Claire 

"Why am I not allowed to see my own sister?" Claire snapped as she closed the door behind her.

Her mother sat hunched over on a chair, facing away from her. 

It took quite some time before a response came. Just when Claire was convinced that her mother had not heard her or that she simply decided to ignore her, Claire parted her lips to speak. However, before any sound came from Claire's throat, her mother looked over her shoulder.

Claire was taken aback by the wearisome look beaming from her mother's eyes. 

Does she even try to sleep?

"Hey sweety, come here," Sophie reached her hand out while giving her daughter a faint smile.

Claire sauntered up to her mother. "You still haven't answered my question."

Sophie pushed out a long exhale as she grabbed her daughter's hand, giving it a kiss and cuddling it with both hands. "I'm sorry, dear. It's just… I don't know anymore. I'm sorry, honestly. I should not have done that."

Claire couldn't bring herself to tell her mother that it was all okay, so she merely let her hand do the communication by giving her mother's hand a soft squeeze. Even though Claire understood her mother, it still felt like a betrayal to deny her access to her very own sister.

With pain in her heart, Claire glanced at the blond girl lying peacefully in bed. Several tubes were connected to her body, and an attached screen showed her heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure information. The girl was luckily able to breathe by herself – despite her comatose state – so a ventilator wasn't needed.

Claire caressed Madison's cheek and plucked away a strand of hair that dangled over one of her closed eyes.

"Shall I reposition her?" Claire was already walking to the side of the bed.

Sophie shook her head while keeping her gaze focused on her youngest daughter. "We have staff for that, dear. They just flipped her over not longer than an hour ago."

"But I don't want strangers to take care of her!" Claire fumed. "I want to do that!"

Sophie gave her daughter a dry look. "Are you medically skilled? Are you available 24/7?"

Claire sighed and averted her eyes. After a long silence, Claire said. "I blame you,"

It remained silent for another moment, then Sophie said. "Me too, dear. Me too…"

"You should check out the news, by the way," Claire said, looking at her mother. "The RUG movement is busy organizing a protest again. The biggest yet. Expectations are that things will get pretty hairy. They are planning to march over here."

Sophie snorted, shifting her position while crossing one leg over the other. "Pitiful buggers. The authorities will take care of it."

Sophie's radical actions by shrinking whole neighborhoods and even entire cities down to a pathetically small size tore whole families apart.

At first, you only saw some cluttered groups teeming about hither and thither, demanding attention. Gradually, more and more normal-sized Brobdingnagians were demanding to be reunited with their shrunken, abducted loved ones. They called themselves the RUG movement, meaning: Reunite Use Goddamnit.

However, as this group grew – along with Sophie's unceasing shrink spree – likewise grew the strength of their voice. 

More and more influential people got shafted when Sophie's unquenchable thirst for shrinking people and property by tearing whole families apart.

Lawyers, lawmakers, musicians, and even some high-profile TV personalities all joined ranks with the RUG movement when members of their families were shrunk down and snatched away from life by Sophie's greedy hands. When the movement's voice became too strong to ignore and even the President – practically not more than a puppet ruler – started to beg Sophie to make certain concessions, things were put in motion.

Sophie ensured that the group's goal of reuniting with their loved ones was realized. However, not in the manner they had hoped. 

They were told to gather on a grand plaza in a nearby historical town where they would reunite with lost family members and friends. Desperate to seize this opportunity, the vast majority of its members gave heed to these instructions and showed up in the early morning. A small portion, however, the careful types, decided to stay on the sideline. And their instinct was right.

Contrary to the expectations of many – who thought that Sophie would actually restore those shrunken Brobdingnagians back to their original form – the whole historical town was targeted by Sophie's frightful powers that morning and dwindled down in size until its full surface wasn't even able to cover the picture of the Queen's picture from a deck of playing cards.

The last thing that was seen of these unfortunate Brobdingnagians was that they were carried in Sophie's hand as she stepped inside her expensive sportscar to drive off. It calmed down after that, just like Sophie had hoped. But things were stirring up now, inflaming even brighter than before.

People were sick of it and wanted to know what had happened to their loved ones.

"Where are you going?" Sophie jerked up when Claire simply walked off without saying anything.

Claire shrugged. "Who knows. Perhaps scoring a gin tonic with that hobbit you'd stationed in front of my door?" She said with a sarcastic tone.

"What about Haisley?"

"What about her?" Claire ceased her pace just as she was about to open the door.

"Just… be careful. I do not trust that girl." Sophie said.

Claire chuckled. "Funny thing that advice like that comes precisely out of your mouth." She opened the door and slammed it closed behind her.

After meandering through various hallways in the mansion – whereby she took a wrong turn more than once and scolded one of the many hobbit servants teeming about in the house – Claire stopped by a door in front of one of the many rooms built in the cellar. Two hobbit guards stood in front of it. And unlike last time, these gentlemen smiled reverently at her before letting her in.

When the door was closed, Claire flipped the lights on and started fumbling in her cleavage. A miniature figure – roughly as tall as a cigarette – was fished out by Claire's thumb and index finger.

"Fuck, it's hot in there!" A minuscule Haisley scrambled to her feet after being plunged down in the open palm of Claire's hand. The latter chuckled.

"I thought you liked it in there," Claire said, smiling while looking down upon her secret lover.

"I do! I really do, Claire. Don't ever doubt that. The heat in there just makes me moist, that's all."

"Moisty in a good way?" Claire smiled mischievously while seductively jerking her eyebrows.

"Moisty in various ways. I also have my period."

Claire's smile faded in a blink, showing a glare of revulsion. "That is so gross of you to tell me!"

Haisley shrugged. "You find me hot still anyway, seeping blood or not."

Claire couldn't disagree with that.

"Why are you so harsh on your mother, by the way?" Haisley took a stroll on Claire's hand, resting her arms behind her back.

"Uhm, I don't know, Haisley. Perhaps because she earns it!"

"Not so loud, please. Sheesh!" Haisley covered her ears. "You want to pop my drums?" 

            "Sorry," Claire placed her hand in front of her lips.

            "Okay, so what's the plan?" Haisley walked up to the edge of Claire's hand and placed her hands on her hips.

            Both girls looked out over a vast room full of microscopic cities dotted on the floor. Most of these were shrunken cities harvested by Claire's mother. However, Claire and Haisley enjoyed observing what would occur if a few Lilliputian cities were merged with the shrunken ones. To make the experience even more exciting, Claire ensured that the mini Brobdingnagians were even a tad smaller than the Lilliputians. 

Despite the fact that Claire and Haisley both hoped so eagerly for a full-scale act of retaliation by the Lilliputians against the now tiny Brobdingnagians, none has been committed yet. 

How hilarious would it be for them to spend their leisure evening – enjoying popcorn and liquor – watching as omniscient Gods from above as a horde of vengeful Lilliputians would raze through Brobdingnagian streets like suppressed underlings seeking to settle accounts with the now vulnerable tyrants. 

Some Lillian freedom fighters might see themselves as liberators while freeing Lilliputian cities previously occupied by the Brobdingnagians. These cities had to be infinitesimal right now as they shrunk down even further when Sophie attacked the Brob cities.

 At the moment, that was a vain hope. No skirmishes were taking place between the Lillis and the Brobs. 

            As an all-powerful Goddess, Claire could always trigger a war with just a simple order coming from her mouth. And if they wouldn't listen? Well... then the underside of her boot was waiting for them.

            "Can you place me over there, please?" Haisley pointed at one of the shrunken Brobdingnagian cities.

"Clearwater?" Claire frowned. "Why over there?"

            Haisley rubbed her hands with a big smile. "My abusive stepfather lives there. I want to make sure that he's worshipping you properly."

            Claire smiled while shaking her head. "You really want to submit this bunch to me, don't you?"

            "Screw these bunch!" Haisley spun around, looking up at her gigantic friend. "They merely serve as a simulation. I want you, my lovely Claire, to become The Ultimate Goddess of the World!"

            "Well, you better go hang out with my mother then. She's well underway of becoming The Ultimate Goddess of the World."

            "Your mother can't hold a candle to you, dear Claire," Haisley said.

Claire's eyes hardened as she said in a serious tone. "I will not betray my mother."

            "Hey! Hey!" Haisley brought up her hands defensively. "That's not at all what I meant. I'm just saying that you rock, girl! And I love it! I cannot imagine anyone else to serve but you."

            Claire gave a sheepish smile, flattered by Haisley's words.

            "Now, can you put me down, please?" Haisley asked.

            Claire nodded. She walked up to Clearwater, crouched down and allowed Haisley to disembark her hand. She stood back up to her full height and saw Haisley's figure vanishing in the city as she shrunk her down even further while keeping her big enough so she would be able to match the size of their skyscrapers.