Madison

Walking around the beach cart for the fourth time, Madison made another thorough check to see if its delicate cargo was safely strapped. As promised by Madison, New Oakton was finally off to find a safe haven for the millions of lilliputians residing within the aquarium. Things just didn't felt good. Madison was always worried sick when she was compelled to leave the house for school and social obligations. When coming home, the first thing she did was to run upstairs to see if New Oakton was still intact. It would be safer for them in her hidden sanctuary. After weeks of bugging, Madison was finally able to spur her friend into helping her out.

"Are you sure this cushioned layer will prevent most damage?" she asked her friend, Vianna, from whom she had borrowed the beach cart.

Vianna sighed as she looked up from her phone, "Just relax; it's richly filled with foam peanuts with a layer of bubble wraps beneath it."

"I can go by myself, you know," Madison stood up after a final glance at New Oakton. "I will bring the cart back as soon as possible." she carefully draped a blanket over the aquarium.

Vianna chuckled after taking a selfie with her phone while posing with a duck face. "Not a chance. I want to see where you're taking them."

"It's kind of a secret." Madison gave a wry smile.

"You want the cart or what? I want to see this so-called hideout. That's the deal."

Madison threw in the towel, picked up the handle, and started to pull the cart.

"You're not going to like… tell anyone about it, are you Vianna?" Madison said while both girls trudged forward through the streets.

"My lips will be sealed like Jerusalem's golden gate," Vianna said as she posed for another selfie – flaunting her chestnut waves. While walking in tow, Vianna let Madison do all the pulling.

"Jerusa–what?"

Vianna shook her head. "Nevermind, it's some holy city of the humans."

Vianna's company wasn't sitting quite right with Madison. She did not trust her. She did not trust anybody these days – not even her own mother. People have gone mad, it seems. The rise of political polarization throughout the city took its toll on the serene ambiance Madison's birthplace was known for. Two sides were emerging – as a response to publicly stated conspiracy theories, each new one crazier than the last. They all had one thing in common, though. Every statement declared the Lilliputians as the culprit of society – as pests, to be dealt with as swiftly as possible. These persistent allegations had always lived latent in the minds of many Brobdingnagians – for they all had deeply grounded awe for the Lilliputians, despite their diminutive size.

It became quite easy for many accusers for their words to find listening ears when more and more people and stuff started to vanish throughout the city and surrounding regions. Things hit the fan when an entire naval fleet disappeared into thin air. But it did not stop there. Entire buildings fell off the grid – a whole village even. It made the atmosphere quite grim throughout the city – people were afraid.

"Hey! What you got there?"

Madison's heart felt like it wanted to leap up out of her throat when a group of girls came running, approaching them with curiosity. They were a few years older than them – perhaps around 16 or 17.

"Hey, ditz! I was talking to you!" A tall and lean girl stepped forward – with a sidecut hairdo – and pierced Madison with eyes that would not tolerate any form of defiance.

Another girl stepped up – with a somewhat stocky build – and looked at the cloaked box stationed on the beach cart. "Are you transporting like… tinies in there or something?" she pointed.

"I want to see them!" Another girl took a few steps forward – a quite pretty girl with dancing blond curls and illuminating green eyes. She approached the beach cart and was already reaching her hand out to yank off the blanket before she flinched back when Madison stepped in between. Madison was surprised by her own audacity as she formed a barrier between the girl and the helpless Lilliputian city behind her.

Stocky-chick chuckled. "Girl's got spunk."

"Okay, listen," pretty-girl said, towering a few inches above Madison. "you've got exactly until the count of three before I–"

"Settled!" Sidecut-hairdo swooped in on the fly as she gave Madison a hard push before crouching down in front of the beach cart.

Both other girls sniggered as they saw Madison stumbling down on the pavement – scraping her knee.

Madison looked at Vianna with eyes that pleaded for some aid. Vianna merely shrugged and dug back in her phone – taking another selfie or two while fondling her hair.

Madison's eyes bulged as she recognized Hank's schoolbus clutched in the hand of pretty-girl. Most of its windows were all busted, and its frame heavily dented as the girl's fingers pressed it inwardly. Madison heard some faint squeaks. There were still children inside – and probably Hank himself also.

"Woooow! Those brats got a whole city of these pests!" Stocky-chick said when Sidecut-hairdo pulled the blanket off.

"And worked it up quite well, by the looks of it," pretty-girl said – sounding slightly impressed. She leaned in to get a better look at the ravage caused by Claire's hand. Sirens were already wailing throughout New Oakton as hundreds upon thousands of lilliputians were scattering for cover beneath the godlike glares of three unknown Brobdingnagian teen girls. They were considerably familiar with Madison's innocent countenance looming over their landscape – day in day out. However, seeing not only one but three unfamiliar faces dooming up in the sky placed every lilliputian soul on edge in New Oakton.

"Where are you guys taking this thing anyway?" Sidecut-hairdo asked and slapped on the lid.

"Be careful!" Madison shouted out.

"What did you just say?" Sidecut-hairdo said, turning her head. She stood up and faced Madison. Her lackeys stood up too.

"Are you one of those lilli-sympathizers?" stocky-chick asked.

Sidecut-hairdo chuckled. "Why don't we just wreck that city up. Right here, right now. What do you say, girls?"

"Well," Pretty-girl said as she brought up the school bus in front of her green watchers. "It would definitely be a great outlet, that's for sure. I'm done with these humans anyway." She watched with a boring glare as her fingers started crunching the bus like a soda can.

Madison felt awfully powerless as she watched the human bus – filled with innocent children – compressed to a metallic pulp by the evil girl's hand. A surge of guilt nagged her consciousness by the realization that she was unable to defend them — especially the bus driver, Hank, her friend.

"Can I kick it?" stocky-chick asked pretty-girl while pointing at the scrunched bus.

Pretty-girl shrugged. "Knock yourself out."

Stocky-chick gestured with her hand as to prod pretty-girl to throw the bus in the air – which she did.

"Yeah!! That's how It's done, folks!" stocky-chick screeched when her foot kicked the bus after it made an arched trajectory through the air. It shot off, clanking hard against some traffic sign a few meters ahead.

"Okay, great ladies. Now, let's make hay out of this opportunity and feast on that lilliputian city." Sidecut-hairdo said. Both girls followed suit as they saw their leader turning around to let themselves loose on the minuscule town.

Madison steeled herself for a confrontation that would probably end badly for both herself and New Oakton before an unexpected voice mingled in.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Vianna said while still checking her phone.

Pretty-girl sniggered. "And who's going to stop us, you?"

"That thing belongs to the governor's daughter. We're only bringing it." Vianna stated, still not looking up from her phone.

Sidecut-hairdo snorted. "Are you insulting my intelligence, girl? There's no way you two mudlarks roam about in such high circles."

"It's meant for a charity run. She's going to dole them out to the poor so they too can relish in playing with them."

"You're bluffing," Sidecut-hairdo said.

"Am I?" Vianna now looked up from her phone – piercing sidecut-hairdo's eyes with a poker face.

Madison shifted her gaze all tensed between her friend and sidecut-hairdo, until the latter broke the stare. Madison gave a sigh of relief when the three spiteful girls started walking away from them. She jerked up again when sidecut-hairdo – unexpectedly – spun on her heels and made her way straight to Vianna.

"I bet the governor's daughter doesn't need this." Sidecut-hairdo snatched Vianna's phone from her hands.

"Hey! Give that back, right now!" Vianna said.

"What?! You rather fancy a few knuckles on the nose?" Sidecut-hairdo said as she pierced her fist in Vianna's face. The latter flinched, taking a step backward. "I always have the last laugh."

With that, the three girls walked off, satisfied – with Vianna's phone in pocket.

Madison walked up to Vianna and hesitated before parting her lips to say, "I… um… thank you so–"

"You owe me big time, Maddy!" Vianna fumed.

"Yes… yes, I do," Madison answered.

"Now show me this goddamn sanctuary you keep babbling about!"