It only took a couple minutes for Sarah to reach her house as it was only a few short blocks away. Paul had only been here a handful of times in the three years Sarah lived here and had never seen where she kept her tinies. Paul didn't even know how many she owned and was nervous at the thought of having to meet them so quickly after having shrunk.

  Sarah put the cage down on a small table near the door and opened the latch. It took a moment before Paul was able to step forward and tentatively step out onto the table, looking up nervously at his sister who looked impassively back down again.

  “Well, here we are,” Sarah said, flatly. “I agreed to take you in as a favor to mom, but I don't really have anything for you to do here. You aren't trained in anything and frankly I'm not sure what use you could have, but we'll figure out a more permanent solution soon.”

  This was Paul's chance to plea with his sister. “Sarah,” He said. “Can you please bring me to Hannah? I'm sure she'd take care of me.”

  “Hannah, your friend from school?” Sarah asked. “No. I told mom I would take care of you; I can't just pass you off to someone else like that.”

  “Please!” Paul begged. “She's the only one I want to be with! I—I know she'd have a use for me!”

  “Paul, you've been small for less than a day.” Sarah said. “You aren't thinking clearly; you need some time to calm down. She might have been close to you but things are different now. I know you're going through a lot but it's not the time for unrealistic romantic notions.”

  The look in Sarah's face was much more sympathetic than Doris's had been, but it was still just as firm. Paul knew he stood no chance.

  Sarah reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a man Paul's own size: it was Barney, her companion. Paul had seen Barney many times before—he had been Sarah's companion since she was a little girl—but had never interacted with him. Sarah placed Barney on the table next to him, and Paul couldn't help but notice Barney was a full head taller than him and far more muscularly built. Barney was staring him down, sizing him up.

  “You know Barney; he's going to show you around and teach you my rules.” Sarah said. “The best way to talk to me is through him; I'm very busy as you know and I can't give all the tinies extra attention. You two shake hands.”

  Barney held out his hand to shake, this once-toy-sized man now looking very intimidating. Paul reached his hand out and Barney took it, almost crushing his fingers as he shook his hand. Barney didn't break eye contact for a single moment, and Paul could see nothing but seething contempt in his eyes.

  “Very good.” Sarah said. She reached down and picked up Barney and Paul with one hand each, carrying them to another room. This new large room might have been the dining room in a previous age, but it had since been re-purposed to house a significant number of tinies. There were a series of purpose-built tiny buildings on a series of tables arranged in a u-shape with a series of spiral stairs leading down to floor level, where there were a few more odds and ends.

  Sarah placed Barney and Paul down in front of a Smallhouse which was not much different from the one in Paul's former bedroom except that this was connected to the units beside it with a balcony that linked all the buildings together.

  “This unit's been empty so it's yours now.” Sarah said. “Barney's going to show you around and introduce you to everyone; he'll get you started with some clothes and basic supplies. He's the leader here so you can consider his word to be mine. I'll leave you two to it, and I'll check on you tomorrow.”

  Sarah turned and left, closing the door behind her. Now Paul was stuck here alone with a man he had only ever seen as his sister's toy; a man that was now glaring down at him with a smug expression. Paul didn't know what to say to him, but Barney spoke first.

  “So. The golden boy is a small now.” He said with a smug little chuckle. “Figures it would be you.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Paul asked warily.

  “Seems like the wimpiest bigs become shrinkers.” Barney said. “It's like the virus can smell weakness.” Paul wanted to retort but Barney was so much larger that he didn't dare.

  “So I guess I have to show you around the place.” Barney grumbled, as if it was a waste of time. “As you should know Sarah runs a full-service Pageantry operation including an academy and on-site breeding op. Everyone here but me is a model so they take their looks very seriously; you'll have a lot to answer to if you mess up.”

  He pointed at the house behind him. “This is your unit, number 12.” Barney said. “It's got a bedroom, walk-in closets, room for dry storage and some space for basic activities, but showers and kitchens are communal. None of the cushy individual bullshit you were used to.”

  Barney started to walk along the wide balcony walkway, so Paul followed him. Without bothering to look back at Paul, Barney continued his tour: “These units belong to the models. These are for the ladies, and these are for the guys. They're probably at the spa right now; you'll meet them in a minute.”

  Barney pointed across to the other side of the U. “There is the breeding facility. There are four mothers and seven children currently living inside. You're not to go inside unless specifically instructed by the manager or I; no men allowed except those explicitly given permission to breed with the women. Next to that is the academy which instructs the next generation of models. There are eight children at the school, they live in the attached dormitory right there. You probably won't be going in there either.”

  Barney had led Paul to the center of the U where the three largest buildings sat. “This here is the cafeteria. Some of the models are decent cooks so the food is pretty good. Over here is the Spa; this is where the models work on their bodies and prepare for shows. The models spend a lot of time in here but I don't think you will.”

  “And this.” Barney indicated a large house-shaped structure next to the cafeteria. “Is my house. It's the only building that is locked, and no one is allowed in without my permission. You'll never get it, so don't ask. This is where I live when I'm not with Sarah.”

  He pointed down to the floor below. “Down there is some room to stretch your legs if you like to run, and there's some recreation down there. But don't get in the way of anyone who actually has to work for their keep. Also, no tinies are allowed out of this room—except me of course—so don't even think about leaving.”

  Barney looked back at Paul. “So that's pretty much it.” He said. “Now for a few ground rules. First, everything goes through me. If you need any supplies I'm the one who orders them, but don't go thinking I'm going to just get you every toy you want. Second, don't fucking bother me. I'm a very busy man; my responsibility is to Sarah, of course, but I also keep things in order around here and act as a liaison between the models and Sarah. So don't go bothering me with trivial problems. If you need anything talk to Jules: he's the manager of the models and he'll decide if your problem is worth my time.”

  “How do I talk to my sister?” Paul interjected. Barney's eyes narrowed.

  “You talk to Sarah through me.” Barney barked. “And you don't bother me without going through Jules first, like I told you. Don't think you have special privilege here because of who you were before you shrunk. You are the least among anybody here; everybody else has a role and a purpose, and you're just dead weight. If you asked Sarah she'd tell you the same thing.”

  Being brought down to a new low Paul lowered his eyes. Barney continued: “Thirdly, you stay out of the models' way. They are the ones bringing money and prestige to this establishment, not you, so they are the priority. Fourth: I already told you what areas were out of bounds, so stay out of them. And fifth: If you get any of the girls pregnant I will personally break your fucking neck.”

  Paul's eyes shot back up to Barney's in shock with such a harsh threat. Everything about Barney's face and body suggested that he was not only deadly serious about that but perfectly capable as well. In an act of false friendliness Barney slapped Paul on the back and turned him around.

  “Now we'll go into the Spa and get your introduction over with.” Barney said. He led Paul to the front door of the largest building, opening it and swinging it open. He was greeted by the sight of a large and open ground floor full of mirrors and what he could only assume to be spa equipment of various kinds. There were at least a dozen people in here, both men and women, and they were all very attractive.

  As soon as Paul stepped in all eyes turned to look at the newcomer. He was very likely the shortest person in the room and by far the most plain-looking, lacking even the gruff musculature of Barney. The looks he received were not flattering; as if something undesirable had just come in. Paul didn't know what to say but Barney spoke.

  “We have a stowaway now.” Barney sneered. No one spoke and he continued: “Sarah's kid brother just shrunk and he's staying with us.”

  Laughter and derisive noises broke out from the models. Paul felt his insides squirm—it seemed the resentment smalls felt towards bigs was alive and well and he doubted he would get much sympathy. The bigger problem, however, was how being Sarah's brother didn't seem to be any help at all, and he was starting to understand that his sister was not going to be an ally in his new life.

  “What's your name?” Said one of the men: he appeared to be in his mid-30s; he was as tall as Barney but had a handsome face and a chiseled physique.

  “Paul,” Paul said nervously. Some more jeers from the others followed.

  “My name is Jules and I'm the manager of the modeling operation.” He said. “I'm sure Barney has told you how things run around here, so come to me if you need anything, though I must tell you as you're not a model your needs are very low on my priorities.” Jules' attitude was more matter-of-fact than Barney's open hostility, but it was just as cold.

  “O-okay, thanks,” Paul said, timidly. Paul wondered if he was going to be introduced to the other models, but neither Barney nor the models seemed to have any interest. Instead, Barney steered him back out of the spa and into the larger room.

  “Sarah wants you to get some things, so let's get down to the loading area.” Barney said with the tone that he wanted to get it over with and be rid of Paul as quickly as possible. The loading area was at the left end of the U and contained several shelves and racks full of items.

  “At least once a week Sarah unloads a bag of items for us here.” Barney said. “Jules is in charge of distributing modeling-related items, but I oversee everything else. Sarah also brings me to the Tiny Supply Store once or twice a week for some shopping. I keep a small supply of extra items here but that doesn't mean you can take without asking. Anyway, get yourself a couple outfits, and make it quick.”

  The clothes were not organized in any real kind of way and it was clear that these were the less-than-desired leftovers from everybody else. He didn't know the ways tinies measured sizes and most of them weren't marked anyway, so he had to just visually estimate the size. He wanted to try some on for size but was far too intimidated to ask Paul; who was pacing impatiently in front of the area.

  “You done yet?” Barney grumbled. Paul stumbled out of the storage area with enough clothes to make three or four outfits. “All right, good.” Barney said, the two of them walking part of the way around the U until they got back to Paul's new unit.

  “You might as well go in and get settled.” Barney said. “I've got to head back to Sarah so don't bother me with anything else. These overhead lights automatically turn of at ten, so don't get spooked. Bye.”

  Without waiting for Paul to say goodbye or anything else Barney turned and left without so much as a backwards look to Paul. Paul watched as he passed the spa and kitchen on the way to his own large house unlocking the door and disappearing inside. Not knowing what else to do, Paul opened the door to his new home.

  Compared to the house he had lived in as a big this house seemed so fake and flimsy, though somehow sturdier due to the vastly smaller weights it had to hold. The walls were just straight boards with simple patterns mass-painted onto them. The furniture was all the cheap kind of stuff you could buy at any Tiny Supply Store. There were many painted cardboard pieces that visually imitated objects found in normal big houses, but none of them were functional.

  Paul walked up the cardboard stairs to the bedroom. The bed was another mass-produced cardboard item but at least the mattress and pillows looked comfertable. There were hangars in the closet that were little more than wooden sticks and Paul decided to hang his clothes up. Following that he flopped down on his bed—it was pretty comfortable, but a little lumpy. He supposed it would have to do.

  As he lay there looking up at the painted cardboard ceiling he felt a weight of hopelessness settle into his heart. His entire world had been taken away from him and here he was stuck like a refugee inside his sister's tiny operation and he was the least relevant person here. And it wasn't like this was Sarah's main concern—she had a full-time career as an accountant and had an active social life outside of work. All while she owned a few dozen tinies whose lives revolved around what she decided to do. Paul was an afterthought of an afterthought.

  Paul felt tears coming to his face. He had never felt so lonely. He would have given anything to have Katelyn right now, to hold her in his hand, to feel the comfort of her body on his. But Katelyn was his companion no more; now he was in a house much like hers had been, and he was surrounded by the same type of fake cardboard furniture that had surrounded her for all those years? Should Paul have insisted to his mother that they buy nicer furniture and surroundings for Katelyn? Paul never really understood what a wretched existence tinies lead, even well-cared-for ones like Katelyn.

  Paul thought about Katelyn as he lay there. He wondered what she was doing now—probably crying, watching her world fall down around him just as Paul was. They were two tiny people, each crying in a tiny house surrounded by cardboard furniture. What was this life, anyway? It was stunning to think back on how he had simply just owned Katelyn, that he was considered superior just for his size and she was his property, while in reality she was much more the human than he was. At least she had a purpose in life, and throughout those eleven years all she did was give, give, give to him and all he did was take and take. And now she at least had the chance for another life as a companion for someone else while Paul—well, he didn't know what his future would hold.

  After some time of laying there the lights of the greater room turned out and he was left in darkness, just spots of light coming from some of the other little buildings of the group. Paul didn't even bother looking for a light source in his room. He was plum exhausted and even though he hadn't eaten since shrinking he didn't feel at all like going to find some food. He took off his clothes and pushed them to the floor, getting under the blanket of his cheep cardboard bed. Wishing that he would wake up and this would all go away, he eventually drifted off to an uneasy sleep.