“Ava, we have to go! Giants are coming!”

The words were strange and distorted in Ava's ears. The voice was oddly familiar but something about it was wrong. She tried to focus on it but her mind remained fuzzy and with her mouth feeling like it was full of cotton all she managed to say in response was, “Huh?”

Someone pulled on Ava's arms, dragging her even though she felt like her body was made of jello with balls of lead bobbing around inside instead of fruit. The ground beneath her felt even stranger; rough pockmarked stone that seemed to be vibrating even though it had no actual give.

Voices echoed in the distance, like someone talking over a speaker system.

The familiar voice sounded normal when it spoke though, “Please, please you have to get up, they're almost here...”

Ava tried to place the voice. It was definitely a guy's voice but she couldn't put a name or a face to it. Her brow furrowed as she tried and though she was fairly certain she asked what his name was, he didn't respond.

“No way,” a new voice was crystal clear and booming. It too sounded familiar though Ava could only tell it was a girl, her mind still too filled with fog to put a name to it.

Pain flared in Ava's shoulders and she could suddenly feel her noodle-like arms being grasped in rough dirty hands. “Shit,” came the guy's voice again.

“What?” A feminine voice but Ava was fairly certain it wasn't-

“Grace, somebody shrunk!” The noise that followed those words rang in Ava's ears, making her entire body cringe from pain.

Faintly, Ava swore she heard an apology come from the guy at the same time her useless arms flopped down against the hard stone floor. The floor began to shudder and thunderclaps echoed out across the world, coming so close together that she couldn't even tell them apart.

“Oh my God, are there two?!” It was the second female voice, the one the other had called Grace.

Ava knew a Grace didn't she? There was one a year behind in her school...

“Where are you going, little dude?” The question was followed by a peel of laughter.

Ava's skin seemed to suddenly flare back into existence, pins-and-needles tearing across her from head to toe. She gritted her teeth and let out a pain filled groan.

“Don't you want to be my little friend?” The words were cute, almost friendly, but there was an edge to them that sent a shiver down the Ava's spine.

Whump.

The floor beneath Ava threatened to buckle as air whipped across her body, tousling her air and making her whole body shudder from a sudden chill.

“Where'd he go?” Grace's voice echoed far overhead, impossibly far overhead.

“Somewhere down there,” was the response from the other girl, equally high up but farther away.

Already craning her neck back, Ava opened her eyes to the strangest sight she had ever seen.

Two vast skyscrapers sat on either side of her, stretching higher and higher until they converged at a point almost directly over her head. White streaks surrounded vast golden patches across the dark blue surface of the buildings and it was only when Ava caught sight of the stitching running up their sides that she realized she wasn't looking at buildings. Her eyes dropped to the ground around her and on either side of her she saw massive walls of white rubber topped with canvas in a white and black checkerboard pattern.

They were shoes, massive car-sized shoes. Which meant she wasn't looking at skyscrapers but a pair of immense legs.

The scream that came out of her was completely drowned out in her ears by the voices roaring in the sky above her. Then the vast slip-on Vans beside her were dragged backward across the floor, a floor Ava realized was the sidewalk, and the concrete rumbled in response.

“Oh my God, is that Ava Mendoza?”

The question made Ava's head snap backwards as she gazed up into the heavens.

Far overhead, the ripped denim of the giant girl's jeans gave way to a baggy pastel blue hoodie with faded neon yellow lettering across its chest. Rich shiny tresses of dark hair fell down across the enormous torso and with her neck craned all the way back Ava finally met the giant girl's face.

Grace Park.

The girl was a junior, just a year behind Ava, and if she was towering over the world that meant the other voice belonged to...

Rachel Kastner's voice boomed out a second later, “No way!”

Another gust of chilly wind whipped across Ava's body as the concrete beneath her shuddered. Peering over the top of Grace's sneakers, she could see Rachel's silver Birkenstock sandals. Her bare feet wriggled atop the sandals and her toes were painted a sparkly silver to match. The blonde girl's bare legs rose up before disappearing into the over sized University of Minnesota hoodie she wore most of the time.

The world turned to darkness as both girls leaned forward, their eyes narrowing as they focused on the girl far below. The fog practically poured out of Ava's head as she looked up into the faces of the two younger girls and she finally processed that she was really laying on the sidewalk, naked, at their feet.

“No, no, no,” she muttered as she turned to see a pile of her own clothes blocking the path to her left and then her own discarded shoes blocking the right. Her hands roved over her naked body as she sat up and started pinching herself in an attempt to jolt herself awake.

Laughter bubbled across the heavens.

“What is she doing?” Rachel asked between giggles.

“I don't know,” Grace boomed.

“This can't be happening,” Ava muttered to herself as she stumbled to her feet. She glanced back up at the sky, which was completely dominated by the two girls towering over her. Both Grace and Rachel were smirking as they watched her step backwards on trembling legs, simply drinking in the uncertainty and terror coursing through her tiny body. She shook her head in disbelief, which only made them grin wider as she muttered, “No, no, I'm Immune, my mom said so...”

“It is her right?” Rachel asked, glancing briefly at her friend.

“Oh definitely,” Grace started to crouch down, her dark eyes locked upon Ava's tiny form, “Hi, Ava...”

The little girl's eyes widened as she watched the giantess's massive legs stretch out over her world. A creaking noise filled her ears and Ava's eyes bounced down to the ground as she realized she was hearing the rubber sole of Grace's sneakers bend as she squatted on the balls of her feet. When she looked back to the sky, she saw Grace's hand blotting it out.

“No!” Ava screeched as she tried to turn around and run, her unsteady legs instantly making her trip. She grunted when she hit the sidewalk and as the shadow of Grace's hand grew larger she began to thrash with all of her might. “Stay away from me!”

Her hands and feet met soft flesh, the sheer weight of which pushed them down to the ground and then pressed them against her body. Fingers wider than her legs wrapped around her body, digging beneath her and lifting her up into the sky.

Unable to squirm in the giantess's warm grip, all Ava could do was tremble as she was brought up even with Grace's chin. The girl's full lips spread into a grin and her hot breath washed over Ava's face. “It really is her,” Grace announced with a glance toward Rachel before her immense countenance turned back to Ava, “Hi, Ava, do you know who we are?”

Ava felt like her stomach was falling out of her as Grace rose back to her full height, holding the tiny girl between her and her best friend so they could both watch her shake in Grace's fist. Looking from one giant junior to the other, she nodded her head before squeaking out, “Y-y-ye-yes...”

Both girls shared a quick glance and smiled before returning their attention to Ava.

“Did you know I didn't actually give Josh Turner a hand job last year?” Rachel asked, her eyebrows knitting together as her lips curled into an angry sneer, “Or did you just think think it would be funny to say I did?”

The words hit Ava with a physical force and she found herself cringing back, only to find Grace's grip tightening around her.

Her enormous captor glared at her, “And did you really need to make it sound like I was hitting on your boyfriend when I was just asking him for pre-calc notes?”

Grace's fist pressed in around her and any defense she could hope to shout turned into a single frightened yelp while memories flashed in her head.

She had told Micah and Alex about Rachel's supposed hand job because it had been such a weird piece of gossip. Rachel was a sophomore, Josh was a freshman at college, it didn't make any sense. How had they even met? Also, how could Rachel even know any of them had talked about it?

Ava also remembered seeing the messages that Grace had sent Ethan on Instagram. They had been watching a movie at her house when his phone buzzed while he was in the bathroom. She knew they were innocent but it had been funny to tease Ethan about other girls sliding into his DMs.

A few other passing references and thoughts when through her head. Times she had rolled her eyes at the two girls in the cafeteria or hallway. Teasing Grace once or twice about the messages in the past month or so. But for the most part, she barely even paid attention to them or their circle of nerdy little friends.

The fist she was in shook back and forth, turning the world into a blur as Grace roared, “Well, don't you have anything to say for yourself?”

Ava's head rolled around as she was overcome with a brief dizzy spell, and she stammered out, “I-it wasn't like that, I never-”

A gust of hot air roared over her before Rachel's face swooped in and the giant girl practically spat the words, “You're unbelievable.”

“You guys have it all wrong,” Ava began only to be cut off by Grace's thumb pressing in against the lower half of her face.

“Most people would apologize.” She then leaned in and shadows rolled menacingly across her face, “And most shrinkees would be begging for the chance to make it up to us.”

Fear gripped Ava's heart and her body tensed up instantly. The air that entered her nose and mouth was tainted by the sage-scented lotion that coated Grace's thumb while the giant fingers around her flexed, making her body squirm ever so slightly.

She had shrunk.

Even though that made no sense to her, it was also very clear to Ava that this wasn't some terrifying dream that she was going to wake up from. She peeked over the edge of Grace's fist and was instantly hit by a wave of vertigo, the girls' legs stretched down far below to a wide flat sidewalk that her body would be little more than a smear on if the giant decided to open her hand.

Giggles filled the air around her and she turned to see Rachel and Grace sharing a knowing look. The blonde nudged Grace as she whispered, her voice so loud that Ava could easily hear it, “I think she gets it now...”

Grace smirked, talking to Rachel but her eyes lingering on the tiny girl in her hand, “You'd think someone like her would have watched what they said about girls who were Immune.”

“I know, it's like, didn't you ever think about what would happen?” Rachel boomed as her finger came down toward Ava's skull. The digit pressed down, tousling her hair while also painfully forcing the girl to scrunch her neck till her ears touched her shoulders. A hungry look appeared in Rachel's eyes before she glanced over her shoulder, “Do you think the guy with her was Ethan?”

The finger relented and Grace's thumb moved away as the giant girl turned to follow her friend's gaze. “Ethan?” Grace's lips tugged slightly in a frown.

Ava meanwhile gasped for fresh air while pain radiated through her shoulders. Waves of different emotions ran through her as she imagined Ethan running terrified through the enormous world. Hurt and anger bubbled up in her when she realized that would mean her boyfriend had abandoned her to the two giant girls. Then relief finally hit her as she remembered that Ethan was off camping with his dad...

Ethan's slave had been the one trying to drag her to safety.

“No, a guy that hot has gotta be Immune,” Grace said with a laugh, completely derailing the strange thoughts running through Ava's head. “Though I don't know why he'd waste his time with a girl who could shrink down at any second.”

Their foot falls clapped loudly below as they started to walk.

“Beats breaking up with her after Prom,” Rachel said with a shrug.

The thundering words felt like a stab in the chest to the little girl and as she sucked in air to say something, she found that neither girl was even sparing her a glance. Both had taken out their phones and started scrolling through them.

“Shit!” Rachel stopped in her tracks, “I've got to get home, my mom's texted me like five times about my little brother.”

“What? I thought he had practice or whatever...”

“Apparently not,” Rachel said as she wrapped Grace up in a hug.

For a moment, Ava's entire world consisted of the back of Rachel's hoodie. The soft baggy fabric smelled of the giant girl's soap and the barest hint of her sweat, a sour stench that cut through the fresh clean scent.

“We didn't even decide who was going to keep her.”

“Eh, I don't really want her,” Rachel said with a dismissive wave of her hand, “Besides, she might be a bitch but I wouldn't want either of my brothers to get a hold of her.”

Ava hung in the small space between the two giant girls while they both shuddered. Though Ava only knew about Rachel's older brother, thinking about the enormous nerd running his fingers all over her was enough to make her squirm.

The pair's goodbyes rang in her ears before Rachel stomped off in the direction they had both come, leaving her firmly in Grace's grasp. A self-satisfied look crept across the girl's face as she started to walk, her eyes glancing from Ava to the sidewalk ahead the whole time.

“Grace, look, I'm sorry for all the things I said or whatever...”

The sound that bubbled out of Grace's throat was probably cute and girly to anyone else but it made Ava's voice instantly stop. “Is that really how you're going to apologize to me? You're sorry or whatever?” The giantess scoffed, “Also, I don't remember saying you could address me by my first name.”

Ava blinked as she stared up at Grace, “What?”

“You're not allowed to call me by my first name,” there was steel in Grace's voice and eyes as she stared down at Ava, “You're not allowed to call anybody by their first name. You're a shrinkee and you need to show people better than you the proper respect.”

Ava wasn't even aware that she was cowering in Grace's fist until she felt the girl's fingers tighten around her.

“And no squirming, it's annoying.”

Her whole body stiffened as the cloudy sky beyond Grace's head changed. Tree branches filled with orange and red leaves passed by before they were replaced by a surprisingly clean porch roof. Keys jingled then the tumblers of a lock rattled and finally a door crashed open and shut.

The house Grace entered was dark except for what light filtered in through a few windows and Ava only caught brief glances of a few well decorated rooms before the giant girl was moving up a flight of stairs. Grace didn't call out to anyone but her thumb did flash across her phone as she walked down a dark hallway then turned into an expansive room.

Despite the warm twilight coming through one of the windows, Grace flicked a switch and illuminated everything in a cold white light that came from a standing lamp beside the door. Ava's world momentarily shifted as the girl shrugged off her backpack, which landed with a hefty thud onto the hardwood floor below. Ava shuddered as she looked at the monstrous weight the girl had carried, her backpack easily big enough to crush a small building.

The door was pushed back toward its frame but Grace didn't close it all the way as she stepped further into the room. A contented sigh echoed out overhead as she set her phone down onto a small desk and then dropped into a gaming chair.

The red-trimmed black leather of the high backed chair rose over the giant girl's head and seemed to envelop her, making her look like an enormous evil queen. “Now,” Grace's voice rang in her little ears, “I think you were going to give me a proper apology?”

Ava stared up at the gigantic girl, uncertain what she could ever do to convince her that she hadn't spread rumors or done anything wrong. Even if she had done something wrong, Ava doubted that Grace would actually accept an apology.

The thought that this was all a terrifying nightmare continued to bounce around Ava's skull.

She was Immune, her mother and father had both said so.

They had her and her siblings tested regularly.

“Please, there's something seriously wrong, this shouldn't be happening,” the words poured out of Ava, “I'm Immune, Grace! Really, I am. You have to believe me. Something is seriously wrong. You have to take me to a hospital. What if this is a new strain or what if it's contagious?! What if you and Rachel shrink-”

Grace's fingers clenched around her, and Ava's words became nothing more than a strangled gasp. As the huge digits relaxed, Grace rolled her eyes, “That didn't sound like an apology, Ava.”

Tears flooded Ava's eyes and she coughed before she again pleaded, “I really am Immune! My parents had-”

The fingers again cut her off and her joints burned with pain.

The giantess made a show of yawning, “Mhm, you're Immune, sure... that's great and all but I kind of want to get my homework out of the way for the weekend. So if you're not going to apologize, I can just put you somewhere while I do that...”

Ava coughed and sobbed as Grace's fingers relaxed, “Please...”

“Alright,” Grace turned about in her chair and a drawer rattled somewhere below. “We'll see how remorseful you feel later, Ava,” Grace said with a smile as the world turned into a blur around the shrunken girl.

Wind whistled in Ava's ears and she landed atop a small stack of papers.

She coughed and sputtered for a moment before she turned to look up at the enormous girl.

The sleeve of Grace's hoodie dominated the sky as she reached for something on her desk. A second later, thick headphones passed overhead before the giant girl slid them on. “Grace, please!” She screamed while the girl's hand descended, her fingers resting on the edge of the drawer.

The giantess didn't even glance down at Ava before her fingers shoved forward and the drawer shifted. Metal and wood scraping against each other roared in Ava's ears then everything shook as the drawer bounced against the desk, moving backwards slightly before coming to a complete halt.

A thin sliver of light came in from a space above and while Ava couldn't hear the music Grace was listening to, she did hear the clacking of the giant girl's fingers against a keyboard as she hummed along to something.

The little girl crawled forward and looked up to see that the space between the drawer and the desk was nowhere near big enough for her to squeeze through. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she looked down to see what she was sitting atop of.

Ava blinked as she recognized the letterhead.

It was from her doctor's office.

Her stomach twisted as she realized that she and Grace went to the same doctor, their name sitting at the top of the page. Despite the fact that the paper was now wider than she was tall, she could still easily identify it as test results. She had seen the forms handed to her parents a few times and she had received them once after an accident with a condom over the summer. An accident that her doctor had thankfully agreed to keep between them.

There was only one test on the large chart for Henderson-something or other syndrome.

She skipped over to the results column as soon as she saw the first name because everyone knew what it really meant: shrinking. Not even doctors actually called it by its official name anymore.

Bright green letters filled the far column: N- IMMUNE.

Ava blinked as she stared at the green letters.

Grace had said she was Immune and there hadn't been any reason to doubt her.

But Ava never remembered seeing any green letters on her test results. They had always been black. A single black N that she had seen over her doctor's shoulder many times. Her parents had always said that meant she was Immune.

Her heart raced and bile rose in her throat.

“Oh God...” she tried to choke it down but the vomit burst from her lips followed by a sob.

Her sick splattered against the paper beneath her and it turned into a disgusting underline beneath that bright green word.

Ava had never been Immune, she just hadn't presented yet.