Not A Toy 121

Sophie didn't like where this was going.

Nathalie was right. During all stages of development, Sophie had been one of the most insistent voices that the device needed to wait for human trials. Of course, two things were true at once - and she had long desired to see it function where humans were concerned but she also knew that such things couldn't be rushed.

Of course... if two women unwittingly became the first human subjects, who was Sophie to stop them?

Still, Nathalie's line of questioning caused Sophie's poker face to fail. Her hands trembled for a moment, her gaze trailed, her body stiffened - and her taller friend noticed.

Nathalie's gaze locked on her dwindled colleague. She was far from a fool, knew Sophie well and the cogs in her own sharp mind began turning. "Sophie." Her voice firm. "Shrinking yourself like this is... too unlike you..."

Sophie's lips quivered, as she tried to muster an arrangement of words that would throw her friend off the trail - but Nathalie's towering size was undeniably intimidating. The redhead almost felt like a student being asked where their homework was.

Nathalie ignored the discomfort manifesting before her. "And there's no way you'd shrink yourself just to... what, see what its like, if you didn't know for certain it was safe..."

Sweat began to bead upon the redhead's brow.

The brown eyed woman leaned forward. "Sophie, you are the first human to be... shrunk... right?"

Sophie bit her lip. "Well, there's... of course, I mean... within the context of us two..."

Nathalie's eyed widened. "Sophie!" Her voice loud and booming.

The shrunken woman retreated from her towering friend. "No! There's no one else here, I mean..." The nerves of the exhausted scientist getting the better of her.

The taller woman couldn't believe what she was hearing. "There's someone here?! Sophie, you need to fess up right this second!" Nathalie couldn't believe this! What exactly had she put her livelihood on the line for?

The shrunken scientist was now regretting her carefree size reduction. If she hadn't indulged, then Nathalie wouldn't suspect anything but now... It was one thing entirely to justify to herself the shrinking of Maisie and Jenna, but to another person? That was a less than ideal prospect. Particularly when she hadn't had a real chance to convince the dwindled duo of what the stakes were here!

As the frazzled Sophie was wishing she had stayed in bed, another was stirring in their own.

Despite her beliefs otherwise, Jenna had reluctantly found sleep. Truth be told, she couldn't even remember falling asleep. Whether her fatigue was some kind of side effect of her transformation or simply stress and exhaustion had claimed her waking mind, she couldn't be sure. Still, she had never been a deep sleeper, and the elder of the strangers-turned-roommates was first to rise.

Her vision came into focus, seeing another figure beside her. For a moment, the teacher had no idea where she was, or who she had gone to bed with, but then it all came rushing back to her.

Shrinking out of her dress, racing around the classroom, being shrunk even further, stuffed into a purse, dressing herself in a doll's garment... Unfortunately, it wasn't some insane nightmare, it was all real. The still sleeping form of Maisie next to her, as well as the musty smell of her new accommodations, and the less than comfortable plastic bed; all undeniable proof of the reality of her plight.

Still, what had caused Jenna to stir? Her shrunken form still longed for sleep, she could feel it, but something had roused her. As her senses reasserted themselves, she remembered.

Someone had shouted. No, someone was talking... No! People were talking!

It was muffled by the closed door, but Jenna was certain of it. Someone else was in the home!