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Author's Chapter Notes:

I know it has been quite a while , but there it is finally. Hope you enjoy and please review if you want to encourage me , give me ideas or tell me what you think ! :)

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"Come on, Come on, pick up already!" Steven was pacing up and down his room, his mobile to his ear as he called his friend. "Come on Sandra hurr-"

"Hello?" A voice on the other end of the line said. Steven's heart calmed down just from hearing her.

"Uh ... yeah, hi Sandra. It's Steven" He tried to sound casual. Even though he was calling for her help.

"Hey Steven! I've been waiting for your call"

"Is that Steven?" Steven heard another voice coming from Sandra's end "Ask him why he hasn't been coming to university"

"Is that Jessica?"

"What? oh, yeah. She came over a few minutes ago."

 

Steven's words were lost. He couldn't tell Sandra that he needed help while Jessica was one the other end listening in on their conversation. If she found out then she wouldn't be able to help her self. She'd tell everyone she knew! Everyone would know what he was ... What he was going to become ... And that he was already crying out for help! Lost in thought, Steven didn't realize that time was still passing by.

"Hey, Steven, you still there?"

"What? oh, yeah. I was just calling to see how you were" He lied.

"That's it?" She sounded disappointed. Was she expecting something more? Did she believe he was already calling for help?

"And ... Um, to see if you were free ... To hang out?" Steven pushed the negative thoughts from his mind. He needed her help whether he liked it or not.

"Hang out?" Her voice lit up instantly "Yeah sure!"

"Cool, so you wanna come over?" Perfect, get her over here and she'll be able to see everything. She'll be able to get me away from that psychopath.

"Uh" She sounded somewhat reserved. Didn't she want to come over? "I would love to but Jessica just arrived. I don't want to have to send her away, you know?"

"Oh no, it's alright. We can go over to his place. Let's go" He heard Jessica say

"No!" Steven yelled into the phone. He didn't want his friends to know. Not now, not ever!

"Yeah, I'd figure you'd say that" Sandra said "You know? With what's happening at the moment" She was of course referring to the shrinking virus. "If you want you can come over this weekend. No one will be here and I'll have a big surprise for you" Steven got a bit excited imagining what surprise it could be. But then he remembered the urgent matter at hand. If she couldn't come over then he was in trouble.

"Oh, yeah. Cool." He couldn't hide the depression from his voice

"What's wrong?"

"Uh, nothing. So I get off of work at 5Pm so i guess I'll be at your place by 5:30. That cool?"

 

Steven turned around and froze into a stature. Jade was standing in his doorway listening to his conversation, a slight smirk across her face as she looked at him. His arms and legs felt like they were made out of iron and he was unable to pry his eyes from hers. Fear was gripping him as she slowly approached, hand outstretched for the phone. Bending down, she twisted the phone slightly so that she could hear as well.

 

"That sounds fine" He heard Sandra say "So I'll see you then. Love you"

" ..." Steven could barely speak. Jade's face was inches from his, her teeth bared into a scowl as she heard Sandra's words of love "... Love you, too" He said.

 

He heard the phone click before Jade Snatched it from his hand and staring at the screen before clicking it shut. Standing at full height she stared down at Steven, hands on hips.

 

"How did I know that you would betray me?" Jade asked. bending her curvaceous body down to look him in the eyes. "So, you were calling your girlfriend, heh?" Her voice had a strange hint of jealousy. Staring at the phone again she said "Sandra? Well, we can't have you seeing her, can we? After all, you belong to me."

 

"I ... Don't belong to anyone" He said softly, still unable to pry his eyes away from hers.

 

"You're running away from my control into the control of another. It's as simple as that. If you think you are anything more than property to everyone else then you are ... delusional"

 

Jade couldn't explain it. Looking down at Steven's scared face her heart should have been filled with glee. The sheer terror that she invoked in shrinkers and the power she wielded over them had always given her great satisfaction. After all, she had spent years doing that to his pathetic father and never felt the slightest hint of remorse or shame. Only ... Pride. And yet, these emotions were all wrong when she looked at Steven. True, she felt the power and authority over him and that did give her some happiness but there was something different about it. The troubled look on his face didn't fill her with the same glee. It was unfulfilling. She wanted more. But what?

 

"Why are you so special?" She asked, more to herself than to him.

"Huh?"

 

Backing away from him a bit until her back was against the wall she raised her hands to her head as if she had a headache. She wasn't even looking at him as she spoke in harsh whisper.

 

"You're nothing more than a shrinker! You've always been nothing compared to me! I'm better than you, I've always been better. I hate you! I hate you so much!" She threw these words at him but none of them felt true to her. She knew she wasn't telling the truth but how could that be so? She had believed this for years, hadn't she? She hated him, didn't she? 

 

After all, he was always in the way. The one person who would never back down in front of her. He was the one stupid person who would never recognize her as a superior person. Talking down to her like some pathetic equal. He would always know more than her, always think faster than her, always get better marks and make more friends. He never needed money to get what he wanted. Always struggling, always fighting for what he believed in. Never backing down from a confrontation. He was the only person she could ever go toe to toe with. And now look at him.

 

Steven stood wide-eyed with frozen legs as his whole body refused to move. But rather than the fear of impending danger which he felt constantly it was Jade's erratic behaviour that terrified him.Was she seriously having some kind of nervous breakdown? She lowered her hands and walked over to steven bending down, looking at him with a confused and somewhat scared look. 

 

She stroked his face and looked into his eyes as if the answer to her question would be found somewhere within his soul. She found he really did have very charming eyes. So strong, so confident. Eyes that never looked upon defeat and always worked to victory. Eyes like hers. Her strokes slowly turned into caressing as she admired his face more, as if he were some beautiful stature she had never seen before. However, Steven was not a stature even if his stiffened figure suggested otherwise. But without knowing the conditions of the water he was trapped in he had no idea which way to swim.

 

"Jade ..." He said quietly, his voice stunted as her large, dominant eyes pieced his. "I don't understand what your saying ... Maybe you should go back to being psychotic ... Y-you're less scary that way"

 

Even under such stress he was still able to crack a joke. He truly was one of a kind, Jade thought. However she still needed an answer to her question and staring at his face wasn't doing it for her. Why did she suddenly feel so strongly for him? And what was this strong feeling exactly? She knew it was the feeling she always has had towards Steven but she always assumed it was hatred. But it wasn't ... It wasn't hatred, or jealousy it wasn't anything so negative. It was a ... light feeling. Standing up she thought to herself until she came to a conclusion. It wasn't exactly an answer to her question but she felt it might give her one.

 

"Tonight you're sleeping with me."

 

This ... Was not what Steven expected her to say. Maybe he somehow misheard her and instead of saying "Me" she said "The fish". That sounded more Jade.

 

"... What?" Steven looked up at his massive Step-sister, his fear almost completely replaced with sheer confusion. "You want me to sleep with you? In your bed? Tonight?"

 

"No, I mean With Clara in the attic tomorrow. I said what I meant and I meant what I said" Her voice was becoming more dominant again and her usual 'I get what I want' look was spread across her face. "You and I are sleeping together. It's the best way to make sure my little shrinker doesn't go off in the night to his new girlfriend. Besides, I need a new pillow and you're almost the perfect size. Almost. Maybe you could shrink down while I'm sleeping for me"

 

"I won't run away"

 

"Yes, you will"

 

"I'm not sleeping with you"

 

"Yes, you are"

 

"And I don't have a girlfriend"

 

"Oh, yes, you do" Jade held his phone in her hand and waved it in front of his face, pulling it out of reach as he tried to grab it "Do you seriously expect me to believe that was anyone else but a girlfriend? You're trying to get yourself a new master, aren't you"

 

"That would imply I had a master to begin with. How many times do I have to say it? You're not my guardian and you never will be. And even if I did have a girlfriend she wouldn't be my master either. Not all people are crazy like you!"

 

"Tsk, tsk tsk" Jade waved a finger mockingly "Such harsh words. How many times do I have to tell you? You're a shrinker. You don't have friends you just have kind masters. Betters, who don't treat you like a slave. But they're still the betters and you're still the slave, nothing can change that." She put one hand on his shoulder and smiled "And this better is telling you that you're going to sleep with them tonight. I want to feel you as I sleep. You're body heat mixing with mine as I hug your tiny form like a stuffed toy. I want that, it doesn't matter if you don't"

 

"I'm not going-"

 

Jade squeezed his shoulder with her massive hand causing him to scream and shake with pain. "You're sleeping with me" She said more demandingly.

 

"O.k, o.k, don't have to crush my shoulder. I have to write with that you know?" Jade smiled as Steven was forced to cave into her will. It filled her with a sense of power and that similar warmth she felt before.

 

"Good/ Now wait for me in my room." He walked past her feeling defeated "Oh, and strip out of your clothes. When I said I wanted to feel your body heat I really meant it."

 

Steven shivered in distaste as he considered such a thought. However, rather than walking to her room he continued peeping into his as she looked through all of his stuff. Then his heart skipped a beat as he looked at his table: piled with books about the virus there were several pages written exclusively by him. They were equations and notes about the virus, linking correlations and causations together. If she found out he was working on a cure who knows what she might do. His extremities tingled with anxiety as she walked closer and closer to his table until they came upon the very papers he didn't want her to see.

 

Extending her hands, she picked up her papers and continued eyeing them for minutes. He couldn't see her face and therefore had no idea what she was thinking. Did she realize what they were? Of course she did. She might not be as smart as him but one look at those pages and she'd instantly know what they were about. But what did she think about them? She might actually kill him if she thought he was going to develop a cure. Finally, her hands fell to her sides, dropping the papers to the floor as she continued to look at the wall in front of her. However, her head then slightly turned and he knew she knew he was standing there.

 

Bolting down the stairs, Steven slammed his entire body into the front door and proceeded to run outside. The sky was pitch black with clouds blotching out any light it might give him. The only source of illumination he had was from the dimly lit street lamps which lined the path he as running on. His chest was already hurting from breathing and his legs already aching. as he sprinted he felt strange pain in his feet and realized that in his mad rush he didn't think to take his shoes or even grab his keys. If he had gotten his keys he could have driven out of here and then she would never get him. Turning back he saw a dark figure slowly exit his house. Shit, she was coming after him. He picked up the pace and ran as fast as he could. His once athletic body screaming for relief.

 

Jade was walking down the path as she watched the tiny figure of her step-brother run away from her. She knew he could never out run her and had even taken the time to put shoes on. He was check mated in every way possible and yet still insisted on playing. An admirable yet frustrating trait. Strutting casually she could easily tell that his body was slowing down, no doubt due to the shrinking virus eating away at his muscle. It was almost boring hunting prey that was so vulnerable and Jade couldn't help but feel remorse. Pity on her pathetic brother and a unique desire to help him calm down. Why did she feel this? If anything she should be wanting him to exhaust himself completely so that he has a greater chance of triggering the illness.

 

Steven looked behind him and could tell that Jade was getting closer. How was that even bloody possible? She was walking as if on a Sunday stroll and he was running as if being chased by a madman. There was no way he could win in an endurance test with her but camoflauge was a different story. Looking ahead he saw the park. A densely pack area filled with trees and bushes and only a lamp every 30 metres. If he could make it in there then he might just be able to hide long enough for her to give up. Looking behind again he saw that she was even closer and had now taking up a casual jog. She knew what he was planning and was going to stop him before he even had a chance.

 

Jade saw that he was making his way for the forest. Putting a slight jog into her step she sped up her pace to strike a bit of fear into him. He could get to the forest if he wanted to. It made no difference. she'd still find him. And force him to come back. However, this dark thought irked the inner light buried within her. it pained her to think about it. But didn't she want him to come back? Well, yes of course. But not this way? No. She didn't want to have to force him to stay with her. She wanted him to accept his place by her of his own free will. Is that why she never simply forced him to sign her guardian papers? All this time she wanted him to do it because he truly wanted to be her shrinker and to be protected by no-one else but her. So why was she driving him away constantly?

 

Steven had made it into the forest and saw that Jade still had a good 20 metres. All he'd have to do is find a nice large bush and hide inside of it. One good thing about his size was that he could squeezed and crouch into smaller and smaller places. Jades dark silhouette disappeared from sight as Steven entered the dark stomach of the forest where light was a rare quantity. His hearing was filled with the bristling of the branches he pushed passed and his own heavy breathing. Occasionally he would switched directions he was going so that his path was not that of a straight line. Now it should be harder for her to find him but when he stopped for two seconds he heard the shaking of branches incredibly close to him. Where was She? Where ever she was she was near.

 

Jade was now marching strongly through the dense branches and heavy bushes letting none of them slow her down. However she might have given Steven a bit too much advantage as she couldn't see two feet in front of her let alone where ever Steven had ran off to. Then her hunting instinct kicked in and Jade simply stood there and waited. Dense rusting came from her right and she darted that way, her hand held out slight to tell her if a tree was in her way. Stopping again she heard his footsteps once more but this time they were coming from her left? Was he changing course? Smart little bastard. However, on her third stop she couldn't hear anything at all. He had found a spot and decided to play possum, hoping she wouldn't be able to hear him and give up. Like she would ever give up on the hunt.

 

Steven continued to lye perfectly still as he heard the heavy footsteps of Jade approaching. They were coming from behind his and before he realized it a foot  slammed in front of his face and almost crushed his head. It was then lifted back up and Jade continued forward. She didn't know he was there and it was simply a coincidence. However, she then stopped several feet in front of him and didn't move. Was she trying to listen for where he was? Ha, fat chance that would work. She wasn't going to hear a peep from him unless she could somehow hear his heavy heart beats as they thumped uncomfortably in his chest. But it seemed that wasn't the case as she continued to stand therefore perplexed, wondering where he was.

 

Where is he? Jade wondered, turning around on the spot and opening her eyes uncomfortably wide in hopes she could see better. No such luck, everything was still pitch black and it would take forever to find him. Not to mention it was getting colder by the minute and they didn't get home they were going to freeze. Maybe she should adopt a nicer way to speak to him. Less intimidating. She didn't want to hurt him, she just wanted him to see her as powerful, to respect her authority. She didn't want him to shake in fear at it. She wanted his respect, admiration and love, not to reduce him to some quivering drone like she had done with his father. Although she doubted she could ever succeed in doing that to Steven. She might be able to scare him but he would never truly fold to someone else, he just wasn't that weak.And that’s why she liked him.

 

Wondering how she was ever going to get him to come out a slightly brilliant thought occurred to her. Pulling out her phone she opened it up and spoke to the general vicinity.

 

"Oh, Steven. Sometimes you really don't pay attention to things. You never noticed that I slipped your phone into your back pocket did you. Now all i have to do is call it."

 

"Steven automatically reached into his back pocket to yank his phone out but when his hand slipped into it he felt nothing. There was no phone in his pocket. But his sudden movement did create the noise that Jade needed to home in on him and she was now confidently strutting over to his position. A piercing light hit his eyes as Jades phone illuminated the bush he was in. Holding something in her other hand she gave a cute giggle.

 

"Looking for something" His phone was dangling from her finger tips and she crouched down to look at him, mere feet from his little bush house. Steven quickly jumped to his feet and began backing away but quickly tripped over a root in the ground. Laughing some more Jade began to walk towards him as he crawled away. "Enough is enough, Steven. You've lost the game and now it's time for you to come home with me"

 

"I'm not going anywhere with you! I refuse to live that sort of life"

 

"Well, you might want to watch out. Walking the streets at night would be dangerous for someone like you. A pervy old man might snatch you up thinking you're a child. Then sell you when he sees you're a shrinker"

 

"Doesn't matter. That life would be gold compared to staying with you"

 

Jade wanted to tell him the revelation she had just had but couldn't bring herself to say it. To admit such feelings felt like defeat and the urge to force him to come with her suddenly bubbled within. But she knew she couldn't. He had to come with her on his own terms otherwise she would never win him over.

 

"What about your sister and father? Are you going to leave them as well?"

 

"What I'm doing is bigger than them. You aren't going to kill them but what I'm planning could save millions"

 

"Ah, yes, You're fantastic cure. Fascinating work you're trying to do and all by yourself at that. What if I said I would help you create a cure?"

 

Steven did a double take when she said this "... Come again?"

 

"What if  I help you create a cure. I am a genius after all and it does look like marvelous fun"

 

"You would never willingly help create a cure for the shrinking virus. You revel in the ability to control others on such a scale. My work would undo that"

 

"For starters I think your work is pointless and that a cure is a fools dream. But it would get you back home and that's all I want"

 

"...Why?"

 

"Because ... You're special to me. And I want you to come home"

 

"Steven didn't know what that exactly meant. What did she mean by "Special"? However, before he could continue thinking on the strange statement Jade had walked up to him and crouched down, putting her arm on his sore shoulder. Steven expected another squeeze but rather he got a caring and almost pleading voice coming from Jade.

 

"Please Steven. Just come home with me. If you want to try and make a cure then I promise not to stop you. I just can't let you leave me."

 

Jade's breath washed over Steven's face warming his cold cheeks and lips. Even though jade was no newcomer to lying she felt somehow believable. Her voice, her face even the way her hand held his shoulder all felt different. As if a sharpened knife had been blunted or a fire contained. She seemed less ... crazy and more human than she had ever seemed since she learned he had the shrinking virus. Even though he knew there was a huge risk in what he was about to do he knew he had very little choice and a small light inside of him was telling saying that it was the right choice to make.

 

Looking up into Jade's round, god like face, he gave a small defeated nod as they both stood up to full height and proceeded to head back to the house. The weather was freezing cold and so the two step siblings put their arms around each other. The heat from Jade's stomach and chest was almost overwhelming as Jade squeezed him close to her. However, with a mind filled with mixed feelings Steven didn't know what his emotions were telling him. As Jade held onto him he felt something quite strongly but didn't exactly know what it meant and kept escalating until it consumed his entire mind. He was feeling for the first time since his shrinking safe. 

 

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