It did not take long into the next day to realize just how low on the pecking order he was. It was the first full day of being small as he woke up in his new bed. He felt a pang in his heart as he realized that Katelyn was not there to wish him a good morning as she had always done. Still, he felt as though he should try to carry on as normally as he could.

  Paul was used to taking a shower first thing in the morning before school. Unfortunately, there was not a shower in his apartment. He figured the showers were at the spa and they were; up on the second floor. He got dirty looks from the models as he entered with his change of clothes in hand. Feeling so much like a trespasser he walked up the stairs. There was a shower room for each sex, but almost as soon as he stepped into the men's showers a towel-clad model was pushing him out.

  “You're not showering with us!” He said haughtily. “You'll have to wait until the showers are empty.” So Paul stood awkwardly in the hallway for over half an hour waiting for the men to come out. Two gorgeous, long-legged women came out of the other shower, each wearing a robe and a scowl that disfigured their otherwise beautiful faces.

  The men left one by one and Paul didn't dare peak in again until he was sure he heard no more sounds. The showers were indeed empty so Paul entered. There were over a dozen showers in here and there had to be no more than four or five men when Paul first arrived; they just really didn't want to share with him.

  Paul got undressed and started to shower. The water came out in larger globs than he was used to—it really drove home how everything was different now, even the most ordinary things. He managed to find some soap left by one of the models and he cleaned himself up best he could. He also realized that he became dry a lot faster, which was good because he wanted to get dressed and get out of the showers as quickly as he could.

  After that he decided he wanted to eat some breakfast, so he made his way over to the kitchen. Food had been served and it was still warm sitting in large bowls and plates along a wide countertop. People stopped their conversations and glared at him as he walked past, feeling like a thief as he loaded his plate with bacon, eggs, and toast.

  He knew that asking to sit with anyone was out of the question so he sat alone. The texture of food was very different at this size but fortunately the taste was the same. A mixed group of male and female models were “talking shop”; using a lot of modeling terminology Paul was unaware of. When he was done eating he had an awkward moment when he didn't know what to do with his dishes. He stood awkwardly near the food until one of the men told him about a dishwasher under the counter, his voice the friendliest yet as it only carried minor distain.

  Paul had no idea what to do with his time. This time yesterday he was heading to school. He imagined what would be going on now: the teacher in each period would call his name only to get no answer and mark him absent. They wouldn't think anything of it, just thinking he was ill or maybe was skipping school. When he didn't come back the next day, then the rest of the week, then the next week, that's when people would really start to wonder.

  Paul wondered how it would be handled. Would his fate be announced to the other students? He doubted it. People leaving and entering the school was common; usually because of moving but occasionally you'd hear the story about someone shrinking. There were often many false rumors, and many times there was a classmate assumed to be shrunk but had actually moved, as well as shrinkers whose families covered their dissaperance up by saying they moved.

  Would Paul be one of those cases? The way his mother was acting, he didn't doubt it. After being absent a few days she would have him quietly struck from the roster of students, his name no longer being called and his presence eventually being forgotten. It was disturbing, almost as if he was a ghost. Would family photos containing him eventually disappear from his family's wall as well?

  Paul ended up walking down the spiral staircase and taking a walk around the massive room. There were a couple of models down here as well but they were content to ignore Paul as long as he kept his distance. There were a few odds and ends down here including a book—it seemed the stereotype of tinies being illiterate wasn't entirely true here either, and Paul sought out a quiet place to sit and read. At least he could lose himself in a fictional world for a while.

  After more time had passed Paul thought he might go upstairs for lunch. Leaving his book where he found it just in case someone came back for it he walked back up the spiral stairs and into the cafeteria. More contemptuous looks followed but he was able to get a sandwich; thick and awkwardly textured but made as expertly as anything using such massive ingredients.

  The cafeteria was full enough that Paul could not get further than two seats away from anyone. He thought about taking his lunch outside but he didn't want to be that coward who hid no matter how bad things seemed for him. Everyone else sat in little groups with their backs turned towards him as he ate. He wanted to leave as fast as he could but he was quickly realizing that eating took a lot longer when you had such a tiny mouth; as even though the portions were scaled appropriately the fibers that made up the food were still the same size.

  There was a loud presence as Barney entered the room. He shared a few passing words with several people on his way to grab his food. Paul tried to ignore him even though Barney's personality was a magnet for attention in the room. He was succeeding until he felt a sharp elbow in his back—Barney had flopped down into the seat next to Paul negligently bumping into him on the way. Paul's head shot up and he was tempted to say something but Barney was completely ignoring him, his back turned and talking to a group of girls on his other side.

  These actions sent Paul fuming. Barney was definitely the clear alpha around here; in a population made up entirely of models he was built like an athlete, and his loud and aggressive personality overpowered those of the prissy male models who smiled weakly and laughed sycophanticly at his jokes while the attractive female models tittered and swooned. Paul was not the type to challenge someone like Barney even before he shrunk.

  Barney took up more than his fair share of personal space and Paul had to lean out of his way when eating. He couldn't wait to be done and was relieved when he could get up and put his dishes in the dishwasher. He tried to leave quietly but Barney put his arm in front of Paul stopping him dead in his tracks.

  “Hey new guy!” Barney said. “How about you hang out a minute and let us get to know you better. You're Sarah's brother after all.” A sarcastically-impressed “Oooh” went around the room.

  “Uh, okay,” Paul said uneasily. Barney stood up and clapped Paul on the shoulder with his heavy arm.

  “So what do you like to do?” Barney asked, feigning politeness.

  “Uh...” Paul said, hardly knowing what to say. “I like reading a playing baseball.”

  “Baseball!” Barney said. “Must have been a star athlete, weren't you?”

  “I just used to play in the park.” Paul said, feeling his face turn read.

  “Oh that's a shame. You could have been a star athlete.” Barney said. “So tell us, what were you going to do when you finished school?” Paul wanted nothing more than to escape this conversation but with Barney's arm around him and all eyes on him he saw no way out.

  “I was thinking of joining the military.” Paul said, humiliated. Barney and many of the other models burst out laughing.

  “We have a soldier boy here!” Barney said. “Following in your father's foosteps I see. Think he'd be proud of you?”

  Paul had no idea what to say. His father died when he was six and Paul had no clue what he'd do if he knew what happened to Paul. Mercifully, Barney waved his hand to dismiss the subject.

  “You came from a wealthy family.” Barney said. “Certainly you must have owned a bunch of tinies like us. What was it, models? A breeding Op? Sports?”

  “I—I didn't own any tinies.” Paul said. Barney turned his head doubtfully. “Except my companion.”

  “Ah, just one I see.” Barney said. “What was her name? Come on, don't be shy, you can tell us.”

  “...Katelyn.” Paul eventually forced out. To his confusion a snicker arose from the crowd.

  “Ah that's right. Who could ever forget Katelyn.” Barney said, shooting a knowing eye at some of the men in the room. “I haven't seen her in years. Shame you never brought her to family dinners. But oh well, she's gone now.” Paul felt that same stab in his heart being reminded of that.

  “Don't be sad,” Barney said with mock sympathy. “I'm sure her skills are being put to good use somewhere else. After all, we both know she knows how to make a guy feel good.”

  Half shocked and half furious Paul turned to face Barney in a fury and said: “What do you mean by that?” A hush fell across the room. No one ever challenged Barney and everyone was expecting a fight to break out, but Barney merely smiled and patted him condescendingly on the cheek.

  “Don't worry your little self about it.” Barney said smarmily. “Now if you're done eating, why don't you clear out of here and stop wasting everyone's time because they have dress rehearsal in three hours and need to get ready.”

  Using all his self-restraint not to punch Barney Paul slowly stepped back and turned to leave. As he left he could hear Jules say: “You heard the man. Three hours to get ready! Chop-chop!” Paul headed back to his house where at least he could be alone; climbing the stairs and throwing himself on his bed, fighting back tears of rage and anguish.

  Paul closed his eyes and tried to make the world around him disappear. He focused with all his might to put himself back in his old bedroom. He visualized the ancient wood paneling, the creaky floorboards, and the window with a view of the house across the way. To his right was his bedside table, and Katelyn was sitting there on the edge of her smallhouse looking at him with concern.

  Why are you so upset? Katelyn asked him. Paul reached out his hand to her and she climbed aboard. He held all the features of her cute little face and body in his mind as he looked down at her.

  I can ask you something and you'd be completely honest with me, right? Paul asked her. Katelyn looked up at him with a look of shock and fear, terrified that she might have done something to make Paul not trust her.

  Of course. I would never lie to you. Katelyn said.

  Before Sarah moved out, did you have any encounters with Barney? You know....sexual? Paul asked. Even in his mind it felt terrible and wrong. Katelyn looked up at him with horror.

  No! Never! Katelyn insisted. I'm your Katelyn, I belong only to you! I would never do something like that!

  But the frustrating thing was Paul could never know for sure and he could never ask Katelyn for real. Katelyn and his Big bedroom dissolved from his mind, leaving him lying there on his cardboard bed. Perhaps it was just another intimidation tactic used by Barney; it had been less than a day and he was already under Paul's skin. Paul had to remember that even though he had only seen flashes of Barney in his youth—either in Sarah's hands or peeking out of her pocket—Barney had had a front row seat to see him whenever Paula and Sarah were around each other, not to mention whatever Sarah decided to tell Barney about him over the years. Barney was close to his owner—very close; every bit as close as Katelyn had been to Paul. They knew and trusted each other more than anyone else—and through Barney Paul was finally starting to realize how his sister truly saw him.

  Paul could hear the sounds of the models talking outside his house. From what he gathered, dress rehearsal was a very big deal. Dragging himself off his bed he went to the window and looked out. Various people were heading into and out of buildings in various states of dress and make-up. There was a buzz of activity akin to a sports team getting ready for a big game.

  It took a couple hours before he found out why. A loud creaking sound filled the entire vast room as the door opened and Sarah walked in, Barney in one hand and a few items including a clipboard, camera, and pen in her other hand. Paul hadn't seen a Big since yesterday and had forgotten just how huge and imposing they were. Paul felt as though he were practically in his sister's clutches even though he was on the other side of a wall—a wall she could easily tear with one finger if she wanted.

  The tinies emerged from their houses as Barney hopped from her hand onto the U-shaped walkway. Paul wondered how Barney had come in with Sarah when he knew this was Sarah's first visit to the Tinies today, but he imagined Barney must have a hidden way to access the rest of the house. All the tinies were out including the children from the academy and the mothers with their small children.

  The first thing Sarah did was do a roll call. She read each person's name off a sheet of paper and they acknowledged her obediently. Paul noticed that Sarah never called his name; but he firugred this must be specifically for the models, as Barney was not called either. Paul counted thirty six names including the children. His sister was the owner of thirty-eight souls including himself and Barney; that was more people than had been in any of Paul's classes. And still Sarah said the nerve to call it a “small” operation she did on the side. Paul knew some of the bigger operations had literally hundreds of smalls under one roof but for one person to casually own so many tinies, that was surprising.

  Sarah then put everyone through their paces, inspecting them thoroughly as they were put through their paces. Sometimes she would pick up one of the models and hold them directly under her eye to inspect them, going as far as to peel back their clothing in several cases to inspect their skin. All the models let her do this obediently, following all orders to turn over, strike this or that pose, or even remove certain clothing. Sarah also took many pictures with her camera.

  In all this continued for around two hours. During this time everyone stayed outside on the walkway; no one went back in for a minute, not even the children. Everyone's eyes were on Sarah, and Barney's eyes were on everyone else, monitoring them, undoubtedly making a mental note of any errant behavior he would have to correct.

  “Very good,” Sarah said at least. “You are all dismissed now, and I'll see you on Thursday. But right now I need to see Paul; where is he?”

  Paul jumped as his name was mentioned. What could his sister want from him? He couldn't hear what Barney was saying but could see him pointing at his house. Paul wondered if he ought to go outside to meet her but Sarah reached right over to the top of his house and effortlessly slid the ceiling aside so she could reach down at take him.

  Paul found himself in his sister's hand as she lifted him out of his house and walked out of the tinies' room. She closed the door behind him and walked down the massive hallway to her kitchen. She opened her hand and her tiny brother sat in her palm, looking up at her.

  “Are you getting settled in?” Sarah asked him. Paul felt the tiniest surge of hope; maybe she was willing to help him.

  “Um well...” He felt like an idiot whining about Barney being mean to him. “It's, uh, hard, you know.”

  Sarah nodded. “Barney told me you've already crossed some of the models.” She said. “They're on a tight schedule and don't have much room to wiggle, so you need to learn their routine so you can be out of their way, understand?”

  “Y-yeah.” Paul said, feeling very small as his hope dripped away.

  “If you want to endear yourself to them you should offer to do some work.” Sarah said. “Offer to clean and run errands. They'll appreciate that.”

  “Sarah?” Paul asked. In a flash of bravery he had though of an idea and knew he had to ask Sarah right away or he'd lose his nerve.

  “Yes?” Sarah replied.

  “Do you think you could get Katelyn from mom?” Paul asked, hopefully. “Think you could bring her here?”

  Sarah sighed. “Paul, we sold Katelyn this morning.”

  A massive stab of pain shot through Paul's heart filling him with a paralyzing anguish. It was worse than when he learned he wouldn't be going to Hannah's, and even worse than the moment he first realized he was about to shrink. Tears welled up in Paul's eyes and he wanted to do nothing but wail and cry.

  “Who did you sell her to?” Paul asked, his voice breaking.

  “A breeder.” Sarah said, the topic clearly not interesting to her.

  “How could you do that?” Paul wailed, losing control. “How could you sell Katelyn? Why couldn't you bring her here and keep her with me?”

  “Paul, there's no place for a trained companion at a modeling op.” Sarah said in an annoyed voice. “I'm letting you stay as a favor to mom, but there's no place here for someone like Katelyn.” She sighed. “I know she meant a lot to you, but you should be happy for her. She's going to have at least five kids and she's going to spend the rest of her days teaching new companions to be just as good to their owners as she was to you.”

  “Then please just give me to Hannah.” Paul wailed, the tears coming now as his voice became strained. “Give me, sell me, I don't care. If you could sell Katelyn just like that you can certainly sell me! Please?”

  “Paul, we've discussed this. It's not happening.” Sarah said, firmly.

  “I hate it here!” Paul shouted, his nose starting to run as he cried. “I can't stand it! Just take me home, let me be with Hannah, or wherever you sent Katelyn, or anywhere else...”

  “Paul!” Sarah snapped, the giantess's barking voice grinding Paul's hysterical rant to a stop. “You need to stop. You are a tiny, and tinies don't choose where they go. I know you're not trained like a normal tiny, but you need to understand that I am your owner and you are my property. I decide where you go and what happens to you and I will not tolerate this disrespect.”

  Paul breathed fast as he looked into Sarah's massive, steady eyes through his own tear-stained ones, feeling the weight of his situation crushing down on him. He was broken, and the only course for him was submission, pure and simple.

  “Say 'Yes, Sarah'.” Sarah commanded.

  “Y-yes, Sarah.” Paul echoed.

  “Very good.” Sarah said. “I'm going to send you back to your house and I want you to think about how you can best serve your cohorts, and I don't want to hear any more about you getting into altercations. I'd hate to have to put you in isolation to punish you. Do you understand?”

  “I understand.” Paul said.

  “Good.” Sarah said. Closing her palm around her brother she walked back to the tinies room and their u-shaped community. She reached through the roof of Paul's house to deposit him back in the bedroom before sliding the top shut once again. Paul saw her pick Barney off the table before leaving the room once again.

  Broken, dejected, and feeling smaller than ever, Paul flopped down on his bed and started to cry. He cried for Katelyn, he cried for himself, he cried for this whole stupid world for being so fucked up. Why did there have to be bigs and smalls? Why couldn't there just be one common human mass? Surely without a size difference between them humans would get along and there would be no more exploitation and heartbreak.

  The only thing Paul could think to do was to follow Sarah's instructions and essentially become a janitor for the models. He had to do it as his owner's words were law—and that's how Paul had to think of Sarah now: not as his sister but his owner. There was a small ray of hope that he could find some joy and acceptance in the work—the janitor at his school was a much-beloved 60-year-old man—but his heart still broke for the life he could have had and the people he was leaving behind.