, my already very-different life would change forever.
Not like it ever was normal. I was 'cured' when I was 4, and didn't know anything normal, except for this huge world. I didn't know anything except for building-sized furniture, and the still-bigger animals. And where there is big furniture, there are big humans. Now, I'm just tired of being scared. I'm going to play it my way.
But I'll try my best to keep everyone happy.
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Wow, a 3rd chapter under 7 days...
Hello!
I would like to thank you for sticking around for this story for a 3rd chapter :)
If you find any mistakes please don't hesitate to point them out, as they will only improve the story!
I would love to hear you views, or even what you think is going to happen...
So here the story starts to really kick off, with the living nightmare that is Nick's life. Don't worry, more g/t interactions to come soon, these were just the character intro chapters.
Thanks!
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