Not A Toy 106

Sophie didn't even wait for a response to her question.

The giant woman was already moving. In a flurry of motion, the bowl-turned-bath had been removed from the room, the computer was shut down, the blinds that hung above the study's window were promptly lowered, and lastly the lamp that rested on the desk was snuffed - plunging the office into an expansive gloom.

The scientist didn't miss a beat and was already headed for the door.

Amidst all the commotion, Maisie and Jenna had simply exchanged glances of mild irritation and confusion. When the light went out, there was a sudden anxiety that rose in the pair - and Jenna moved to the edge of her new accommodation.

"Hey!" The shrunken teacher realized there was no arrangement of words - at least in this moment - that would free them of this insanity. "You're going to get started on fixing that... device... first thing, right?!"

"First thing, Jenna." Sophie said. Her tone unreadable.

The teacher grumbled in reply, and as the redhead exited the room she spoke once more. "I'll lock the door, so that you're both safe. Goodnight you two."

There was no reply.

Sophie insisted. "I said, goodnight."

Jenna was beyond patronized. The tone the scientist used was exactly the same the teacher employed on her very young charges.

"Goodnight!" Jenna yelled, her little voice not carrying that far. Maisie joined the chorus with a louder grumble.

Satisified with her taunt, the woman shut the door. The door had no lock on it, but it didn't hurt to deter any antics. The scientist was beyond confident the two were trapped in there, and they weren't small enough to crawl under the doors either. Besides, she had removed her phone from her bag, and there was no way that...

Sophie caught herself, and as she stood in the hallway, she realized it was the first time today she had the chance to slow down. It had been a tumultuous several weeks, and she had never expected things to culminate in the way it had - with two shrunken people in her home. There was still a lot to do, a lot to be anxious about, but this evening - in this moment - the brilliant woman allowed herself a few deep breaths.

Inside the now sealed office, things were not so calm. Whilst the pair were both mutually pleased that there wasn't a giant woman looming over them, the sudden silence and darkened environment added a certain isolation that made them feel even smaller than their already small statures. The idle fears that a person might have in the quiet of their rooms - of a spider, an intruder, of any kind of threat or emergency - were magnified. The pair pushed down their respective anxieties, as Jenna watched Maisie scanning the bed.

"What are you doing?" The teacher asked, breaking the silence between them.

"Figuring out the best way to get comfortable. I won't be getting much sleep in this dress..."

"Sleep? You're not actually going to sleep, are you?"

Maisie rolled her eyes. "What else should I be doing?"

"Trying to figure out an escape?"

Maisie just groaned and let out an exhausted sigh. "Not this again..."

As tensions rose between the tiny twosome, across the hall Sophie immersed herself in calm for as long as she could. Finally, the reason she wanted to cease her interactions with the two for the night, and why she had rushed to be alone, could be realized. The voice of the little teacher had got into her mind, as she strode into her room and saw her prized invention sitting idle.

The redhead stalked towards it with confidence and control, a far cry from the careless curiosity Maisie had approached it with hours before.