It was a Friday night. The weather outside was dark and stormy, with rain already beginning to pepper the ground. Tara, my step-mom, already had one foot out the door. She was leaving for a business trip, leaving me alone with...

"Heidi," Tara addressed my step-sister. "Liam is in charge while I'm gone. Please do what he says, and don't give him a hard time."

Heidi nodded, but I knew damn well how this would probably end up going. Tara turned her attention to me. I was standing on the floor, next to Heidi's right foot, her fuzzy purple sock dominated a fair amount of my peripheral vision.

"Liam, help her hold the fort down until I get back. Have her call me if you two need anything," Tara finished up, "I love you both. There's pizza money in the counter, enough for two days if you use the coupon on the mobile app."

"Bye Mom!" Heidi said enthusiastically as the door closed. A chill went down my spine, I could just feel my sister's gaze land upon me.

I turned my head cautiously slow to look up at Heidi. I was halfway dreading this. As soon as I made eye contact with her, I saw she was sporting a mischievous grin. She moved her foot and lightly poked me with her big toe, causing me to tumble onto my back. Soon after, I was held underneath said foot, with only my head left free from the soft purple prison that was her sock. The pressure was a little firm, but she wasn't pressing enough of her weight on me to harm me.

Currently, Heidi was wearing athletic shorts and a spandex tank top which sufficiently showed her toned body, replete with burgeoning abdominal muscles and defined yet delicate muscles. She wasn't a beefcake by any means, she was just very fit. Her hair was done into Dutch loop braids, one circling around each of her ears. It was her favorite hairstyle and allowed her to move around without her hair flopping into her face during whatever exercises she wanted to do. So, the issue is, if Heidi wanted to dominate someone, she wouldn't have much trouble even if they were around her own size. And here I was, tiny as a baby carrot, at this girl's mercy.

"Hello, Liam!" Heidi happily greeted me, looking down basically at her own foot.

I cocked an eyebrow, and kept a neutral expression on my face. Show no fear!

"Hello to you too, dearest sister," I spoke calmly.

Calling her my sister was of course only halfway true. Her mother, Tara, had brought Heidi here from Germany to get away from Heidi's abusive biological father. I lived solely with my dad, who eventually ended up with Tara, but he passed away, leaving me alone with the two of them. Tara treated me quite kindly, and Heidi had a habit of toying with me.

Heidi kept up her predatory smile.

"Hmm... Mom said you're in charge..." Heidi said, sounding almost confused about it. I was a little older, but not by much. I was only eighteen, and Heidi was seventeen.

"I... I suppose she did," I acknowledged solemnly.

"Oh, indeed she did... So..." Heidi began. She knelt down on her left knee, while keeping her foot on me. She rested her right arm on her right knee, and stared me down. I felt like how a muffin probably feels at in a bakery behind a glass shelf... and Heidi was a very hungry customer.

"Since you're in charge, older brother, why don't you command me to do something then, sir?" Heidi asked. She was very obviously trying to point out something-- that I had no way of enforcing the authority Tara placed on me.

I broke eye contact first, an obvious sign of defeat.

"Umm... Uh... I... Could you..." I began to stammer. Heidi cut me off.

"What was that? Aww, it's kind of hard to hear you down there, big bro..." Heidi teased.

I spontaneously needed to cough, for some reason. For a split second, Heidi's face changed to worry, before returning back to her typical power trip.

"Well since you're all tongue-tied tonight, how about we play a game? It's been years, and I'm really missing it..." Heidi began to pout.

"S-Sure. What game would you like to play?" I dared ask.

"Cat and mouse!" Heidi instantly replied, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement.

I gulped. We hadn't played that game since we were twelve, and last time she got in trouble for jamming me into her mouth after catching me-- like a cat catching a mouse.

But, we were older now, surely she wouldn't do something so reckless and gross again. We weren't exactly enemies, but Heidi did find pleasure in making me her plaything. I felt bad for anyone she would try to date in the future, because she would absolutely be the domineering type.

"Sounds... Fun..." I managed to squeak out.

Instantly, Heidi stood up, and removed her foot off of me. She was jumping up and down in childish excitement.

"Yay! Yay! Yay!" Heidi squealed, and then cut to a slightly more serious tone. "You should probably start running, by the way."

I largely considered myself to be of average intelligence, but there was one fundamental truth I'd learned would be easy to understand no matter your mental acumen. If you're a tiny person, and Heidi tells you to run, you run. Simple as that.

And so, the chase was on. Barely five minutes of hiding behind furniture and random objects and I was quickly becoming winded. Heidi, however, seemed to be enjoying it as a workout. Up and down, pretty much doing pushups on the floor trying to reach me.

I was in the middle of sprinting from the TV stand to the couch, when I tripped. Heidi was holding back the entire time, but this time, her hand landed squarely on top of me. The force of the impact was more startling than anything, and I yelped in fear.

"Sorry little mousey, but looks like you're food," Heidi warned me, and held me upside down above her face.

Damn it! I was going to get coated in saliva if I didn't think of a way out of this shit.

I started swinging back and forth, but Heidi kept a tight grip on my legs.

"Struggle all you like, you lost, and you have to accept what defeat entails," Heidi explained.

I glanced down in horror to watch her mouth open wide, tongue out to greet me. Strands of saliva stretched across her maw, and got thinner and thinner until they snapped and fell towards the dark abyss of her throat. Part of me knew it was silly, but what if she truly intended to eat me this time? What if she went too far?

A few seconds before I was to get coated in spit, a lucky lightning strike happened outside, causing Heidi yelp and accidentally drop me. I safely bounced off of her chest, and tumbled down her thigh until I landed face first on the floor.

"Hey, are you o--" Heidi began to ask sympathetically, but I had a trick up my sleeve.

I stood up as quickly as I could, and ran underneath the smaller living room couch before Heidi even had a chance to process what was happening. Fortunately, I made it in time, and Heidi's hand slapped around underneath the couch, trying to reach me.

I backed up as far as possible, basically against the wall. This was a heavy, solid couch. Leather and all. It was also wedged between extra furniture, so moving it would be highly inconvenient for Heidi.

  "Alas, it appears the mouse has reached the hole in the wall," I called out to Heidi. She couldn't quite reach me, as I had made my way to probably the safest spot I could manage, given my limited options.

Heidi's hand retreated from underneath the couch, and then I saw her face lower to the floor, trying to get a better look at me. I knew she hated losing, and I expected to see an annoyed look on her face.

Surprisingly, she didn't look mad. She just looked, well, determined. As if the game wasn't over yet. I raised a hand and shot her the bird.

Heidi's face cracked into a grin again. "Oh, you're really in for it once I get to you, Liam. I wonder what I'll do to you? Ahhh... the possibilities!"

I laughed, dryly. "I am trembling in my little bootie-wooties." This was a lie. I was not wearing boots, nor bootie-wooties. And I was not trembling. In fact...

Heidi spent quite a bit of time trying to get me out of my spot. She tried every promise and every threat. I wouldn't budge. It was going on nearly ten minutes, when another lightning bolt struck outside.

Suddenly, the power was knocked out. My mood changed in an instant. I was no longer interested in taunting my sister. The house was dark, and...

I heard Heidi's voice in the darkness. "L-Liam...?"

Shit.

"H-h... Help... me," Heidi slowly stammered, hardly able to keep a normal tone. Her voice was becoming high pitched, fear was obviously starting to settle in.

Heidi had nyctophobia. The whole house was usually illuminated with night lights during the night, but since this was a power outage, they were all off. Even the street lights outside, as well.

I started blindly making my way out from underneath the couch.

"I'm coming! Keep tapping your hand on the floor so I can figure out which way I am headed," I said, trying to sound as comforting as possible.

Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap...

The system was working, and I was getting closer to where I needed to be. Heidi might have been a handful sometimes, but she's never actually hurt me before, whether verbally or physically. I needed to be the big brother for real this time.

Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap...

I had once asked Tara why Heidi was so afraid of the dark, and she gave me a short answer, letting me figure out the details. It was a question I would never ask again. When she was younger, Heidi's father did things a loving parent should never do-- and it was always in the dark. The piece of shit did eventually go to prison, but the damage had been done, and would remain forever. A side effect of her trauma was an overwhelming fear of the darkness.

Eventually, I reached Heidi's hand. I was immediately snatched up, she then quickly hopped onto the couch, and pulled a throw-blanket over us both. I was being held against the soft spandex shirt covering Heidi's chest, right above her heart. It was pounding furiously.

"L-Liam?" Heidi simply stated my name.

"I'm right here! Everything is okay..." I answered.

Heidi nervously fidgeted her fingers over me, keeping me glued to her chest in what I would consider her attempt at a hug.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked, in a serious tone.

She was very likely on the verge of a real panic attack. Eventually, she did answer.

"N-no, you're... Just keep talking, I would... like that..." Heidi answered softly.

"Okay, you got it," I answered confidently. Heidi ran a finger on my hair.

I took a deep breath, and got to work.

"Well, first off, I don't think I could ask for a better step sibling. You obviously enjoy teasing me, but you're always careful to never take it too far. I can count on one hand the amount of times you've actually hurt me in some way with your pranks, and each time you apologized profusely. We've known each other for years, and I'm still impressed with how dedicated you are to staying in shape. Mom mentioned you recently signed up for a martial arts class? I think that's bad-ass, and I bet you'll be one of the best ones there. I am genuinely excited for you and hope you enjoy your time when you do go. Also, I know you think you're slick, but I notice when you help me in the background. It's sporadic, but I've realized you have been watching out for me for awhile. You're always looking out for and disposing of insects or bugs that make their way into the house. I also wondered why my bullies at school randomly stopped messing with me, one by one-- that was your work as well. You watch your feet a lot more than a normal person should when you're at home, and you magically just stop doing it whenever you locate me. I know it can be hard sometimes, I know I'm tiny, but I appreciate you immensely--"

The power flicked back on. It wasn't out for very long, thank goodness. I faced Heidi and--

She was staring directly at me, tears freely streaming down her face. I wonder... how long had she been crying?

"Thank God the power's back on, huh? I hate when it goes out. Put me back under the couch and we can continue the gam--" I began, but was cut off.

"Let's... Can we, uh... Let's just lie here for a minute, please," Heidi cut me off, trying to halt her sobbing between each word.

I didn't say another word, and I was once again pressed near Heidi's heartbeat. Her shirt was warm, it was flexible and thin, and her body felt soft underneath. Her hand rested on my back, and despite what had just happened, this hug-- this cuddle-- was the most peaceful moment I've had in a long, long time. I laid my head down, and closed my eyes, trying to burn it into memory.