As the giantesses took the elevator down to the hotel's lobby, Annabelle wondered how she should block the day's misery out. The giantesses had in so few words said their purpose for attending the funeral was to facilitate Annabelle's imprinting. They probably wanted her to feel hopeless and hand over the reigns of her mind to Poppy again. 

Annabelle wasn't having it. She knew today would be...difficult, but she would handle anything they threw at her.

The universe, most likely disapproving of Annabelle's self-assuredness, instantly threw a challenge her way. Before they reached the lobby, the elevator doors opened.  

Annabelle threw herself against the front of the locket when she saw who waited on the other side. Her friends Oliver, Chloe, and Izzy were donned in black, looking somber. Their mood seemed to worsen when they noticed the giantesses. Oliver and Izzy seemed more shocked than anything, while Chloe simply looked pissed.  

Inside the elevator, the giantesses' mood had also darkened. They immediately stiffened up when they saw Annabelle's friends. Harper's expression matched Chloe's, while Annabelle recognized Leah and Molly's signature PR smile. Although Annabelle couldn't see what kind of face she was making, Annabelle could both hear and feel Naomi's heart pounding away through the locket. 

Annabelle watched as Chloe unblinkingly pressed the button on the wall to make the doors close. Similarly, Naomi reached for the "close doors" button on the elevator's panel. Molly blocked her, and Oliver held the doors open.

"Come on Chloe, we don't have time for this," Oliver scolded her. He grabbed her hand and led her inside the elevator. Annabelle's heart fluttered at the sound of his voice. Izzy followed behind them. Oliver and Izzy gave the giantesses awkward nods of acknowledgement, of which Leah and Molly returned. Chloe leaned back against the side of the elevator's wall with her arms folded, glaring at the floor.

Annabelle, who had previously thought she was above such futile attempts, slammed her shoulder against the locket. She beat against the wall with her hands.

"I'm in here!" She screamed. "Oliver! Chloe! Izzy!" 

She kicked the locket when she realized no one could hear her. 

Chloe suddenly spoke, breaking the perceived silence, "Why? Just why are you here?" She glowered at the giantesses.

"Chloe—" Oliver started with a sigh.

Annabelle worried for her friends when she heard Naomi's heartbeat pound faster. 

"You can't fucking monopolize her funeral, freshman," Naomi spat.

Chloe sneered at the punk-rock giantess, "Are you going to, what, take pictures for your socials? There's not a body to bury, you know, so you'll have to get creative."

Leah's mask slightly faltered, and she sighed as though she were over the entire conversation. "Don't be morbid," she said.

Chloe opened her mouth, most likely to spit more attacks, but Izzy spoke first as the elevator doors began to open.

"I guess, we're just a bit confused? I mean thirty other people died, but you seem to be kind of only interested in Anna," Izzy said. 

They all walked into the lobby. Chloe suddenly spun around, glaring at the giantesses. "I know why, it's because Belle looked like Belle and they know her photos will get the most likes," Chloe accused. "You know Belle didn't even have any social media before she..." Chloe couldn't finish her sentence. She turned away from the giantesses,  overcome with emotion.  

If the giantesses had any sympathy for Chloe, they didn't show it. Harper actually retorted, "Or maybe I just wanted to go to my girlfriend's funeral."

Annabelle slumped over and released a heavy breath. It had been, what, three minutes since they left the hotel room? She was honestly surprised Harper had lasted that long without saying anything. 

Izzy frowned and looked at Oliver and Chloe for clarification. Oliver just slowly shook his head.

Chloe got her breathing under control and turned to Izzy, "I told you, they're fucking crazy."

The giantesses visibly bristled at the insult. Before they could say anything, Oliver looked down at them. His eyes were red and Annabelle could see bags underneath his deep brown eyes. He looked exhausted. All Annabelle wanted to do was give him a hug.

"Can you not mention that to Annabelle's family. Whether you think it's true or not, can you please just keep it to yourself?" Oliver asked Harper. Annabelle loved how kind he was. Even if everyone knew Harper was full of shit, he still was gracious to her.

Unfortunately, Harper seemed to only become more aggravated by his request. "What the hell gives you the right—"

"Is there a problem here, Young Misses?" A voice suddenly called out. It belonged to an older man in a business suit. Annabelle had no idea where he had come from, but his name tag that read "Nathaniel" revealed that he worked for the hotel.  

"Yeah, kick them out," Harper barked. Annabelle sat up straighter, concerned. 

Annabelle's friends looked taken aback. "Woah, let's calm down," Oliver said. 

Annabelle was surprised to see Izzy's face flash with anger. "Are you being serious right now? You're trying to get us kicked out? Who do you think you are?" She laughed dryly. 

Annabelle slid to the locket's wall as Naomi folded her arms and inadvertently propped both her chest and the locket up.

"We think we're friends with the person whose last name is on the front of this hotel," Naomi said haughtily, gesturing to Molly.

Annabelle slowly released a groan. She didn't know why she hadn't put two and two together. Of course Molly's parents owned the hotel they were staying at. Annabelle had thought the giantesses seemed slightly more lax about making sure she wasn't seen while they were in the hotel room.

As Annabelle looked around the lobby, she then noticed a few men in suits inconspicuously watching them. They could, of course, be regular business men, but Annabelle doubted that given the fact it was a Sunday morning.  

While the realization that Molly's parents owned the hotel riddled Annabelle with dread, her friends had reacted to the news with different degrees of annoyance.

"Of course," Chloe tsked. Izzy narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. Oliver closed his eyes and exhaled.

Nathaniel looked at Molly with a calm expression, "Would you like me to have them removed from the hotel, Miss Gates?" 

Annabelle's friends looked at Nathaniel with incredulous eyes.

"Yes!" Harper said, exasperated. 

Molly sighed, "Hold on. There's no need to make a scene. Let's not forget that we're all here for Annabelle." She turned to Annabelle's friends, "Let's just put this behind us, okay?"

Harper frowned while Naomi made a disgruntled noise. Leah, who had been looking increasingly bored throughout the conversation, had begun to check her phone.

"Fine," Oliver said. Although his face was unexpressive, Annabelle could tell he was more than a little irritated. On the other hand, Chloe and Izzy didn't attempt to hide the disdain from their faces. 

"We need to get the rental car anyway," Izzy said.

They began to walk away. Before they left for the front desk, Annabelle heard Chloe mutter, "Fucking rich people."

Harper took an angry step towards her, but Molly stopped her. "It's not worth it," she said.

Annabelle watched her friends leave, and prayed that would be the most conflict they would have with the giantesses. Annabelle greatly enjoyed watching her friends stand up to the giantesses—especially since everyone was constantly up their asses. But, the more Annabelle discovered about the giantesses and their families' power, the further the Shrinkee wanted her friends away from them.

Nathaniel cleared his throat for the giantesses' attention. "Young Misses, if you would follow me, your car is ready. The driver has already pulled up to the front," he announced. 

Annabelle sighed. They truly lived in a different world.

The giantesses headed for the car. Their silence let Annabelle know they were still pissed off from the confrontation with her friends. Shortly, they reached a fancy looking black van where a man in a suit was waiting. The man opened the door for them and without skipping a beat, the giantesses climbed inside. 

Annabelle tried and failed to steady herself as Naomi jumped into the van. The locket's movement jostled her forward. She landed on her face with a thud. The locket moved around until Naomi sat down. Finally Annabelle was able to look at her surroundings. She glanced around and saw that the van was not simply a "van". The inside reminded Annabelle of Molly's plane. There was a privacy partition that separated them from the driver and passenger's seats. The giantesses' seats faced each other and they looked to made of leather. 

Naomi sat next to Molly, while Leah and Harper sat across from them. It wasn't until the man in the suit closed the door and began to drive off, did the giantesses begin speaking.

Or in Harper's case, seething. "I swear to god, every time we see them, I just want to..." she gritted her teeth and unleashed a frustrated shriek-groan like sound.

Annabelle was both fascinated and terrified of the pure rage Harper showed. As a rule, the giantesses' public personas were typically reserved and calm. 

Even when they had punished Amy earlier, they had only been mildly irritated. Annabelle suspected that with so few things not under the giantesses' control, they responded in a child-like manner when things didn't go their way. 

"You should've thrown them out, Mol," Naomi grumbled.  

It was difficult for Annabelle to see Molly from her angle, but her voice sounded tired, "I told you guys, it's not worth it. Today should just be about Poppy."

Leah, still scrolling through her phone added, off-handedly, "If you want to get them back, just show them Poppy after she's imprinted and registered under one of us."

Annabelle's blood chilled at her comment. That was pure evil. 

Harper squealed and squirmed in her seat. "That would be amazing! Can you imagine the looks on their faces?" 

Annabelle shuddered as the car filled with the giantesses' giggles. When she thought of people seeing her in her "Poppy state" it paralyzed her with shame, but the Shrinkee didn't even consider the heartbreak a loved one might feel as they watched her worship one of those rich bitches—especially after they thought she was dead.

Just another reason added to her extremely long list of "why not to imprint". 

Leah's frustrated sigh took Annabelle away from her dread spiral.  

The giantess crossed her legs and raised an eyebrow at her phone. "Molly, you've got to get your moths into check. That Bennet is grinding my last nerve with all of his DMs," Leah griped. 

Annabelle heard Molly sigh, "I know, all right? I was going to talk to him, but I got distracted getting ready for Poppy's funeral. The University is closed tomorrow, but I'll drop by the student council's office on Tuesday to get him off our backs."

Annabelle slightly shook as Naomi spoke, "He was the one who called you on the plane, right?"

"Yeah," Molly said, "Thank god it was a Wi-Fi call and it went through. It's the one time I'm actually happy he reached out. Can you imagine what would've happened if we hadn't woken up?"

Harper massaged her temples, "Ugh, I don't even want to think about it. Her gross hands on my—"

"Our," Naomi instantly corrected.

"Our Poppy," Harper sighed. 

Leah finally put her phone down, "I told you, we should've put Poppy in the necklace from the very beginning."

Naomi huffed, "There's not as much room in the locket as the crystal. She wouldn't have been comfortable like that all night."

"So? I'd rather her be uncomfortable than be taken away from us—or worse," Leah replied.

Annabelle's ears perked up. The way she was talking, she made it seem as though Annabelle was in danger. Annabelle shook her head, if she was in danger, it was from the giantesses, not other Shrinkees. 

Harper leaned forward, revealing her massive cleavage. She scratched Naomi's locket. Annabelle flinched as her gigantic finger tapped on the locket. Annabelle felt like a fish in a fish tank. 

"Come on, let her out for a bit. I wanna play with her," Harper whined. 

Annabelle cringed and backed away further into the locket's back wall. The Shrinkee watched as Naomi's equally gigantic hand slapped Harper's away.

"No, Poppy is staying in there all day," Naomi said. The giantess lifted the locket up high and Annabelle lurched forward. She quickly caught herself with her hands and avoided slamming her face into the locket's wall. Naomi's pink lips appeared on the other side of the locket.

"Widdle Poppy, I hope you're listening," Naomi cooed. Although she knew she couldn't see her, Annabelle still flipped her off. How could she do anything but listen? Her voice boomed throughout the locket. Naomi continued, "Your only job today is to watch your funeral and think about your new life and role as my—"

"Our," Leah corrected.

"Our pet," Naomi finished. 

Naomi moved the locket closer to her mouth, and Annabelle was treated to an even closer view of the giantess' gigantic plush lips. Annabelle watched Naomi's lip quiver. The Shrinkee could tell she wanted to kiss the locket, but was holding herself back in front of the other giantesses. 

Annabelle rolled her eyes. She'd actually preferred it if Naomi dialed back on the affection, but she didn't understand why she was so insistent on maintaining her bad-ass persona. 

Either way, the giantesses' quirks didn't interest Annabelle. She just had to focus on getting through the day. From her experience with the vigil, it would be difficult to block everything out—no matter how hard she tried. So instead, Annabelle would just try and let her emotions pass through her, like water through a butterfly net.

As Naomi lowered the locket and Annabelle down to her chest, the Shrinkee steeled herself. She wouldn't let the giantesses win again.

--

As the giantesses walked into the church, Annabelle couldn't help but notice everyone's eyes were instantly drawn to them. The Shrinkee sighed. She was sick of the giantesses receiving tremendous amounts of attention, while she was still being unseen.

The giantesses, used to the attention, began to walk towards the front. Annabelle was honestly a little shocked the giantesses hadn't been struck down by lightening the second they stepped into the church. Annabelle supposed even God had off-days. 

As the giantesses walked, Annabelle glanced at them every so often to see if their eyes lingered too long on any of her Shrinkee relatives. Like always when they were in public, their faces weren't giving anything away. They played the part of the grieving friends very well.

Annabelle looked around the church. She was surprised to find it so packed. Almost half of the town was there. Annabelle tried not to focus too much on them. As far as she was concerned, they were as dead to her as they thought she was.

Annabelle was instead trying to locate her friends when she saw a familiar—albeit gigantic— face heading towards the giantesses. Her step-mother greeted them with a wide smile. Her eyes were puffy and slightly red, as if she had been recently crying. 

A twinge of sadness prickled Annabelle. Although, she and her step-mother had never really clicked, they didn't have the stereotypical evil step-mother, step-daughter relationship. Zelda had welcomed Annabelle into her home with open arms, and Annabelle had always appreciated that. Even though Annabelle didn't understand her step-mother's wellness-obsessed lifestyle, Annabelle could remember several pleasant conversations they had together.  

Although there was a dark part of Annabelle that slightly resented Zelda—along with Annabelle's father—for being so obsessed with work that a lot of things that should've definitely been noticed, had flown underneath her radar. 

Still, seeing Zelda upset hurt Annabelle more than she thought it would. 

"Thank you so much for coming girls," Zelda half whispered, half smiled. She gave each of the giantesses a hug. When she got to Naomi, Annabelle slammed her body against the locket's wall.

"Zelda! Zelda!" She shouted. She banged her body against the locket until her bones rattled. She realized it was futile when her step-mother let go of Naomi without even a second of hesitation. 

"How are you doing?" Molly asked with a somber smile.

Zelda nodded sadly, "I'm okay, just trying help Annabelle's father get through this."

Harper grabbed a hold of Zelda's hands, "If there's anything you need us to do, just ask."

Zelda's eyes watered as she looked at the giantesses with gratitude, "Thank you so much. You girls are so kind." 

Annabelle pulled at her hair and unleashed a frustrated scream. She didn't know why she had expected anything else from her step-mother. The woman had given birth to her own sadistic sociopath without realizing it, so it was only natural that she didn't recognize four physical manifestations of evil right in front of her.

Annabelle took a deep breath. She had forgotten herself for a moment. She reminded herself that she was going to let her emotions pass through her. 

"We saved the third pew for Annabelle's friends," Zelda said, gesturing to an empty row of seats near the front of the church. 

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Cooper," Leah said.  

Zelda gave them another appreciative nod, and the four of them went to claim their seats. They sat down and waited. Annabelle leaned back against the locket's wall and closed her eyes. She knew that the day would be a long one. She realized the day was about to get a whole lot longer when her friends appeared on the other side of the pew. Their faces contorted with disgust when they noticed the giantesses. The giantesses in turn, matched them with their own displeased expressions.

Wordlessly, Oliver sat down next to Naomi. Chloe and Izzy followed after him. The two groups didn't so much as look at each other. They stayed like that until one of the church ladies handed Molly a handful of pamphlets. Molly took one and passed the rest to Leah. This repeated until Naomi received the pamphlets. Annabelle watched Oliver lose his patience as Naomi placed the rest of the pamphlets in her lap.

Annabelle rolled her eyes. For upperclassmen, the giantesses really could be so juvenile. Oliver cleared his throat. Annabelle couldn't see what type of expression Naomi was making, but she was able to see Oliver's face darken. 

As he glowered at Naomi, Annabelle stared at his face. He was still so cute, and he looked even more handsome in his black suit. Annabelle's gaze lowered to his gigantic lips. The memory of the night he kissed her was still fresh in her mind. That night had turned into both the best and worst night of her life. She made a lot of mistakes that night, but kissing him back wasn't one of them. 

Annabelle slightly shook as Naomi sighed loudly and thrusted the rest of the pamphlets at him. Oliver gave her a pointed look, and turned to pass the rest down to Chloe and Izzy.

Since the tension had died down, Annabelle took the opportunity to peer down and see exactly what the pamphlet was. When she saw it, Annabelle gripped the hem of her dress and swallowed. 

It was her obituary. She studied it as Naomi flipped through the pamphlet. There were a lot of pictures—mostly of when she was in college. She didn't think there would be any photos of her smiling while she was in high school.   

There were also ones from her childhood. Her eyes were particularly drawn to a photo of her old family. She and Beth looked to be about seven in the photo. They were at the beach and their father was propping them both on his back. All three of them were laughing. Her mother must've been the one taking the photo.

As Annabelle was getting lost down memory lane, a loud voice echoed throughout the church. Annabelle looked up startled, to see a familiar, but unwelcome face.

Pastor Karen was a staple of Annabelle's town. She was held up as the pinnacle of progress for being a young-ish female pastor of such a small town. However, progressive ideology was the last thing Annabelle associated her with. Annabelle remembered when she was going through a pretty dark time with school and the Zoey of it all. She had decided to try out the whole "tell a trusted adult" thing. 

Annabelle had never been religious, but during a fundraiser at her school, she had literally bumped into Pastor Karen after retrieving her drenched math textbook from one of the toilets. Annabelle had not experienced much luck with teachers about her Zoey problem, but hoped a religious figurehead could be more helpful. Despite her better judgement, Annabelle broke down and explained what had happened. 

After listening to her tear-filled recount, Pastor Karen proceeded to pat her on the shoulder and say, "God will never give you more than you can handle." When Annabelle had insisted that she was struggling, Pastor Karen sort of sighed impatiently and said, "You should work on toughing up your skin. If something like this upsets you so much, then you'll never make it out in the real world."

Annabelle never forgot her words. As she stood in the hallway with her urine-soaked textbook, Annabelle swore she would never tell anyone about what was happening at school and at home. She would just "toughen her skin" and leave this town behind.  

And she had kept her promise—until the giantesses had dragged her right back to trauma-ville. 

Pastor Karen began to speak, "Welcome all and thank you for coming. Today we are mourning a bright light in our community that has dimmed. It is never easy to say goodbye to one of our own, especially one so young and beloved as Annabelle. She—"

Annabelle turned around and slammed her hands over her ears. "Nope," she said to herself.

She hadn't expected to get so triggered so early in the game, but something about Pastor Karen's bullshit eulogy had poked just the wrong buttons for Annabelle.

Even with her ears covered, some words were still getting through to Annabelle. Annabelle clamped down harder against her ears and began to sing.

"The wheels on the bus go round and round!" Annabelle scream-sang. She was surprised to find that she instantly felt much lighter. It had been so long since she'd last sang. Music was such a huge part of her life, and the last two weeks, she hadn't even hummed.  

She had been focusing on surviving, sure, but she also knew the second the giantesses heard her sing, they would never want her to stop. They had already stolen so much from her, she didn't want them to take that away too.

Annabelle went through nursey rhymes' greatest hits, until she was suddenly jostled by Naomi standing up. Annabelle looked around. She guessed the speeches were over. They were probably getting ready to go to the grave site—her grave site.

Annabelle covered her ears again, "There was a farmer who had a dog and Bingo was his name-o!" She shrieked. She was doing well. She hadn't once looked at her friends since the eulogy had started. She hadn't seen her father or the blonde tyrant. 

She had a feeling she could make it through the day less traumatized than she anticipated. Annabelle decided to turn around for a peek, just to see where she was. She looked and saw the giantesses were walking out of the church and towards their van. Annabelle noticed the people around them seemed more despondent than before. Their faces were contorted with guilt. A decent amount of the town knew about how Annabelle had been treated at school—though only a handful of people knew that it was Zoey's doing. Still, neither group ever paid the issue much attention except for the occasional pitying look and whispered comment of "That's a shame." 

Their guilty expressions meant less than shit to Annabelle. She turned back around and continued to sing. 

The giantesses reached the van with no comment. As they followed the within funeral procession, Annabelle turned her head to see the giantesses' reaction to the events so far. All of them were quiet, and seemed to be transfixed by the obituary. Annabelle scanned their faces for any human emotion—guilt, empathy, regret—but only found intrigue. 

"Ugh, how is it possible that Poppy has always been so cute?" Harper squealed, breaking the silence. 

"Which photo are you looking at?" Molly asked.

"Does it matter?" Naomi said, her voice shaking Annabelle, "Literally every single photo of her is adorable. I mean the one where she's riding a bike? Come the fuck on."

Leah sighed, still flipping through the obituary, "It really is a shame we can't take any pictures of her yet."

Annabelle watched Naomi caress a photo of her in a rain coat. She exhaled, "The second she imprints on me, I'm gonna set up her own Snapgram account. A new outfit everyday—no every hour."

Leah rolled her eyes, "We all plan on doing that for Poppy when she imprints. Luckily for her, when she imprints on me, she'll be dressed in quality fashion."

Naomi's hands tightened into fists, "What the hell is that supposed to—" 

"Row, row, row your boat! Gently down the stream! Merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream!" Annabelle screamed until her throat burned. She hadn't expected anything less from the giantesses, but for some reason she still found herself disappointed by their callousness. 

Thankfully, they quickly arrived at the cemetery, ending the giantesses' bickering. The giantesses exited the car and joined the rest of the mourners. They walked in silence, trudging up a paved pathway until they reached a plot of land where a large rectangular hole had been dug. The casket was already installed on the lowering apparatus above the hole. 

The crowd from the church had gathered around the casket. Through the giants' bodies, Annabelle was able to see her friends standing near the front. Even from just watching their backs Annabelle could see their despair. They held each other, gripping each other like they were afraid they would collapse if they stopped. 

The giantesses also walked over to the front of the crowd. People quickly parted for them like the red sea. Annabelle half-jokingly wondered if the giantesses were giving off some kind of pheromone that compelled people to act so accommodating towards them. 

They neared the area at the front of the casket. The closer they got to the front, the more familiar the faces became for Annabelle. She noticed her Shrinkee relatives—both shrunken and un-shrunken—wiping away tears.

As the giantesses passed the Shrinkees on their way to the very front, Annabelle pressed her face against the locket. She peered up at the giantesses' faces. Like always, they were unreadable. Annabelle tried to look closer, but became momentarily distracted when they walked by a group of gingers.

She instantly recognized them as being a part of the Conner clan. Although everyone had always said Annabelle took after her mother, she had inherited the red locks from her father's Scottish heritage. When her father's paternal side of the family all gathered together, it was difficult to miss them. 

She hadn't expected any of her extended family to travel across continents to attend her funeral. Her father didn't have any siblings and he wasn't particularly close with his extended family. Annabelle's grandfather had burned many bridges when he married an English girl and moved to the States. After they arrived, her grandparents bought a small farm where they gave birth to Annabelle's father in a barn.

Annabelle's father lived on that farm until he left for college, where he would go on to meet Annabelle's mother. Annabelle's mother, who had her own issues with her parents and her extended family, gladly accepted a solely nuclear family lifestyle. 

Her paternal grandparents died when Annabelle was young, so she didn't have a lot of memories of them. What she did remember was seeing her first Shrinkees at her grandmother's funeral. They were her older cousins, Daniel from her grandfather's side and Lily on her grandmother's side. She remembered being in awe of their size, and being to afraid to hold them out of fear she might accidently hurt them. 

Beth, of course, had held them and even played with them while Annabelle watched warily from a distance. That night Beth had promised Annabelle that she would take care of her if she ever shrunk, and Annabelle had promised the same.

Annabelle laughed harshly at the memory. They both had failed to keep their promises. 

The giantesses reached the front. They silently passed Annabelle's friends. Annabelle caught a glimpse of them as the giantesses walked by. Their faces were too much for Annabelle to look at. Chloe and Izzy were crying while Oliver just stared stoically at the casket. 

Mercifully, the giantesses didn't so much as glance at her friends as they walked by them. Though Annabelle was then faced with a sight much more harrowing.

Her father stood next to her friends. He looked completely destroyed, as if he could crumble into a million pieces at any second. She had never seen him look so fragile. He was still, but tears were gushing down his cheeks. 

Annabelle pressed against the locket's walls. Tears began to fill her own eyes. "Dad," she whimpered. 

Zelda, who stood on the other side of him, grasped his arm and interlocked her fingers with his. Just then, another arm reached over Zelda's head and squeezed his shoulder.

Annabelle stared at the long arm. Realization coated in dread and despair filled every inch of the Shrinkee's being.

Annabelle could only whimper. Her legs stopped working, so she dragged herself to the locket's back wall. As much as she wanted to crawl into herself, her eyes were locked onto the arm. It was the same arm that had pinned her down, shoved, slapped, punched, and terrorized her for four nightmarish years.

The Shrinkee followed the arm to the entire demonic person to whom it was attached. Annabelle trembled as she studied her tormentor. 

She hadn't changed much. Her blonde hair was still long. Her frame was still athletic. Her eyes were still a prominent blue. 

Though, it was one of the few times Annabelle had seen her without her signature smirk. Instead, her mouth was pulled into a small frown. Annabelle scrutinized every inch of the blonde tyrant's face. For four years, her physical and mental well-being had depended on figuring out what Zoey was thinking. She had always had limited success. 

Her step-sister was a master manipulator—which was why she was never caught. Even now, Annabelle had a difficult time reading her. 

As Naomi and the other giantesses gathered near Zoey and her family, Annabelle's eyes remained glued to her. Zoey's expression held a slight sadness, but her eyes were unfocused as she comforted Annabelle's father. 

Although the giantesses stood right next to her, Zoey hadn't looked at them once—which was strange because everyone always looked at the giantesses.

Annabelle was so transfixed by Zoey, she almost didn't notice when Pastor Karen had appeared behind her casket. The dark haired woman was holding an open bible. 

Annabelle already knew what was coming. As Pastor Karen began to open her mouth to start the eulogy, Annabelle turned towards the back of the locket, even though it meant tearing her eyes away from Zoey.

"Twinkle twinkle little star! How I wonder what you are!" Annabelle screamed. Thankfully, the openness of the cemetery limited how far Pastor Karen's voice could travel. It was much easier to tune her out than it had been in the church.

At some point during her third song, Annabelle's eyes drifted back to Zoey. She couldn't stop looking at her. She was just so...big. For the first time, Zoey looked as big as she had always felt to Annabelle. 

Annabelle understood that by being carried in the locket, she was still very high up. She wondered what it would be like to be down on the ground near a gigantic Zoey.

The Shrinkee's breath began to snag. Suddenly the air within the locket felt very thin. Annabelle placed her hands against the back wall. She felt like the locket was becoming smaller. The walls were closing in on her. With every breath she took, she could feel it wasn't enough for her lungs. 

Annabelle scratched at her neck. Where was the air? She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. Annabelle suddenly stopped altogether. It finally dawned on her what was happening. 

She was having a panic attack.

After witnessing a gruesome massacre, and after two weeks underneath the controlling grip of the giantesses, just one glance at Zoey and Annabelle was sent spiraling. 

The Shrinkee would've thought it was funny if she hadn't felt like she was going to die.  

Breathe in, breathe out, don't freak out. Annabelle tried to vocalize the mantra, but she felt as though she had virtually no air left inside to speak. She was going to have to make do with repeating it in her head. She closed her eyes

Breathe in, breathe out, don't freak out. Breathe in, breathe out, don't freak out. Breathe in, breathe out, don't freak out.

To Annabelle's surprise, it was actually working. Her lungs were expanding and they were actually taking in air. Annabelle took in a deep breath and let it go. 

The Shrinkee opened her eyes again. She couldn't hear her heart in her ears anymore. She felt okay—considering her situation. Annabelle didn't have time to celebrate her defeat of the panic attack. 

She was thrown forward as Naomi abruptly shook the locket. Annabelle's face slammed into the locket's wall. Naomi's gigantic, black painted fingernail rapped against the locket. Annabelle flinched at the loud sound.

It was obvious Naomi was trying to get her attention. Annabelle scanned the outside of the locket to see what the giantess could possibly want her attention on. 

When she saw it, Annabelle wanted nothing more than to turn away. Yet, her eyes were inexplicably locked onto the scene in front of her.

Her casket was being lowered into the ground. It was a simple thing—just a box being put in a hole—but Annabelle couldn't stop staring. She knew she was playing exactly into the giantesses' hands, but she couldn't help it.  

Despair began to creep up into Annabelle's consciousness. She could still hear her friends sobbing. A deep harrowing, sob let her know her father was also crying. 

DEAD. YOU'RE DEAD.

Annabelle shuddered. Poppy's voice echoed in her head. Annabelle watched her casket lower into deeper into the hole.

She opened her mouth to speak, but it was only after a few seconds of silence was she able to croak out, "No...No I'm—"

DEAD. WHOSE LIFE ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR? ANNABELLE COOPER IS DEAD AND BURIED. THERE IS ONLY ME. STOP FIGHTING. GIVE YOURSELF OVER TO ME. LET ME WORSHIP THE GODDESSES. 

Annabelle's eyes followed the shovels that tossed a few pounds of dirt on top of the casket. 

"Worship the..." Annabelle blinked. She looked away from the casket. "No," she started, breaking out of her trance. 

"I'm not dead yet," Annabelle asserted. "The fact that you're still talking to me is proof enough of that."

YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A STUBBORN RELIC. A WASTE OF—

"If you want this body so badly, take it," Annabelle dared.

She crossed her legs and folded her arms. When nothing happened, and the voice seemingly disappeared, Annabelle sighed.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," She exhaled. She was so tired of people telling her what to do—even if it was her own mind. 

Annabelle spread her legs out and laid on the locket's floor. She closed her eyes and imagined she was on the floor of Chloe's dorm room. She could practically feel the old purple rug underneath her skin. She could almost see Chloe slouched on her tiny bed, making beats on her laptop, or reading one of the thousands of books she was assigned from one of her journalism courses. She could even hear the little spritz from her hand-me-down humidifier that she used for her small room. 

Annabelle remembered when Chloe had been assigned the ever elusive single dorm room when the semester had started. Annabelle had forced Chloe to keep it, despite the purple haired girl's extreme reluctance, as they had planned to be roommates with each other.

Annabelle was forever grateful for that tiny room. It had allowed them to have so many jam sessions and sleepovers without bothering anyone else. Annabelle's heart panged when those memories clouded her head. 

She'd give anything to return to those days—return to the land of the living.

Her reminiscing was cut short when she felt Naomi begin to move. Annabelle sighed, feeling a trickle of relief. It was finally over. She'd done it. She had watched her friends and family grieve her, she witnessed her own burial, she even laid eyes on Zoey without vomiting or fainting. The worst was over and she had managed to avoid giving the reigns of her body over to Poppy.

Now, Annabelle could focus on finding Camilla and escaping the giantesses once and for all.

Although, first, they would have to actually leave the cemetery, which the giantesess didn't seem in a rush to do.

The giantesses moved closer to the casket and hovered around it with blank expressions. Annabelle was almost positive they were doing this in a further effort to get her to feel hopeless. 

Annabelle groaned and threw her head back. She was more irritated than dismayed. 

"All right! I fucking get it!" She snapped. "Everyone thinks I'm dead! Can we please just fucking leave?" Annabelle groaned.

Annabelle's tirade was followed by a voice that forced her right back to high school. Instinctively, the Shrinkee tensed up as the frat boy-esque voice echoed around the locket.

"So you guys knew Anna too, huh?" The voice said.

As Naomi and the other giantesses turn to face the voice who was addressing them, Annabelle's brain told her to bury her head in her hands, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the giant boy in front of her.

Annabelle shuddered as she took in the gigantic Luke. His blonde hair was swept back, held in place by entirely too much hair gel. His muscles, gifted to him by his years on the lacrosse team, bulged against the dark blue dress shirt he wore. Luke's blue eyes leered across each of the giantesses' bodies. Annabelle received a long look into his eyes, as they landed on Naomi's chest for a while.

He had so obviously not changed in the months since Annabelle had last seen him. Annabelle glanced up at her captors. They appeared wholly unimpressed. They weren't even attempting their usual Formidable Four PR smiles. 

Molly took the lead, "Yes, we went to the same University," she stated tersely. 

Luke nodded and waited for her to say more, but they remained silent, just staring at him with bored expressions. Still, in all her years knowing Luke, he was never one to be deterred by negative reactions from girls—if anything it spurred him on more. Annabelle remembered the countless times he made his lacrosse buddies laugh by pretending to jerk off every time they crossed paths in the hallway. 

Although, most people in their school thought he was a harmless pervert, Annabelle knew how dangerous he could be. The time when he had cornered her after school and tried to shove his tongue down her throat came to mind. Annabelle had only escaped by kicking his balls as hard as she could. The last thing she heard as she ran into the hallway was him vomiting his stomach empty. 

Annabelle had never told anyone out of fear it would inevitably get back to Zoey, who in turn would beat Luke within an inch of his life, and then would immediately turn her anger to Annabelle. 

"Sucks about Anna," Luke said, feigning a contemplative and deep expression.

"You knew her?" Leah asked, coolly. 

Luke, obviously happy the giantesses were opening up the conversation, could hardly contain his smile. He placed his hands in pockets and tilted his chin up, "Of course, we went to the same high school. Not to brag, but I was kind of a big deal on my lacrosse team—district champs and all that—so I knew a lot of people," he grinned. 

The giantesses' expressions remained impassive, if not annoyed. Annabelle could see Luke's intrigue grow at the lack of response he was getting. 

He lowered his voice and leaned in closer to them, "Between us, Anna kind of had a thing for me," he whispered. 

Annabelle shook her head, disgusted. She had no idea why people felt the need to lie about her romantic interests once she was "dead", but it never failed to sicken her. 

The giantesses' faces reflected how she felt. Luke, picking up on their displeasure, quickly added. "But we never did anything. I mean she was cute, but not as cute as you all," he grinned. 

Annabelle cringed. "Holy fuck, Luke," she breathed. She checked on the giantesses, who were surprisingly keeping their cool. They looked indignant, but they weren't causing a scene. Annabelle lightly shook, as Naomi's heart began to beat with more intensity. 

She took a step forward. Her voice was low, but icy cold, "Are you seriously hitting on all of us at the same time, at our friend's funeral?"

For the first time, Luke looked taken aback. "W-Well, I just mean that—you know—you guys are hot," he stammered.

Harper, who had been unusually quiet, leaned in close to Luke. Annabelle couldn't see her expression, or hear what she was saying. Instead, she was only able to watch Luke's face turn from lust, to shock, to fear. 

His face was pale by the time Harper stepped back. Luke, still pale, but with an visibly hurt ego, hissed back at the giantesses, "W-Who the fuck cares what you stuck-up bitches think? I wouldn't want to fuck with anyone who would be friends with someone like Anna, anyway."

Annabelle flinched. She wasn't surprised to see Luke hadn't joined in the guilt parade like so many others in the town, but she was surprised that she felt the familiar shame that came with being talked about by one of her bullies.

Naomi's heart was beating so loudly, Annabelle had difficulty hearing her threating words over its pounding. 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The punk-rock giantess snapped. 

Annabelle started biting her thumb, "Just leave, just leave," she muttered. Why were they still here? She could not think of a worse situation than the giantesses delving into her past. She had survived it and she wanted to just move on.

Luke, not used to being threatened, took a step back. "I-I mean—"

Luke was prevented from digging a deeper hole by the sudden appearance of another equally beefy jock. Chris, the lacrosse team's captain placed a firm hand on Luke's shoulder. 

He smiled widely at the giantesses with a crooked grin. Although Chris was as much as a dick as Luke, he was smarter than him—though that wasn't saying much.

"Sorry ladies, is this idiot bothering you?" He said, giving the giantesses a small smile. The giantesses ignored Chris.

Molly narrowed her eyes at Luke, "What were you talking about before—about Anna?" 

Luke opened his mouth to respond when Chris draped an arm across his shoulder. "Sorry, but we've got to go. We've got practice all day tomorrow, so we've got to get back to campus. It was nice meeting you," he called, before dragging Luke away.  

Harper began to go after them, but Leah grabbed her arm and shook her head. Harper made a face, but backed off. 

Annabelle watched the two jocks scurry away. From what they had said, it sounded like both Luke and Chris had gotten into an University and were playing on a team. Annabelle's stomach twisted in a way she hadn't felt in a while. She was stuck, kidnapped and tortured, while they continued on with their lives, seemingly the same god-awful people they had been in high school. 

Every day that she was stuck in this hell, Annabelle's belief in karmic justice had dwindled slowly. Seeing Chris and Luke thrive while she was captured by four insane rich girls, destroyed a big chunk of her belief in cosmic retribution.

As the giantesses started for their van, away from the crowd, Annabelle heard the high trill of her step-mother's voice call after them. 

Annabelle ran her fingers through her hair. She just wanted to leave. She hated being alone with the giantesses more than anything, but the longer she stayed in this town, the more she felt like she was suffocating. 

"Girls!" Zelda called, as she briskly treaded over to them. Annabelle knocked the side of her head against the locket's walls when Naomi suddenly turned around to face Zelda. 

Her step-mother's eyes and nose were red, but she still managed to wear a small smile on her face. "Thank you girls for coming," she said again.

Leah returned her smile, "Thank you for inviting us, the service really was beautiful." 

The other giantesses nodded and gave similar affirmative responses. Annabelle cradled her legs to her chest and laid her chin on her knees. It was almost supernatural how quickly the giantesses were able to switch their personalities and emotions. A few moments ago they had been glowering at Luke with horrifically dark expressions, but as they spoke to Zelda, their faces were soft, gentle, with a touch of melancholy.

Zelda wiped a tear from her eye. "I thought so too," she sniffed. She smiled at the giantesses, taking in their beautiful, sad-looking faces. "If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind coming to our house? I have some things of Anna's that Don said to give away."

At the same time Annabelle's body was filled with horrified shock, the giantesses could hardly fight off their smiles of excitement.

Annabelle scrambled to her knees. She banged against the locket. "Zelda! No, stop it! Don't do it!" 

"We'd be honored," Harper beamed at Annabelle's oblivious step-mother.

Annabelle slumped over. "No, no, no," she repeated. This couldn't be happening. She was so close. She had officially reached the worst-case scenario-—or at least she thought she had before she saw a flash of red hair race up to her step-mother.  

A young girl with flaming red hair came running up to Zelda. She grinned up at her with a few gaps of missing baby teeth. A smattering of freckles lined across her nose.

Through her despair, Annabelle peered at the child. She looked familiar. 

"Ma, told me ta tell you that we're leavin'," she said with a Scottish accent.  

Zelda smiled down at the girl, "Okay Paisley, just give me a second and I'll come say goodbye."

Annabelle flinched when she heard the child's name. She was Daniel's sister. She had never actually met the child--well officially. The closest she had gotten was when her cousin Allison had shown up pregnant at Beth's funeral. 

It was surreal to see a child so gigantic. There was something in Annabelle's brain that was having trouble comprehending her size. It just felt unnatural to look up a mountainous eight year old. Although, technically, being positioned at the height of Naomi's chest placed her just at eye level with Paisley. 

Her enormous brown eyes suddenly focused onto her. Annabelle's breath hitched. Paisley peered closer at the locket. Her massive eye filled Annabelle's vision. Annabelle heard Naomi's heartbeat increase. Before Annabelle could even think of her next move, Paisley retracted with a bright smile.

"That's a really pretty necklace!" Paisley grinned. 

Annabelle couldn't see Naomi's face, but she could hear her heartbeat slow down. "Thank you," Naomi said, more sweetly than Annabelle had ever heard the punk-rock giantess speak to someone other than her. 

"I like your purse," Harper smiled down at her. 

Paisley wore a small black satchel that would have blended in completely with her black dress, if not for the bedazzled plastic gems plastered all over it. 

Paisley looked up at Harper, and her mouth slightly parted open. Her eyes widened as she quickly scanned across each of the giantesses' faces.

"Yer all so pretty!" She gasped. "Are ya princesses?"

The giantesses and Zelda laughed at Paisley's comment. Naomi gestured to Leah, "She is." Leah only pursed her lips as everyone else continued to laugh.

Annabelle felt sick. She prayed Paisley would leave soon. They laughed with the child now, but Annabelle knew that if her HDD triggered randomly, they wouldn't hesitate in stomping her into nothingness.

Just then, Paisley gasped. She opened her purse and began to shift through it. "I have ta show ya my brother. He loves pretty lasses!" 

Annabelle pressed her face against the locket. Oh god no. "Please no," she breathed, fogging up the locket's surface.

Annabelle begged any god, cosmic force, or any other entity to prevent Paisley from retrieving who Annabelle suspected she was retrieving.

Of course, the universe had other plans.

Paisley's face lit up as she tightened her fist and pulled it from her bag. Beaming, she lifted her hand and uncurled her giant fingers. Laying in her palm was none other than one of Annabelle's Shrinkee cousins, Daniel. 

Annabelle's eyes darted across his small frame as she studied him. Daniel's bright red hair contrasted against his dark suit. He slowly lifted himself into a sitting position. His eyes seemed dazed and unfocused, probably due to the rough manner in which his sister had retrieved him. 

When they finally readjusted, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he was faced with the giantesses. 

Annabelle anxiously looked up at her captors to gauge their reactions. To anyone who didn't know the giantesses, they would've thought the co-eds were simply intrigued by the small man, but Annabelle knew differently. 

She could see the little changes in their demeanor that filled her with dread. Their eyes were locked onto Daniel. They shone with excitement. Annabelle could hear Naomi's heart pounding rapidly behind the locket's back wall. 

Just like that, they had slipped into the role of predators. Daniel looked up at them with a nervous expression that only seemed to lit their fires even more. Annabelle couldn't tell if Daniel could feel the sense of danger that she did when she was around the giantesses, or if he was just generally wary of non-familial giants. 

With her huge finger, Paisley poked Daniel against his head. She glared down at him. 

"What are ya doing? I thought ya liked pretty lasses? Say hi," she huffed. The giantesses' grins became bigger and Daniel lowered his gaze from theirs. 

"Paisley," Zelda sighed, "Leave your brother alone. He's probably still shaken up from yesterday."

Annabelle didn't know what that was in reference to, but whatever it was, Paisley didn't seem too bothered. 

"I already said sorry," the girl shrugged. 

Daniel suddenly came to life. She swiveled his head towards his younger sister, "No ya didn't ya brat!" 

Paisley stuck her tongue out at Daniel. Annabelle was impressed how Daniel didn't cower away from his giant sister's mouth.

Daniel ignored Paisley and turned his attention to Zelda. "Zelda, sorry but this one forgot to mention it, Don was callin' for ya earlier," he explained. 

Paisley's mouth formed an "O". She had obviously forgotten her task. Zelda's face contorted with concern. 

"Oh, okay. I'll be right there." She quickly turned to the giantesses, "I'm sorry, but do you mind meeting me at the house? I'll text you the address. If I'm not there in time, Annabelle's stepsister will let you in. Is that okay?"

The giantesses beamed at Zelda. "Of course, take your time, Mrs. Cooper," Molly smiled. 

Zelda returned a grateful smile and disappeared back towards the cemetery.

Annabelle began nervously twirling her hair. With Zelda gone, that only left Paisley to protect Daniel from the whims of the giantesses. Yet, the little girl thought of the giantesses as princesses instead of the wolves they were.

The giantesses wasted no time once Zelda was out of sight. Harper leaned forward and peered down at Daniel with a toothy smile. Daniel flinched, but didn't move.

"What's your name, cutie?" Harper asked.

Daniel just stared slack-jawed at the massive cleavage Harper was showing. Paisley poked him in the back of his head again, and he came to his senses.

His eyes raised to meet her face. His voice cracked when he finally spoke, "D-Daniel," he stammered. 

"What a cute name," Leah purred. 

Paisley's grin grew. "He likes it when pretty lasses call him Danny," she added. 

"Really?" Annabelle heard Naomi say gleefully. "Well hi there, Danny," Naomi said, chuckling.  

Daniel's gaze fell to his sister's palms. Paisley scowled, "Go on Daniel, hurry up and say hi! I have to go to the toilet!" 

Annabelle saw a gleam appear in Molly's eye. "Why don't you leave him with us, while you go to the bathroom?" Molly suggested. The other giantesses nodded excitedly in agreement. 

Both Daniel and Annabelle's eyes widened. Annabelle stopped breathing while she waited for Paisley's response. The girl scrunched up her face and considered Molly's proposition. Little did she know, what she decided could have fatal consequences for her brother.

"Uh, all right," she agreed with a bright smile. "I don't want ya to yell at me for dropping ya in the water like ya did yesterday," she giggled at Daniel. 

Annabelle watched, horrified, as Paisley dropped Daniel into Molly's hand. Annabelle slammed her fists against the locket. "No!" She shouted. 

"Hold him in the middle of yer hand," Paisley instructed Molly. "Make sure ya don't drop him, he's fragile," she said with as much seriousness as an eight year old could muster.

Molly easily adjusted her hand so Daniel was secure. Paisley beamed up at her, "Wow, yer really good at this! Have ya held a Shrinkee before?" She asked.

Without skipping a beat, Molly laughed and said, "Of course not. I've never even seen a Shrinkee before."

Annabelle seethed at the giantess' lies. Annabelle could've spat in disgust. They all deserved to burn.

After one last quick check-up on a terrified looking Daniel, Paisley skipped off towards the bathroom. The giantesses wasted no time in surrounding their prey.

Annabelle pulled at her hair. There absolutely no way for her to help her cousin. All she could hope is that what the giantesses said about not wanting to raise suspicions would be true. 

Annabelle watched Daniel interact with her captors. With what was probably all of his courage, Daniel looked up at the giantesses.

In a voice Annabelle could barely hear, Daniel squeaked, "S-So you knew Anna?" 

"Yup, we did," Harper answered as she grinned down at the Shrinkee. With a gigantic manicured finger, she stroked Daniel's hair. "His hair is the same as hers," Harper cooed. 

Even from the locket, Annabelle could see her cousin's tiny frame tense. Leah lowered her head so she was eye level with Daniel. Annabelle watched his hair gently be blown by Leah's breath.

The green eyed giantess smirked as she looked him up and down. She noted, "But his hair is a lighter shade than Anna's."

Annabelle shuddered. There was something unsettling about the giantesses using her nickname. She saw herself as existing in two different "selves". One being the self she had been before she shrank—the second self being her imprisonment under the giantesses. Annabelle was trying to make the second "self" exist for as little time as possible, but as her captors integrated themselves into her past, she began to fear that their intervention would mean her second self would be around for a lot longer than she would like.

"Were you and Anna close?" Molly asked, with an inappropriately playful tone. 

Daniel squeaked, "N-No, we only came to the states a couple o' times. And when we did, Anna hid behind her Ma. I think she was afraid."

Harper squealed and jumped a bit. Daniel was visibly alarmed by the giantess' movements, but also had his eyes trained on her bouncing chest. 

"So cute," Harper hummed. 

Annabelle cringed. Did the giantess forget they were at her funeral? There was no one around them, but they could at least pretend to be solemn. Daniel also looked taken aback by the blonde giantess' cooing.  

"That must've been tough," Naomi said, ignoring Harper. 

"What?" Annabelle heard Daniel ask, as he looked up at the punk-rock giantess. Annabelle began to get a sinking feeling. 

They were starting something. Annabelle didn't know what the giantesses were planning, but they had the same teasing tone in their voices when they "played" with her. 

And Daniel was walking right into their trap.

"Well," Leah started, "It's just that you Shrinkees lead a hard life. If people aren't ignoring you, or accidently stepping on you, then they're hiding in fear. It must be difficult," she said with an eyebrow raised and a small smile.

Daniel folded his arms, "N-No, it's not like that, alright?" 

"Isn't it though?" Molly said, crossing her own arms and pretending to think over the situation. "I mean here you are in your twenties, and you're being carried around in a toy purse." 

Leah nodded in agreement. She could barely hide her smirk, "Honestly, what kind of quality of life is that?"

Daniel uncrossed his arms and unsteadily shot up to his feet, "Now, w-wait a min—"

Harper gasped—painfully fake—and turned to the other giantesses, "You don't think, that he, like, likes that kind of thing? I heard some Shrinkees are like that! You know, they like the feeling of everyone being able to dominate them."

Annabelle grabbed her hair and began anxiously tugging its ends. "Leave him alone for fucks sake," she breathed. She wondered if this is what it would be like if a third party observed her with the giantesses in the giantesses' home. Did she always look as much like prey as Daniel did in this moment?

"Is that true, Danny?" Naomi asked, mockingly, "Do you get hard when your Mommy accidently drops you in her boobs or steps on you?"

Daniel just looked up at her, stunned speechless. 

Molly laughed, "What are you talking about? If she did step on him, he'd be paste on his Mommy's foot."

All four giantesses laughed at that. Annabelle watched Daniel's shock transform into anger. They knew exactly which buttons to push. They were so obviously trying to emasculate him.

"Don't fall for it, please don't react," Annabelle begged inside of the locket.

The tiny girl's heart sunk as Daniel glowered up at the laughing giantesses.

"I might be a Shrinkee, but I'm a man first," he said with as much force as a three inch man could. 

The giantesses laughs instantly died down as they exchanged glances.

"If you're such a man, then why don't you prove it?" Molly prompted. 

Daniel's indignation began to falter. "W-What do you mean?" He demanded. 

Annabelle was shaken a bit as Naomi laughed, "Are you going to live with your parents forever? If you do, you'll always be the little baby of the house—no matter how young your sister is." She paused before suggesting, "Or if you want, you can be a man and come home with us."

Annabelle felt a metallic taste coat her tongue. She swallowed and realized she had bitten down on her tongue so hard that she drew blood. She couldn't help it. Her worst nightmare was coming true.

Still, in the absolute darkest part of her mind, a twinge of relief formed. 

If they actually took Daniel with them, then she wouldn't be alone. It wouldn't be four lunatic, insatiable co-eds with their undivided attention completely on her. She would have a comrade—another person who she could lean on within this hell.

THE MORE PEOPLE TO WORSHIP OUR GODDESSES THE BETTER. 

All of Annabelle's muscles tensed. "No," she said through gritted teeth. 

THEY DESERVE IT. THEY DESERVE MILLIONS—NO BILLIONS—OF SOULS DEDICATING THEIR LIVES FOR THE SOLE POURPOSE OF WORSHIPING EVERY CELL IN THEIR BODIES. THEY DESERVE—

"—To rot in jail!" Annabelle spat. She was shaking. She looked out the locket at her cousin who looked to be actually considering the giantesses proposal. 

Annabelle shook her head. "That's not fair," she determined. Daniel shouldn't be tortured just because she had trusted the wrong people.  

But there was nothing she could do about it. She was locked inside the co-ed's accessory, and he was out in the free world, oblivious.

"C-Come home with ya?" Annabelle heard Daniel repeat. His eyes leered at their beautiful faces. 

"Yes," Leah said, smiling like a Cheshire cat. "But we need a real man," she reiterated.  

"I am a real man!" Daniel assured. 

"Like we said," Molly sneered, "Prove it."

Daniel frowned, "H-How—"

"Take your dick out," Naomi suddenly demanded. 

Annabelle sighed—a long, tired sigh. This was what she had been expecting. Annabelle tried to see past the giantesses and into the distance. Where was Paisley? How long did it take to go to the bathroom?

Daniel took a step back on Molly's chubby palm. "W-Wha—"

Naomi repeated herself, firm and slowly, "Take your dick out."

"What's wrong?" Harper said with a fake pout, "Can't you get it up?"

Naomi scoffed, "I bet he's already fucking hard." Just then Annabelle was knocked around in the locket as Naomi suddenly moved. The giantess stepped behind Harper. Annabelle could only see the vast blackness of Harper's dress.

"Just in case he needs a little help getting there," Annabelle heard Naomi laugh. The tiny girl heard a squeal from Harper and laughter from the other giantesses.

"Omg, Naomi!" Harper giggled.

Naomi backed away from Harper and returned to her original spot. The black fabric of Harper's dress had disappeared and Annabelle could see again. Though when she saw what was happening, she wished her vision would be blocked again. 

Harper was readjusting her cleavage and Daniel was trembling in Molly's palm with his pants down. 

"Shit," Annabelle hissed. From what she'd gathered, Naomi had fondled Harper's breasts in front of Daniel. Her cousin in turn, had responded by pulling down his pants, revealing his bulging erection that was fighting against his boxer briefs.

Annabelle cursed again, "Fuck!" In less than ten minutes, they had debased her cousin. Her proud, snarky, cool older cousin. He stared up at the giantesses, noticeably terrified, but also so full of lust.

"Oh, look at the big man, now," Leah hummed with approval.

Harper lifted his chin up with her gigantic finger. "You wanna come home with us?" Harper grinned.

Daniel squeaked out uncertainly, "I-I—"

"I-I-I," Naomi mocked, "Fucking Shrinkees," she laughed.

Molly tsked, "I thought you said you were a man? Or is it that you've never dealt with real women before?" Molly propped up her large chest. 

Annabelle wanted to vomit. Their "seduction" methods were crass and obnoxious, but Daniel seemed fully enthralled. 

Daniel blurted out defensively, "I've had real lasses before! Just yesterday I—"

"Enough talking," Leah said with a sigh that moved Daniel's ginger hair, "Make a decision little man. Do you want to come with us, or do you want to stay with Mommy and Daddy?"

Daniel only hesitated for a second before assuredly answering, "Ya, I want ta go home with ya."

Annabelle shook her head. The giantesses were not just sociopathic manipulators, but they were extremely effective sociopathic manipulators. 

"That's great!" Harper chirped, clasping her hands together. 

"We'll be glad to take you home," Leah said, "But there is one thing."

Daniel looked up with wide eyes. He was already so desperate for their approval. 

"We don't just let anyone into our home," Molly said. "We can only accept the most obedient of Shrinkees." Annabelle flinched as Molly quickly glanced at her in Naomi's locket. Instinctively she backed away from the wall. 

Molly continued, turning her attention back to Daniel, "Already, you've been disobedient." 

"Wha-What? How?" Daniel sputtered.

Annabelle heard Naomi tsk, "I believe we told you to take out your tiny, Shrinkee dick."

Leah grazed her enormous slender finger over his boxers. Daniel gasped and stepped away from the finger, crouched over. 

"When we tell you to do it, we expect you to do it all the way," Leah said with a sudden sternness that visibly alarmed Daniel.

"Now go on," Harper smiled. She nodded expectedly at Daniel.

"Take your underwear off, Danny," Molly encouraged, giggling.  

Annabelle watched despondently as her cousin followed their orders. She looked down to her feet when he pulled his underwear past his crotch. 

"Good boy, Danny!" She heard Harper praise. Annabelle flinched at her words. They were almost identical to how they praised her. 

"Wow, you're pretty hung for a Shrinkee," Annabelle heard Naomi laugh. 

Harper added, giggling, "His widdle pecker is so cute. I just wanna play with it."

Annabelle felt more and more sick with every disgusting comment they directed at her cousin. 

"Okay, you can get started," Leah suddenly said. 

"What?" Daniel asked. Annabelle, as confused as Daniel sounded, looked up from her feet and towards the scene.

Leah's green eyes sparkled with eagerness. "I want you to cum for us. Right now," she ordered.

Annabelle felt bile rising up in her throat. They were so incorrigible. She knew it was ridiculous, seeing how she was in an equally—if not worse situation, but Annabelle truly pitied her cousin. He didn't deserve this.

"Come on," Molly said with a pout. She brought him a little higher to their faces. "We want to see it."

"It would be so hot," Harper practically moaned. 

Annabelle covered her ears. She knew it wouldn't help, but she had to try blocking them out somehow. Annabelle knew the giantesses enough to know when they were truly aroused, and from what she had seen—they were just toying with her cousin. The Shrinkee knew that they were playing with Daniel, but her cousin looked to be so in lust, that he either didn't notice or care. 

Daniel's hand quickly grabbed onto his penis and he began to enthusiastically jerk off. Annabelle wanted to look away, but it was like watching a car wreck—horrifically mesmerizing. The giantesses egged him on with moaning sounds and over the top affirmations a person might hear in a porno. 

Other than standard humiliation and control, Annabelle didn't understand what the giantesses' goal was. They were disgusted by Shrinkees, but they were forcing one to pleasure himself on one of their hands. 

Did their desire for humiliation outweigh their disgust? Annabelle wasn't sure, but she just wanted them to stop. 

Then they did. 

Suddenly the giantesses were absolutely silent. Annabelle removed her hands from her ears and lifted her gaze to their faces.

The Shrinkee was completely confused when she saw their faces transform from glee into horror and shock. Instantly, a chill went through Annabelle. She had never seen the giantesses make those expressions before.

Annabelle glanced at Daniel. He hadn't changed in any noticeable way. He was still jerking off. His gaze was fixed onto Molly's chest in front of him.

Annabelle was at a loss to what had changed the giantesses' expressions when she finally saw her. It was Allison—Daniel and Paisley's mother.

She didn't understand how she could've missed her—she was standing right in front of the giantesses—behind Daniel. 

Annabelle almost didn't recognize her, seeing as she looked much older and was no longer pregnant. 

Allison's expression matched the giantesses as she stared down in horror at her unware son jerking off. 

"D-Daniel?" she breathed. "Wha—what are ya—"

Daniel jumped to life with a yelp. He swiveled around to face his mother, and quickly pulled his pants up. Annabelle couldn't see his face, but she could only imagine how mortified he was.

"Are you his mother?" Molly asked. Her voice became an unsteady warble. 

"What's going on?" Allison demanded in her thick accent. She looked between the giantesses and her trembling son.

Leah spoke first with a quivering lip, "It happened so fast. Your daughter said she had to go to the bathroom and we agreed to watch him, because we had never seen someone with HDD before. But as soon as she was gone, he started saying such disgusting things to us—"

"—So disgusting," Naomi spat. 

Leah continued, "We were so shocked," she said, her voice breaking. "Then he pulled down his pants and started...touching himself," Leah whispered with shame. 

Both Annabelle and Daniel's jaws dropped. Annabelle couldn't help but be horrifically impressed by the giantesses' devious minds. 

Daniel attempted to sputter out a defense. "M-Ma, no I—" He started before Harper interrupted him by bursting into tears.

"We didn't know what to do. We told him to stop, but he wouldn't listen," Harper whimpered while she wiped her eyes.

Molly joined in with a shaky voice, "I wanted to put him down, but I wasn't sure if he would be safe on the ground. We were just waiting and waiting for his sister to come back."

Allison still looked to be in shock. She spoke as though her mind was somewhere else. She looked like she was trying to comprehend the scene she had walked into. 

"Paisley forgot about him—she does that sometimes. She only just remembered where he was after I asked her," Allison said slowly. Her eyes were locked onto her son.

There was a tense quiet. The giantesses were glancing at Allison to see if she would buy their grift, while Daniel was whimpering and sputtering something Annabelle couldn't decipher. 

"Daniel," Allison started. Annabelle clenched her fists and hoped she would somehow see through the giantesses' bullshit.

Allison's face contorted with disappointment. She shook her head at Daniel.

Annabelle placed herself into the fetal position. The giantesses had won again. 

"Daniel, how could ya be so foul?" Allison hissed. "To do that to these poor lasses—have ya no shame?"

"I-I didn't—" Daniel stammered.

"I don't want to hear it," Allison spat. "I saw ya going at it before ya noticed me."

"B-But they made me do it!" Daniel protested. 

Harper began to sob, and Annabelle was once again jostled as Naomi wrapped a shoulder around the blonde. "It's okay Harp, don't listen to him," she comforted. 

Daniel watched the giantesses act in disbelief, he turned to his mother with pleading eyes, "Ma I—"

Allison shook her head, "Enough Daniel. You're sick in the head if ya think this is how ya can treat lasses. You've always been a flirt, and I thought it was harmless, but ya really crossed the line."

"Ma—"

With speed that surprised Annabelle, Allison snatched Daniel from Molly's hand. She held him in a tight fist, her fingers wrapped completely around his body.

"One more word outta ya and I'm gonna tie ya to my heel strap," Allison snapped. 

If Daniel said something else, Annabelle didn't hear it. Allison turned to the giantesses with a guilt-ridden expression. 

"I am so sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know what's gotten into him." 

Molly furrowed her brows and frowned, "It's not your fault Ma'am."

"I hope ya don't think of all Shrinkees as being like this. I know ya said this was ya first time dealing with one of us," Allison said. 

Harper shook her head, wiping away the last of her tears. She sniffed, "Of course not, we know people with HDD come in all shapes and—well you know what I mean."

Leah added, "Grief makes us all do strange things."

Allison's eyes began to tear up. "Ya girls are so kind, thank ya for being so understanding. I'm happy Anna had such wonderful friends," she said. 

She released a heavy breath and lifted Daniel to her narrowed eyes. "I'm going to have a talk with yer Dad. There's going to be some changes. Ya thought ya didn't have enough freedom before, well I've got some plans for ya, son," Allison said coolly.

Annabelle could only imagine what was going through poor Daniel's head. 

Naomi crossed her arms, shifting the locket and Annabelle. She sighed, "I really hope he learns his lesson."

Allison nodded solemnly, "Me too," she said shaking her head at her son. She turned to the giantesses. "I'm sorry my idiot son made this sad day so much worse. Ya girls didn't deserve this," she apologized again. 

Molly gave her a small smile, "That's okay, and don't worry about telling Anna's parents—we'll keep this between us. They have enough to deal with."

Allison's face brightened with appreciation. "Ya girls are angels on Earth," she praised.

"We just want to repay Anna's family for bringing someone so special into our lives," Leah said. 

Annabelle could hear the knowing smirk in her voice. God, they were awful. Annabelle was done. She'd seen enough. It had been a horrible thing to watch, but at least Daniel was still alive. It seemed that his life would possibly be permanently altered, but he was still breathing. 

Annabelle had to take wins where ever she could. 

Tired of listening to Allison praise the giantesses, Annabelle fully turned around and covered her ears. 

"I'm a little teapot short and stout! Here is my handle, here is my spout!" Annabelle sang. Her throat burned as she screamed at the top of her lungs. 

Although her throat was beginning to sting, she couldn't hear the rest of Allison and the giantesses' conversation.

It was only when she was thrown into the locket's wall by Naomi's walking, did Annabelle realize they had finished speaking, and Allison had left with Daniel. 

The giantesses walked over to their van, once again quiet and somber. When they approached the van, a suit was waiting for them, holding the door open. 

Before they stepped into the van, Molly ordered, "We're not going back to the hotel yet. I'll send you the new address."

The suit nodded, "Yes, Ms. Gates." 

Annabelle braced herself as Naomi climbed into the van with the other giantesses. She was able to avoid slamming her face into the locket, but she still fell onto her stomach. She lifted herself back up, with a sigh.

The second the suit closed the van, the giantesses burst into laughter. Annabelle was too horrified to cover her ears and sing. She was in awe of their cruelty. 

"Holy shit," Naomi snorted. "His fucking face! I can't believe he actually thought we would take his disgusting ass home with us."

Harper nodded, manic with giggles, "I know, right! A-And when his mother showed up—"

"—Don't you mean his 'Ma'?" Molly laughed. 

Leah smirked, "She came right when he was about to cum himself. The timing could not have been more perfect."

Annabelle felt blood rush to her cheeks. She pulled her knees to her chest and placed her forehead against her knees.

"Nah, it would've been better if he jizzed right when his 'Ma' walked up to us," Naomi snickered. 

"That's disgusting!" Molly said with a laugh. "I would've had to boil my hand after that." 

"That was so much fun though!" Harper chirped, "I'm glad we could do it, especially since Poppy's service was such a snooze fest."

Annabelle shook as Naomi agreed enthusiastically, "I almost fell asleep twice. If it wasn't for her pictures, I would've been snoring."

"Did Poppy watch her casket being lowered?" Molly asked.

"How the the hell am I supposed to know?" Naomi sighed. "I shook the locket and faced it towards the casket, but I don't know if she actually looked at it or not."

"She did," Leah said with so much confidence, that Annabelle lifted her head to look at her. She found Leah's emerald eyes staring back at her. The Shrinkee shuddered. The Shrinkee knew there was no possible way she could see her, but she felt as though she was staring directly at her.

"How do you know that?" Molly asked. 

A smirk spread across Leah's lips as she still stared at Annabelle. "Because she's a good widdle girl who knows to listen to her Goddesses," Leah cooed.

Annabelle glared at Leah before her eyes fell back to her knees. "Fuck you," she muttered into the empty space of the locket. 

Harper joined in. She leaned forward and danced her finger along the locket. She chirped, "Poppy is the bestest Shrinkee in the whole wide world." 

Annabelle scooted away from the blonde's gigantic finger. 

Suddenly, Harper pulled her hand back. She frowned and leaned back into her seat. She folded her arms and asked, "Guys, what the hell was up with that annoying guy? Why was he talking about Poppy like that?"

Annabelle tensed. She closed her eyes and prayed for them to just move past this conversation.

Leah leaned her head against the window. She glanced at Naomi's locket. "I know, it bothered me too." 

"What was it he said?" Molly said, trying to remember, "'I wouldn't fuck with anyone who would be friends with someone like Anna'? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Molly asked.

Annabelle started chewing on her thumb. "Just leave it alone," she hissed. 

Naomi scoffed, "I bet he's just mad cause Poppy probably rejected him."

Harper adopted a stern expression, "Poppy better have turned him down. She's totally too good for that loser—she's too good for anyone."

Leah chuckled, "Except you, right?" 

A grin broke out on Harper's face, "Obviously." 

The giantesses laughed together and the conversation seemed to move past Luke's comments.

Annabelle allowed her muscles to relax. If they could just pick up whatever it was Zelda wanted to give them, drive back to the hotel, and never talk to anyone from this town again, she could count that as a win. She just needed to focus on finding Camilla, but she couldn't do that until this asinine trip was over.

The sooner Zelda gathered up whatever crap she was giving away to the giantesses, the faster Annabelle could finally start to look forward instead of drudging up the past.

The van slowed into a stop. Then she felt it. A sudden and intense wave of panic washed over Annabelle. The giantesses hadn't even opened the van doors yet, and Annabelle could feel the anxiety scratching at her brain, trying to claw out of her skin. Annabelle ducked her head between her knees. 

She knew visiting her home would be difficult, but she hadn't expected it to affect her like this. 

She knew she was going to need to sing if she wanted survive the mental angst that this visit was going to bring. But as Annabelle sat in the locket, she couldn't remember any songs. Her mind was filled with unwanted memories threatening to overwhelm her. 

"Is this it?" Annabelle heard Naomi say hesitantly. 

"Oh wow, it's pretty small," Molly noted. 

Although in her current panicked state, the giantesses seemed like they were miles away, Annabelle still felt the irritation their comments brought. She was sure any home with less than seven bathrooms was small to them.

The giantesses exited the car. Annabelle swung with Naomi's departure. This time she allowed the momentum to jostle her around. She hoped she would hit her head and land unconscious. She had no such luck. She hit her head, but was only gifted a dull ache. 

The giantesses walked up to the front door of her house. Annabelle still hadn't lifted her head, but she could hear their heels clack against the stone path her father had paved.  

It had been put in right after Zoey had shoved her so hard onto the ground that she nearly broke her arm. The amazonian had told Annabelle's father and Zelda that Annabelle had fallen due to the mud. Within a week, her father had installed the stone path. 

Annabelle could still feel the twisting of her arm. She could still see Zoey standing over her with the same sneer she always wore. 

Annabelle gripped her head. She had no idea how she was going to get through this.  

A knock on the door temporarily grabbed her from her spiral. Annabelle instinctively looked up. The front door opened. 

Right there in the flesh, stood Zoey in all her amazonian glory. She had already changed out of her funeral clothes and was wearing her old volleyball team sweatshirt and a pair of gym shorts. Although she was only in casual sports leisure, she looked intimidating as hell.

Even perched high against Naomi's chest, Annabelle still had to crane her neck up to look at her face. 

With a smile that terrified Annabelle to her core, Zoey observed the giantesses with scrutinizing steely blue eyes. Zoey's smile widened. The familiar easy-going hum of her voice filled the locket. 

"Come in, I've been waiting for you guys."