“Still no news regarding Andrew Mattewson, businessman and one of the richest men in America, who disappeared ten days ago from his residence. This marks the seventh missing person this month. All presumed victims are male, ranging widely in age. Police are still—”

Matt switched off the TV. He’d lost the desire to listen.
Seven people. But I guess you only start caring when a rich guy goes missing, huh? he thought bitterly.

For a few seconds he sat on the couch without moving or speaking. But before long he decided to get up and go out. His sister was at the library studying, their mother was off somewhere for business, and he couldn't stand being alone in the empty apartment.

So, he pulled on his pants, a clean shirt, and stepped outside.

He figured he'd stop by the convenience store. Maybe he'd find an interesting comic. And even though it was still September, the air was still warm and noon was approaching. It would be nice to flip through something in a place with air conditioning.

Decision made, he headed out.

Susy scrolled through photos on her phone, trying to decide which one with her clique would look best on social media.
Not this one. Not that one. Ugh, here my teeth look like a rabbit’s. Oh, this one’s cute. No, wait—Emily looks like a horse here.
She briefly considered posting it anyway, then immediately tossed it into the trash folder.

Being a popular girl was exhausting. Best not to pick fights with people on your level.

Bored of scrolling, she closed the photo app and opened her messages. Nothing new.
Notifications? Just another stupid rumor about supposed sightings of Little People around the city. She flicked it away with an annoyed sigh. As if things like that existed.

She exhaled lightly and locked her phone. Glancing at the window, she decided going out was better. It was a beautiful day, and she wasn’t going to spend the last day of her final summer vacation cooped up at home.

She slipped into shorts and a crop top, went downstairs, grabbed her bag from the entryway, checked she had everything, tucked her phone in her pocket, and stepped outside.

She didn’t have a destination. She just wanted to move. She was athletic; exercise and sweating didn’t scare her.

But it was nearly noon, and the sun was brutal, so she looked around for shade. Luckily, there was a convenience store a few meters away.

Who knows, maybe there’s an interesting magazine, she thought.

She headed toward it.

As soon as he entered, Matt went straight to the magazine aisle. He found some new comics—nothing amazing, but good enough to kill time.

About ten minutes later, someone stepped beside him. At first he feared the cashier had come to scold him, but a quick glance told him otherwise. The girl was a little older than him, probably tha same age of his sister, tall, long loose blonde hair falling halfway down her back. Her clothes weren’t overly revealing, but definitely tight.

His eyes lingered a second too long on her toned legs and obvious chest before he forced himself to look away. Oh hell. What is SHE doing here?

He instinctively stepped aside, trying not to be obvious. Of all people—why did it have to be Susanna Hawthorne?

For all her beauty, she was exactly the type of person he never wanted to deal with. He’d never met her personally, but he'd heard plenty: rich, spoiled, popular since freshman year… and most importantly, the main bully tormenting his sister.

He’d lost count of how many times Becky had complained—live insects in her backpack, getting hit during gym, rumors spread about her… Susy was the most likely reason Becky had no friends at school. And Matt wasn’t sure how long he could hold back from yelling if she stayed near him too long.

But this wasn't the place for a scene. And the last thing he wanted was to give her more excuses to go after Becky. Or him.

So he buried his face in the comic and hoped she'd lose interest and leave.

When she reached the magazine section, she saw it was already occupied.

A boy—kinda cute, though clearly not an athlete—stood there reading an X-Men comic. Plain T-shirt, jeans, roughly her height, maybe a bit shorter.

Too bad he’s not in better shape. I could’ve had a little fun. But a girl at my level can’t date anyone who's not super-popular. Especially someone younger who reads superhero comics. And his hair… that same annoying dark brown as Rebecca James.

Out of all her classmates, Becky was the one she despised most. They’d been in the same classes since freshman year, but Becky was always top of the class: always in the library, always with a book, always ready to report her and her friends for pranks. Infuriating.

No point taking it out on some random boy though. Susy moved beside him, pretending to browse.

She noticed him glance at her—lingering on her body. Go ahead and look, she thought proudly. I know I’m sexy.

But after a moment he shoved his face back into the comic—too intensely.
Aw, someone’s shy. She giggled internally. Shy guys were fun to tease.

She grabbed a magazine and pretended to read. Coincidentally, the page showed an article about Little People. She rolled her eyes. What is with this obsession?

Her imagination wandered for a moment—what if she actually found something like that? But she refocused quickly. She had a much bigger, much more real toy standing right next to her.

So she shifted her hips slightly, brushing against him.

Watching him squirm was delightful. She had to hold back a laugh. Teasing innocent boys like him was always entertaining.

After a minute, he put the comic back and started walking away.

She giggled. Fun. Maybe she should catch him before he left—give him a kiss, maybe. His reaction would be hilarious. And if she looked down… she bet she’d notice something else right away.

She turned—but didn’t see him. Frowning, she scanned around, until she noticed a shirt and pants on the floor.

Where did he go?

When Susy started swaying near him, Matt tried to endure it. But after a full minute, he knew she wasn’t stopping. And if he didn’t leave, he’d snap.

Screw it. I’ll just grab a cold drink and head home. Or find Bec at the library. Or call Jim. Anything to get away.

But before he could open the fridge door, a sharp pain pulsed in his head. Heat flooded his body, the world tilted, and it felt like he was falling. He reached out for something—anything—but his hands found nothing. His eyes shut.

He didn’t know how long passed. But when he opened his eyes, he was somewhere else—dark, with faint streaks of light. When he tried to move, something heavy pressed over him. Like a blanket.
The biggest blanket in the world…? At least the pounding in his head was gone. But where was he?

He pushed up—and the “blanket” lifted. A sudden beam of light stabbed his eyes.

Blinking hard, he looked around. The floor beneath him looked like the tile at the convenience store—same shape, but… huge.

“What the…?”

“What the…?”

His heart skipped. The second voice—his words—but booming, dwarfing his own. He spun toward the sound.

Susy towered above him. Not normal-tall—building-tall. And in her hand… his shirt.

It hit him. She wasn’t huge. He was tiny. What he thought was a blanket was his shirt. His jeans lay nearby, his boxers half-spilled out, and his shoes behind them.

How was this possible?

“Incredible,” they said at the same time.

Matt was sick of being drowned out by her voice. But he also knew she was his only chance for help.

“Uh… excuse me? Could you help me?”

When she noticed the clothes, Susy checked to make sure no one else was watching. The magazine aisle was tucked away behind a tall shelf of cleaning supplies—thankfully isolated.

Curiosity pushed aside caution. She crept closer. Something moved beneath the shirt—as if a mouse was under it.

Her instincts screamed to walk away, but curiosity clenched harder. She pinched the shirt and lifted it.

What she saw was beyond imagination: the boy from before—completely naked, barely four inches tall, looking utterly confused.

“What the…?” they muttered together.

Susy stared. A guy who moments ago was her height was now toy-sized.
A very cute toy, at that. Watching him panic filled her with delight. Every tiny movement of hers mattered so much to him.

“Incredible.” Again, in unison. She stifled a giggle. This was getting better by the second.

Her mind flashed back to those Little People articles. As if fate had been hinting at this moment. Her boredom, his shrinking, their isolation—everything set up for her.

And who was she to deny fate?

When the tiny boy asked for help, she already knew exactly how she would answer.