A Luke and Matt sizeshifter short story, this story takes place immediately after 'Be the Hero'.
TW: Life threatening scenarios involving being trapped in a burning building, some swearing, mentions of self-hate and shame
Approx 4.2k words
“Come on dude please! This will be so good for your image!” Matt was pacing the living room practically giddy with excitement; he was shaking like a squirrel on caffeine.
Luke on the other hand was largely less enthused, mostly embarrassed, and deadly scared of revealing his unique abilities to anyone else, he’d already let too many people see what he was capable of in the last few months.
“Matt I can’t, I can’t just go around shifting for the whole world to see, you don’t get it.”
Matt raised his eyebrows, he wasn’t going to let this drop, it had been two weeks since the incident at the bank and Matt was convinced, he was now somewhat of a vigilante. Luke had used his size shifting abilities during a bank robbery, the robber had turned suicidal when it was clear there was no sign of escape and had set a bomb.
Luke, thinking quickly had shifted into his larger size of approximately 60 feet to smother the bomb and apprehend the criminal. The police had then discovered what was going on and promised Luke they would keep his secret, for which he was grateful.
Matt on the other hand was only convinced further that Luke should continue to use his powers for fighting crime.
“Honestly Luke what the hell is the point in having kickass superpowers if you aren’t ever gonna use them!”
“I’m not a superhero Matt, I’m a freak of nature and this has to be kept a secret.” Luke stood then, feeling his blood pressure rise with the feeling of anger, he didn’t want to fight with Matt, but he was becoming increasingly more frustrated by the minute.
Another reason Luke couldn’t rely on his own abilities, though he had some semblance of control to shift at will, his shifting was also controlled by his heightened emotions.
Feelings such as anger or stress could cause him to grow and feelings of sadness and exhaustion would make him shrink, all out of his control, if he didn’t have a handle on his emotions.
“I’ve kept your secret Luke, and I don’t plan on going around revealing your powers to the world, but I at least think you should be using them to save people.” Matt was firm, his arms crossed over his chest, all excitement of a child gone in an attempt to help his friend see his own potential.
“Fuck man you don’t seem to understand that if this gets out, people will come after me, either the general public who think I’m dangerous or the government who will see me as a science project. I won’t be helping anyone if I’m locked up in some government facility.” Luke pushed his fingers through his short brown locks.
“This isn’t like in the movies Matt, superheroes aren’t real, in real life freaks like me need to stay hidden, for our own protection and for the protection of others.” Sighing deeply, Luke finished his rant, he wasn’t usually a man of very many words, but he needed to get Matt to understand this.
“Fine, whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night.” The tall blonde walked away from the conversation, it was clear they were not going to agree on this tonight, but he knew his friend and he knew that when push comes to shove, he would be the hero.
Luke fell back into the soft cushions of the couch, he didn’t feel like he’d won that, and he knew he hadn’t, but at least for now Matt would drop the issue and stop sketching potential superhero disguises for him.
Luke and Matt had known each other since they were in the first grade and had been thick as thieves since. When Lukes abilities made themselves known when he was six years old, he was sworn by his parents to keep it a secret even from his best friend, so it wasn’t until high school that Matt actually learned of Luke’s gift and even that had been by accident.
Luke had been stressed about a major test and feeling the tightness in his body and the push of shifting coursing through him all day, when the test was over, he had bolted into the forest that backed onto the school oval so he could shift.
He had not expected anyone to follow him, but he was grateful that it had been Matt and not someone else, though it had been a scary revelation for Matt he had quickly overcome his fears and was stoked to be in on the secret. Luke had felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders that he didn’t have to hide a huge part of who he was from his best friend.
Now some 10 years later, both of them in their mid-twenties and sharing an apartment in New York, still best friends and trying to lead a somewhat normal life, this had clearly grown boring for Matt though.
Matt was the more charismatic of the two where Luke was the quiet nerdy type, overly emotional and anxious as all hell, which didn’t bode well for him considering the nature of his abilities.
Luke’s biggest fear is still to lose control of his abilities and hurt someone he cares about, there had been way too many close calls throughout the course of his life so far and it was so easy to lose control. He couldn’t let that happen, and if he were to play the superhero then the probability of something going horribly wrong was much higher, he couldn’t risk it.
“Why can’t I just be fucking normal.” Luke sighed through gritted teeth; life would be so much simpler.
A loud explosion sounded nearby, shaking Luke from his self-depreciating thoughts, the crash could be felt like an earthquake through the floor and rattled the windows. Quickly jumping to the window, he could see flames coming from a nearby apartment building, only a block or two away, it looked as though a few cars had crashed into the building followed by an explosion.
Hearing the quick pads of feet down the hall he turned to see Matt had emerged with his shoes on and a hoodie over his pajama top.
“Oh, hell no.” Luke said, already knowing exactly what Matt was thinking.
“We will get there faster than the emergency services Luke, we have to go and help.” Matt was already heading for the door, his hand on the doorknob.
“I’m not doing it Matt; I won’t shift in front of all those people.”
Matt sighed turning away from him, clearly still either pissed or just disappointed in him, he opened the door as he spoke “I’m not asking you too, I’m going to go and help, whether you come with me or not, that’s what good people do.”
Matt closed the door behind him, and Luke turned his pale blue eyes skyward as if the ceiling might provide him with a reasonable excuse to stay in his apartment. Groaning loudly, he pushed off from the window to put his shoes on.
He wouldn’t let his friend go alone with the potential that he could and would recklessly put his own life in danger to help, he was the real hero after all, Luke was the coward.
Luke quickly raced down the two flights of stairs and chased after Matt who was already approaching the smoky scene. Now seeing things up close, it was clear that two cars had crashed into each other before rolling into the building and crashing into what must have been a gas pipe.
The six-story building was in flames, four of the six floors already engulfed with the fire rapidly escalating higher by the minute, many residents of the building were standing outside already disheveled and, in their nightwear, crying and hugging each other.
“Is everyone out? Has anyone called 911?” Matt was asking the crowd, a few people were on their phones already, presumably calling emergency services.
“No, there’s an elderly couple on the sixth floor, I can’t see them, there’s also a family with kids and I think a few others, I can’t see them anywhere they must be still inside, of god I wish they would hurry!” A stocky woman shouted, she had short, cropped hair and was clutching a small dog to her chest sobbing into his fur.
Matt nodded at the woman before running towards the entry way into the apartment, Luke followed after him grabbing his arm to pull him back.
“No fucking way Matt, there’s no way I let you go in there.” Matt tugged on his arm trying to shake Luke off of him, he had a sharp look in his hazel eyes.
“I’m not gonna just stand here and watch it burn, the firefighters are ten minutes away, they’ll be dead by then.”
“And you’ll be dead too, fuck!” Look shut his eyes tightly thinking of a way to get those people out, they couldn’t go up from the bottom, it was already unstable and engulfed by flame, they needed to go in from the top. He had a plan, but he didn’t like it.
“Damnit Matt, come with me, quickly!” He shouted at his friend pulling him around the corner and into the shadow of the neighboring building.
“We do this quickly okay, I’ll shift and let you in to the sixth floor, get the people to the window and I’ll carry them down and then we go before emergency services get here, got it?”
Without waiting for his friend to respond he quickly shot up to his 65-foot height, he pulled his hoodie over his face to hopefully hide his identity from onlookers, he then knelt down in front of his friend, laying his hand palm up for Matt to climb onto.
It never ceased to amaze Matt each time he saw his best friend grow into a literal giant, but there was no time to stare slack jawed, he quickly climbed on sitting with crossed legs in the center of the massive palm as it rose into the air.
With only a brief moment to hesitate, Luke carefully stepped out of the shadows of the building and rounded the corner, his footsteps quaked the ground below him and the multitude of gasps from the ground made him flinch. Ignoring the gawking stares, he went straight up to the building trying his best to keep his steps light lest he cause the unstable building to collapse.
At his impressive height of 65 feet, he stood eye level with the windows of the sixth floor, carefully and mindful of his small passenger he raised his hand up to the sixth floor, knocking one of the windows with the tip of his finger to break it and allow Matt to enter.
Once his hand was level with one of the windows, Matt stood and jumped through the open window, immediately shouting to anyone that might be there.
“If your still up here, shout out, make a noise, we need to get you out of here now!”
With nothing else to do but anxiously wait while the crowd of small people below him stared up at him in most likely fear, he fiddled with the edge of his hood and tried his best not to look at them.
He could feel their stares though, and the click of photographs being taken.
In the distance he could hear sirens and he cursed under his breathe.
“Come on Matt.” Luke muttered impatiently.
As if reading his mind, Matt made an appearance at the window, he had an elderly woman in a nightgown on his left with her arm over his shoulder for support and an elderly man on his right also leaning against him and coughing from the smoke in the air.
Luke raised his hand to the window, making it level and flush against the side of the building so it was easier for them to step onto, the woman looked up probably expecting to see a fireman and a ladder but instead was greeted with large blue eyes peering in.
She screamed bloody murder and clung to Matt, urging him to back away from the window.
“Ma’am it’s okay, he’s a friend, we are here to help I promise.” He assured her.
“M-monster!” She wailed, Luke’s heart skipped a beat at the word, he’d always referred to himself as a monster, a freak but never once had he heard someone cry that name at him before, not his family, not Matt, not even the frightened onlookers during the bank incident.
The word pierced through him, and he hesitated, he didn’t want to force them to do something they didn’t want to do, he knew what it felt like to literally put your life in someone else’s hands, and they didn’t know him and had no reason to trust him.
Matt rubbed the woman’s back soothingly, while the old man stood silently, his shirt pulled over his mouth so he could breathe easier, he stared at Luke as if calculating if it was worth the risk.
At that very moment Matt had just managed to calm down the old woman when there was more commotion behind him and soon a young woman with two young children, a little girl of around six years old and an older boy maybe ten, came into view of the window. The mother skidded in her tracks when she took in the scene before her, backing away towards the fiery hallway they had just come from.
“No wait!” Matt cried, quickly becoming frustrated with everyone’s hesitance towards his friend.
“Listen! This is Luke! He’s a friend, I swear, we only want to get you down from this building, you only have to trust him for one minute then I swear you can walk away!”
The mother and two children walked a little closer, but the old woman was firm in place.
“Do you want to wait for the fire fighters to get here and risk your lives while you wait or do you want to get down now!”
That was enough to convince the young mother and she skirted around the wailing woman, she then helped her children up onto the ledge and onto the awaiting palm, once seated in the center she held both her children close to her.
Luke raised his other hand as a sort of safety ledge before carefully pulling his hands away from the building and lowering the small family to the ground.
Another round of gasps erupted from the people around him and he kept his head tilted downwards in hopes that no one would get a good angle of his face. Once his hand was on the ground, he moved his other away from the family so they could step off easily, his eyes met the little girls, she reminded him so much of his own little sister when he was younger.
The young woman stood on shaky legs and pulled her children along with her, Luke had to suppress the automatic impulse to flinch from the feeling of small limbs tickling his sensitive palm. The little girl toddled after her mother and gave him a little wave, her other hand gripping a small brown bear to her chest.
“Thank you, Luke.” She said, her voice so quiet he almost didn’t hear it, he nodded once to her before he addressed the growing crowd.
“I’m gonna stand up again.” He muttered, he knew his voice no matter how soft would carry and echo through the streets, he felt he at least owed them a little warning.
Then standing again, he raised his hand once more to the window ledge, the fire had entered the room now and the woman still stood shaking her head, now however the old man was at her side also trying to convince her to get on.
“Come on Brenda love, we can’t stay here.”
Matt had had enough though, he approached the window trying to get a glimpse of the emergency services, he could hear them getting faintly louder, still a minute or two away, but the building could give way at any second.
“Luke your gonna have to grab her.”
Luke gulped audibly, not only did he really not want to do that, but he hated grabbing anyone against their will, even holding the robber in a firm fist had made him feel sick to his stomach. No one should have their free will taken from them like that, especially a frightened old woman.
“Matt, you can’t ask me to, I can’t.”
“Do it lad, she won’t listen to reason, please help us out of here.” The old man spoke up then, his wife was in a state of panic and not listening to anything happening around her, there was no way to convince her to get on his hand willingly and Matt couldn’t lift her onto it on his own.
The building groaned and that made up his decision, they had to do this now.
“Okay, alright, you two get on first.” The old man wasted no time, he climbed on and sat himself down holding on tight to Luke’s thumb that had curled into his palm, Matt hopped on shortly after.
Luke moved them towards his chest, so they had some kind of shield from the drop below before his other hand crowded the window, the old woman was backing up, but she wasn’t fast enough for the large appendage that invaded the small space of the room.
She screamed so loudly that it could surely be heard from a few blocks away, Luke held his breathe, hating himself as his fingers wrapped around her frail frame, he held her in a loose fist, not wanting to squeeze too tightly on her fragile body.
Then as carefully as he could he pulled her from the building, he knelt down once more, letting off his two passengers and carefully opening his other hand next to Matt so he could help her if she was unstable.
Luke hadn’t realized until now, but the old woman had become silent in his hand, as he let her go, Matt caught her and lowered her onto the ground.
A deafening groan came from the building behind them, and Luke turned to see the sixth floor begin to collapse, he stood and stretched his arms out hoping to shield the civilians from the crash, He pushed the building upright with a grunt and then let it concave in on itself. God, he hoped that they had gotten everyone out.
The dust and smoke filtered out through the streets, causing the people on the sidelines to cough and choke, it was then that the fire truck rounded the corner, screeching tires and sirens blazing casting the site in red and blue light. Luke decided to pay them no mind, they were late to the scene, and he had other things to worry about now.
Once he was sure the building wouldn’t fall further into the crowd, he turned back to Matt and the elderly woman on the ground, his eyes widened when he saw that Matt was pushing his hands into her chest, performing CPR.
All colour drained from Luke’s face and he crouched down so his face was hovering over them, Matt’s brow was slick with sweat from the exertion.
“W-what happened? D-did I-?”
“I think she had a heart attack.” Matt panted as he continued pressing rhythmically into her chest.
“No no no.” Luke muttered, he thought for sure his own heart had stopped, this is what he feared most, he’d actually done it, he’d hurt someone, unintentionally but nevertheless proved he was indeed what she had called him, a monster.
“Step back!” A burly looking man pushed through the crowed, he held a first aid kit and a portable defibrillator slinging across his chest and an ambulance emblem on his uniform, he must be a paramedic.
“Suspected heart attack, she’s been unresponsive for about a minute.” Matt told the paramedic as he took over, Matt was a paramedic also but obviously off duty, he helped the man cut the woman’s shirt down the middle before sticking two defibrillation tabs onto her chest.
“Clear!” The man shouted before proceeding to shock the woman, her body jolted, and a deafening single beep resounded. He rebooted the device and went for it once again, jolting her body, it felt like time stood still as everyone waited to listen to the beeping of her heart.
“Beep, beep, beep.” A rhythm, Luke exhaled a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, the breeze blew the hair of those directly under his looming face, and then the paramedic looked up at him.
“He’s cool.” Matt said, he spoke to the man with familiarity, like they knew each other, they probably did seeing as Matt was also a paramedic.
“I don’t wanna know man.” He shook his head and waved for them to get out of there, Luke wasted no time, he stood without waiting for Matt to follow, rounded the corner and when he saw no one was looking he shrunk back to an average height of 6 foot 5.
Matt jogged around the corner to catch up with him and immediately pulled his mate into a tight hug.
“Luke, I don’t care what you say or what you think, you’re a hero, those people would not still be alive without you.”
Luke couldn’t shake the image of the old woman, literally scared to death, he may have actually killed her had Matt not been there to start CPR she would still be dead.
“Heroes don’t kill people Matt.” He said quietly, he couldn’t meet Matt’s eyes, instead he only stared at his hands like they were alien to him. “let’s just go.” Luke turned away from his friend and walked slowly toward their apartment, the shaky feeling of adrenalin leaving his body and now all he wanted to do was sleep for a week.
“Come on man, don’t blame yourself.” But he could tell that he wasn’t hearing him, he knew Luke felt responsible for the old woman Brenda’s near-death experience.
“The stress from the fire, inhaling all that smoke, and probably partly you all contributed to her heart attack, you didn’t kill her Luke, she’s breathing, she will live to breathe another day because of you.”
Luke couldn’t hear him, the woman’s screams drowning out any other sounds to his ears, the look of sheer terror on her face and the way she writhed in his grasp before she ceased moving all together, and then the way she hung limp against his fingers. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, couldn’t shake those thoughts and feelings from his mind.
“Luke!” He turned sharply to tell Matt to quit with the lecture already when he realized he had to look up at his friend’s face, currently staring squarely at Matt’s chest and definitely not the height he should be.
He let a tear fall down his cheek then, he should have expected this, he could feel himself feeling more and more down about himself, beating himself up until he felt raw inside. This is what he felt he deserved after all, after being a dangerous giant, he deserved to be weak and small now, at the mercy of large hands other than his own.
“Oh, Luke buddy.” Matt sighed, watching his friend slowly dwindle in height until he stood no taller than his ankle, at which point Luke collapsed to his knees and buried his face in his hands, large sobs wracking his small body.
Matt looked around the street to ensure no one else was around, everyone nearby was too busy focused on the fire and supporting the victims and witnesses of the event. He then knelt down in front of Luke and laid out a palm for him much like Luke had done for him only ten minutes ago.
“Come on dude, let’s get you home.” Luke crawled on hands and knees into the safety of his best friends warm and slightly sweaty palm. Matt had bore witness to his shifting abilities in all its forms and was well versed in handling his friend when he was this small.
Matt carefully raised Luke up to his chest and held him securely there, blocking him from view with his other hand from anyone who might walk by or look out their windows. All they would see was a hooded young man holding something to his chest, they would probably assume he’d been to a drug deal or something, but he didn’t care what they thought as long as he kept his friend safe.
Once inside the apartment, Matt asked Luke if he wanted to stay up and talk about what happened, hoping to raise his friends spirits enough for him to grow back but Luke only shook his head requesting to be put on his bed for the night. Matt reluctantly let him go, not wanting to push the issue any further before heading to his own bed.
That night both friends slept like the dead and Luke wondered if being a hero would ever become easier.
A tiny being ambushed by a giant with bad intentions only to be saved by another giant with wholesome intentions. Like it’s dark, this tiny is upset and not thinking clearly enough to remember the danger of this part of town when the streetlight is blocked by an omenous shadow and a hand descends upon them. They try to run away but this giant just scoops them up and holds them in front of their wicked grin, eyes far too hungry for the tiny’s liking. And shit those teeth are terrifying, all sharp and fang-like. And just as this giant begins to take action, a shout calls out from across the street and another giant storms up to the first. At first this overwhelmed tiny is like “shit shit shit there’s another one” but then this new giant punches the first square in the jaw and those terrifying teeth come flying out of that smug mf’s mouth... afterwards the second giant gingerly plucks the tiny from the fingers of an unconscious giant, cradling them in their hands as these events finally catch up with this tiny’s overtired brain and they just fucking break. I’m talking full mental breakdown, snot blubbering down their faces eyesight clouded with tears, voice raw from wailing, the kind of pain that makes this giant treat this tiny like an extra delicate piece of artwork. And the giant just comforts them until the tiny manages to give the giant their address and the giant walks the tiny home, leaving their number to call if they ever are in need of someone to save them
The television crackles to life in the dimly lit store window, its cheerful jingle cutting through the continual patter of acid rain on the pavement outside. The ancient cathode tube display – an intentional vintage touch in the neo-Victorian boutique – casts an eerie blue-white glow across the rows of glass cases. Inside each meticulously polished hexagonal prism, living things no taller than thirty centimetres maintain frozen poses, their eyes following passing pedestrians with careful, measured movements. The screen flickers with oversaturated colours, showing a 1960s-style advertisement that's been modernised for the current era, film grain effects deliberately superimposed over digital perfection.
"Welcome to a world of wonder!" a saccharine voice chirps over footage of dolls in pristine environments, the tone calibrated to evoke nostalgia while masking the clinical reality beneath. "Where dreams come true, and perfection comes in pocket size!"
The camera pans across serene scenes: a pale, porcelain-skinned doll with auburn ringlets in a hand-stitched frilly pink dress serving Earl Grey from a miniature silver tea set to a delighted child whose eyes sparkle with possessive joy. Another doll – male, with unnaturally symmetrical features – performs a flawless grand jete across a custom-built stage, his shadow elongated against the wall of an impressed family's opulent living room. A collector with jewelled fingers proudly displays their "living art" in crystal cases illuminated by pinpoint LED lights that make the tiny captive's shimmer like precious gems.
"Our dolls are expertly trained to bring joy to your home," the voice continues as the image shifts to a classroom bathed in harsh fluorescent light where rows of tiny figures sit perfectly still at miniature desks, their faces frozen in pleasant smiles despite the visible tension in their diminutive shoulders. A human instructor looms over them, a correction baton tapping rhythmically against her palm. "Each one carefully selected and conditioned to meet our exacting standards of deportment, talent and temperament."
Behind the staged perfection, a shadow passes across one doll's face – a flicker of fear as the baton passes near her, gone so quickly it might have been imagined. Her fingers, barely the size of a staple end, tremble almost imperceptibly against the polished wood of her desk.
"Remember," the voice continues, its sweetness taking on an edge like honey mixed with glass shards, "they exist for your pleasure. Your entertainment. Your collection."
The camera focuses on a doll in a glass case. This is Nyah, a ballerina with rich dark brown skin and curly black hair pulled into a tight bun, secured with pearl-tipped pins that dig slightly into her scalp. Her blush pink and pale blue tutu is hand-embroidered with silver threading that catches the light with every breath she tries to minimise. Her smile never wavers, her arabesque position held with such painful precision, the muscles in her calf visibly straining beneath the sheer tights. But her warm brown eyes... her eyes tell a different story. Deep within them, a memory flickers: the scent of lemon polish on wooden floors mingling with resin dust and sweat, the gentle encouragement of Thomas, her former teacher, his weathered hand steadying her as she practised – his calloused palm warm against the small of her back before she was seen as just something small, before she became property. The faint echo of Tchaikovsky's notes still haunts her, a ghostly reminder of when dance meant freedom instead of display, when applause meant appreciation rather than validation of a purchase.
Her limbs, arranged in perfect form, tremble almost imperceptibly beneath the weight of constant observation. To the casual observer, she is flawless art frozen in mid-motion. To the discerning eye, her stance holds too much tension, her pointed toes curled too rigidly, her smile a fraction too wide with teeth clenched behind parted lips – the telltale signs of someone performing under duress, of muscles held beyond endurance. Behind the blush-pink pale-blue tutu, she longs for the autumn-coloured clothes she crochets in secret – reds, oranges, and browns that remind her of freedom rather than this garnish performance costume.
Suddenly, the peaceful montage is interrupted. A doll – a young male with cropped blonde hair and a sailor suit – breaks character, his pleasant expression cracking like porcelain as his face contorts with desperate fury. He pounds his tiny fists against the glass, each impact making a sound no louder than a raindrop.
"We're not your toys!" he screams, voice tiny but fierce, barely audible through the thick display case. "We're- "
Technical difficulties. Please stand by.
The screen fractures into static, jagged lines cutting across the now-missing doll's face. In the brief chaos that follows, snippets of a heated debate flash across the screen like digital ghosts. A woman in a crisp charcoal suit with a company logo embroidered in gold thread gestures empathetically, her manicured nails gleaming under studio lights: " - legal rights would devastate the entire industry and the economy – think of thousands employed -" Cut to a silver-haired professor surrounded by holographic research papers, his augmented glasses reflecting scrolling data: " -cognitive studies clearly indicate sentience and emotional capacity equivalent to humans prior to genetic reduction procedure-" Another voice, a politician with a face smoothed by expensive rejuvenation treatments: "-property rights must be protected – the precedent would be catastrophic for other ownership-" And finally, a protester on rain-slick streets, her face partially hidden by a breather mask, holding a sign reading "DOLLS ARE PEOPLE TOO" illuminated by the harsh glow of streetlights: "-how can we call ourselves civilised when we literally enslave living beings to make them collectibles-"
The broadcast resumes moments later, showing different dolls, all smiling, all perfect. They stand in formation, a living display of compliant art pieces in varying costumes representing different eras and professions. The first doll is nowhere to be seen, the space he occupied now filled by a replacement with identical features but more docile eyes.
"Remember," the voice concludes, warm but warning, maternal yet menacing, "they belong to you. Forever."
The screen fades to black, reflecting the empty store window and the silhouettes of passersby who barely glance at the display, too accustomed to the sight to find it remarkable. But in the darkness behind the glass, tiny movements can be seen in the display cases – brief, frightened shifts of living beings trying to maintain their poses, knowing the cost of imperfection. A miniature hand presses against glass for an instant before withdrawing. A microscopic tear falls, quickly wiped away before it can be noticed.
Behind the scenes, in a back room hidden from public view, a small body lies broken on a sterile metal tray, limbs twisted at impossible angles, the sailor suit stained crimson. His wide-open eyes reflect the harsh overhead light but see nothing. A lesson to the others watching from translucent holding cells: perfection isn't optional. Compliance isn't negotiable. Their diminished size makes them easy to replace, easier still to discard.
And in her glass prison, Nyah holds her pose, muscles screaming, smile unwavering, as Walter – the store owner with his cold, calculating expression and slicked-back grey hair – watches a well-dressed couple pause to admire her form, the price tag glittering beside her case. Her thoughts drift momentarily to her brothers – Aneurin and Isaiah, tiny at just 2 inches tall – somewhere else in the shop, forced into outfits they hate, waiting in their own glass prisons. The weight of responsibility for them presses on her heavier than any dance pose could.
Thank you so much for reading this chapter!
It means the world to me that you took the time to step into this story. Dolls is deeply personal, exploring themes that I hope resonate differently with every reader—whether it reminds you of something real, something imagined, or something in between. If it made you feel anything at all, I’m grateful.
Comments, thoughts, or even quiet reads are always appreciated. Thank you for being here. ♡
A young Shifter wanders into a town crawling with hunters, Hendrix plans on laying low but when he catches wind of one particular hunter who is after the same Shifter that he’s been tracking himself, his curiosity gets the better of him. Offering to join the man on his quest he can only hope he can track down the dangerous shifter, saving the lives of innocents all the while keeping his secret hidden.
TW: mentions of murder/eating people, giant spiders, some swearing, mentions of death, mentions of drug use
G/t Shifter story, the idea came from a prompt I read a while back by @maplesyrupandgt. I’ve just come back to writing after recovering from an injury to my writing hand of all things, but I’m back and posting short stories and prompts to get me back in the swing of things. This will be a Four Part Story so keep an eye out for more to come!
Approx 3.2k words
Part One - Here
Part Two
The rain beat down hard on my shoulders and I knew I’d have to stop for the night, my eyes had caught sight of distant light coming from this direction and I had hoped to stumble across a small village in search for cheap accommodation. What I didn’t expect to find however was currently staring at my face menacingly, urging me to turn around and go back the way I’d come.
A sign was posted a few yards from the small village, and it read:
‘GIANT’S BEWARE’
And Another:
‘GIANT SLAYERS WITHIN’
The signs were large enough that any shifter would be able to read it in their Giant forms, what was unnecessary was the graphic image of a shifter having its head cut off by a human that was scrawled under the blocky letters above it.
“Charming” I said to myself.
It was known among shifters that most humans didn’t know that ‘Giants’ as they called us, were not in fact Giant’s at all but a special kind of shape shifter that could grow into their large forms at will, or sometimes against their will. For that reason, I deemed it safe to enter, no one here would know what I was, I’d just have to keep a low profile as always.
My boots trudged heavily through the muddy streets until I found a tavern, the sign out the front told me that there was availability inside, perfect. I pushed open the double wooden doors and was greeted with a waft of warm thick air filled with music, laughter and the smell of smoke and whiskey.
I inhaled deeply, soaking in the pleasant sensations, I’d get a drink once I’d secured a room for the night. I found a coat hanger near the entryway and placed my wet jacket onto it along with my fedora, feeling somewhat warmer and dryer I headed straight for the bar with my best panty dropping grin.
“A straight whisky darlin if you don’t mind?” I asked the young barmaid from behind the counter, she gave me a playful wink while pouring a fresh glass without even looking at it. She slid it across the polished counter to me and leaned over.
“What’s a pretty face like you doing here?” she asked, flicking her long black hair over her shoulder.
“Just passing through” I said casually. “I was hoping I might find some accommodations hereabouts.”
“Well, you need look no further, we have a few spare rooms tonight, just a single?” She asked hopefully, she briefly glanced around to see if I had come in with anyone else.
“Yeah, just a single.”
She handed me a piece of parchment to sign, a guest log, I scribbled a fake name in as I usually did and handed it back to her along with a generous payment, she gave me a set of keys and then asked. “Where are you headed to?”
“Oh no where in particular, I enjoy exploring, I’m a bit of a nomad.” I shrugged, taking another heavy slog of my drink. “Might head toward Lightening Ridge tomorrow.” I said offhandedly.
The man beside me at the bar, scoffed, I hadn’t even noticed him sit down until now, the barmaid and I both looked at him curiously, waiting for an explanation.
“You haven’t heard the rumors?” He asked, looking at us incredulously, his dark hair and darker complexion gave off a mysterious air in the already dim lighting of the tavern, his shaggy hair keeping his face in the shadows expertly.
“That’s Giant territory up that way.” He explained, turning to address us properly.
“Is that so?” I asked, I hadn’t heard of any territory being claimed as ‘Giants Territory’ ever, most of the time shifters mainly lived amongst humans. Of course, there were the rare kind who took advantage of their sheer strength and sought to harm and press their power over others.
One shifter in particular I could think of, we’d crossed paths a few times, I had actually been tracking him for a long time after hearing the first reports of a Giant terrorizing villages. I’d found him about a year ago, warning him of others who were hunting him, I tried to get through to him with reason, but he wasn’t interested in hearing any of it, in fact he very nearly killed me.
I’d kept my distance then but continued to track him for a short while until I lost his trail. It had been months since I’d had any firm leads and I wondered if my instinct taking me this far East had finally paid off. Perhaps he had taken over Lightening Ridge claiming it to be his own.
“What makes you think it’s Giant Territory?” I pressed further.
The young man finished off his drink and indicated that he would like another.
“I’ve been assigned to hunt a Giant living in that area, he’s set up camp there for a while now, many have gone in, but none have ever returned.” he said forebodingly wiggling his fingers for emphasis.
I shivered but not because of the stupid theatrics the man was displaying, but because in all likelihood Blade was killing if not eating the men who had entered ‘His’ Territory and the thought turned my gut to ice.
“Perhaps I could assist you.” I said resolve set, I was sure this was the shifter I’d been after, and I wasn’t going to let him get away again, especially knowing he was now murdering civilians.
The young man laughed loudly but I kept my expression neutral, and his laughter died down to a look of pure disbelief.
“You’re not joking? Are you?” He asked and I shook my head, he gave a heavy sigh. “Look I appreciate the offer, but I generally work alone, besides I don’t wanna get distracted looking after you when I’m trying to slay the beast.” He explained, all good points.
“I’m a hunter as well.” I lied. “I actually know of the beast your after, been on his tail for months, I think I could prove useful.”
He gave me a skeptical look; I was sure he was going to turn me down again and then I’d move to plan B which would be tailing this man in order to find Blade, but he held out a hand instead.
“You don’t get in my way.” He said sternly. “When we find the beast, it’s every man for himself, I wont risk my neck to save your ass if you do something stupid, you hear?”
I couldn’t help the smile edging onto my face, and I grasped his hand.
“Deal.” I said, so much for keeping a low profile.
“The names Ryder, I’ll meet you down here an hour before sunrise.” He said stiffly before rising from his chair, intending to head in for the night.
“Hendrix.” I answered honestly. “I’ll be here.” He gave me a curt nod before heading up the stairs to the Tavern’s rooms.
“Boy you do have a death wish.” The barmaid was shaking her head whilst cleaning a glass. I gave her a small shrug before heading up the stairs myself, and I wondered if the barmaid had noted that the name I put on the guest log, was not the name I’d given to Ryder. I supposed it didn’t matter, in all likely hood we’d leave before anyone else arose the next morning and I’d never see her again.
With that I hunkered down onto the small cot within my room and urged my racing thoughts to quieten, though regardless of my efforts my excitement at having finally got a lead was too much to give me a good night’s sleep and morning came all too quickly.
I rolled out of bed and stretched my aching limbs, sleeping on a different surface every night didn’t bode well for my back. I wandered to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face briefly glancing my disheveled appearance in the mirror. Ryder had been right to worry that I wouldn’t be useful in a fight, where he was toned, I was more malnourished with my poor muscles trying desperately to make themselves known.
My dark blue eyes popped against my freckle-stained face where my cheek and jaw bones jutted out. I wasn’t much of a fighter, more a survivalist, but I had been training since my last meeting with Blade and I was confident I’d be able to take him this time.
I brushed my fingers through my shoulder length sandy blonde hair and pushed away from the sink, I’d guessed it was about an hour before sunrise now and if I didn’t get a move on, Ryder would likely leave without me. I slung my satchel containing my meager belongings across my chest and headed down the stairs.
“Ah there he is, I was thinking you might have come to your senses overnight.” Ryder joked, putting on his own hat and jacket, ready to head out the door.
“Not a chance.” I smiled, and followed him outside, the air was fresh and held the sharp bite of winter closing in, I longed to be back inside the warm tavern, but I also wasn’t about to pass up this opportunity, especially if I could put an end to Blade’s rampage once and for all.
It was bad enough that he was putting the identity of our kind at risk but using his power to harm others was something I just couldn’t stand for.
I followed Ryder as we headed further east, following signs for Lightening Ridge, it was approximately 200kml away from SheerWood, the village we had just come from, and would be about a three or four day walk with minimal stops.
“So, tell me a bit about yourself Hendrix.” Ryder asked, the sun was beginning to rise, and we had walked in mostly comfortable silence until that point, I had gathered that he preferred not to grow attached to his travelling companion in case he died once we faced the shifter, his question caught me off guard.
“There’s not much to tell really.” I shrugged, preparing to spin off the usual story I give people. “I’m a nomad, I travel all over, got no family to hold me down so I’m just out exploring really.”
“Bullshit, you’ve been tailing a Giant for peats sake, there is more to you than just drifting with the wind.”
I bit my lip, I hadn’t really thought that one through, I’d forgotten that I’d told him I was a hunter back in the tavern.
“Well, you know I pick up a few hunting jobs here and there as a travel through, no big story, sorry to disappoint.” I covered quickly, it wasn’t an unheard-of story and totally credible if I do say so myself.
He didn’t seem convinced, but he also didn’t seem frustrated at all, like he understood that not everything was okay to be shared with a total stranger.
“Well, I suppose I’m much the same as you, grew up in a small town and as soon as I was able, I up and left, took up hunting jobs and make my living that way, I must say it’s not a bad way to see the country.” He glanced at the surrounding forest appreciatively.
“Do you have any family?” I asked trying to continue to keep the topic on him.
“Yeah, but I haven’t seen them in years, they live way out west in the desert, my mum, dad and sister, as far as I know Kailani is still there tending to the farm with them, farm life just wasn’t for me you know?”
I nodded, the lifestyle had never interested me either, come to think of it I wasn’t really sure what kind of lifestyle called to me. I supposed travelling and exploring the country was okay, but the thought of settling down somewhere was intriguing, even if it was an impossibility for me.
“What’s Kailani like?” I asked, my mind wandered to my own little sister, she’d been only five years old when I left home, when my abilities had made themselves known.
“She’s kind.” He said wistfully. “She was always very reserved, especially around our parents, she was never shy about giving me a hard time though.” He chuckled at a memory playing over in his mind. “Last I heard she was seeing a fella, she’d make a good wife, I just hope she’s happy.”
“I suppose that’s all any of us can ask for.” I said quietly, hoping the same was true about Ella.
A twig snapped to our left and we both paused, Ryder held up a scarred hand indicating for me to keep quiet. I scanned the area, but I couldn’t see much of anything off the trail, the forest on either side of us was dense with underbrush.
After a few moments I was going to tap Ryder on the shoulder and suggest we keep going, it was probably just an animal skirting too close to the trails, that’s when we heard a soft hiss disturb the silence around us. And that was all the warning we got before the large Arachnid made itself known, its many eyes flickering like embers in the dense forest and its large hairy legs moving faster than they should have been able to.
“Duck!” Ryder shouted, I was going to question why I would do such a thing, and to instead suggest we run but I crouched low to the ground anyway and narrowly missed a projectile of sticky silk that was shot toward us. Ryder had rolled out of the way and brandished his sword, crouching in a fighting stance and ready to leap at the thing.
I dug in my pockets for my dagger, and then realized it was woefully too small to fight a creature this large. Of course, normally when I encountered giant spiders in the forest, I was much bigger and would simply crush the creature with the heel of my boot, I’d never thought I needed a larger weapon when I was usually the largest creature around.
Of course I couldn’t grow right now, not with a hunter standing right there, I rolled as the creature made a move toward me and I narrowly avoided one of its sharp claw-like legs from spearing me through the middle. I watched as Ryder pounced on top of the thing, using his sword to strike at the Arachnids thick exoskeleton.
The spider seemed to pay him not mind, not finding his efforts of any concern at all and instead kept on moving toward me, the spider positioned itself over me and spat more sticky silk covering my left hand and pinning it to the ground. My breath hitched and I felt myself expand a few inches, breaking my hand free of the sticky substance.
I focused on stopping the growing energy within my body, reining it in for now. I wasn’t about to die at the mercy of an insect.
The spiders’ pincers sliced awfully close to my neck, and I jerked my body upwards pushing the heels of my boots into the spider’s face.
With only a second to make the most of my distraction I backpaddled on my hands and knees crawling under the spider and then out into the open. I dug in my bag frantically and pulled out what I hoped might do the trick, tearing off a part of my sleeve, I picked up a stick nearby and wrapped my shirt around it.
The spider had its eyes on me again and let out another hiss, I doused the cloth in whiskey and then struck a match, creating a large fire stick that I brandished at the spider. It threw its body backwards showing off its front legs in a display of aggression and in doing so threw Ryder from its back, he landed in a heap dropping his sword a short distance away from him.
With the flaming stick in one hand, I inched closer to Ryder’s sword, causing the spider to back up further.
“Ryder!” I shouted kicking the sword toward him, he got the hint grasped the sword and then stood directly underneath the beast. I backed up and as the spider came down Ryder expertly placed the sword between the spider’s thorax and abdomen and then it went limp, its body falling heavily on top of Ryder.
I concentrated and allowed myself to grow only a little, just enough so that I would be strong enough to push the beast off of Ryder, with a grunt of effort I rolled the spider off of him. Ryder lay there breathing heavily, his whole body covered in unidentifiable spider guck, I focused on my own breathing shrinking down to an acceptable height though my body protested.
“You look like hell.” I stated, holding out a hand for him. He grasped it with a slimy hand of his own and I cringed a little at the sickening feeling.
“I’d look a lot worse if it hadn’t of been for you.” He said completely awe struck, he walked over to reclaim his sword from the spider’s belly and then looked over at me, his hazel eyes flashing.
“That was some quick thinking back there.” He said, voice still laced with amazement. “I mean, after seeing you brandish a dagger of all things, I had my doubts, but… that was something else.”
I brushed it off, throwing the fire stick on the ground and stamping it out before putting my matches and flask back into my satchel.
“I work well under pressure.” I shrugged, and his eyebrows reached the sky.
“I’ll say.” He said clapping me on the back. “In any case, well done lad.”
I chuckled nervously and followed him as we continued down the trail. Thankful that I had made it out of my first encounter with an aggressive creature and lived to tell the tale, secret still intact.
“Ha, that’s funny…” He started, looking me up and down as I caught up walking briskly beside him.
“What’s funny? That I’ve only got a dagger to defend myself with? Yeah I know the truth is I lost-“
“No, not that.” He cut me off. “I just could have sworn I was taller than you.”
Finally part four is here! The final part! Sorry it took so long to get this here, school went back in Aus last week so it meant back to work for me, this had been finished but needed some serious editing. Still not completely happy with it but I was too excited so here it is! The big show down and the boys have some fluffy moments!
Also just now realizing they never did make it to Lightning Ridge, perhaps I'll change the title but anywho! This may the end of this adventure with Hendrix and Ryder but I have some more shorts planned for these two don't you worry!
TW: mentions of murder/eating people, giant spiders, some swearing, mentions of death, mentions of drug use, some violence, a close call vore scenario
Approx 4.4k words!
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
The ground quaked beneath us, I wasn’t sure what time we had drifted to sleep out there under the stars but at some point in the night, I’d returned to my human size, no longer under the hold of alcohol.
I sat bolt upright and found that Ryder was already on his feet and strapping the iron sword to his side.
“He’s here.” Ryder said his voice gravelly from sleep.
“Shit.” In an instant I was on my feet as well, we had planned on ambushing him the following evening, but it seemed our plans had been changed for us. Blade was raiding the village as we stood there, it was now or never.
“You ready for this?” Ryder asked, holding out the silver sword to me, the hilt was wrapped in leather so I wouldn’t burn my hands, but it should do the trick in convincing Blade that I was human and not a shifter.
We were relying on the element of surprise if our plan was going to work.
I nodded, strapping the sword to my side and ignoring the uncomfortable feeling I got from being so close to the silver. Without another word Ryder sprinted toward Armarand with me trailing close behind, my heart pounded, and my body screamed at me to shift if only for self-preservation, but I would not reveal my true identity just yet.
It didn’t take long for us to spot Blade, he towered over the town, his eyes red with blood lust as he scoured the streets looking for his next victim. Each step he took shuddered through us, and I wondered if this was how humans viewed me, how Ryder saw me.
Blade appeared positively monstrous, he’d clearly been busy since the last time I saw him and only gone further down the path of pure evil.
His clothing was scattered with patches of blood, some old, some new but it definitely was not his own. His long and sharp face was littered with scars, evidence of those who had tried to slay him in the past. His black hair had grown longer, almost reaching his stomach and it hung in greasy clumps, his skin was caked with mud and blood, more monster than man.
Blade’s senses zeroed in on a house to his left as he heard the screams of those within who had just witnessed his arrival.
He smiled, the hunt had begun.
Reaching for the house, he easily broke through the roof, digging roughly within and searching for the humans hiding inside. He looked as though he were merely rifling through an old box, roughly moving furniture around without a care in the world of potentially harming the souls inside.
Ryder and I picked up our pace until we were directly in front of the house. Ryder nodded at me and we split up. He circled around to the back of the house, disappearing somewhere behind Blade.
That was my cue, and I prayed that all our preparation would be enough, I waved my arms over my head to get Blade’s attention.
“Hey! Over here. Why don’t you pick a real fight, you coward!” I shouted, his hunger fueled gaze landed on me in an instant, his pupils dilated and with surprising speed he reached over the house, his hand shooting toward me.
In that moment I promised I’d never reach for another soul without warning again, the speed in which his large, clawed hand reached for me made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
I ran, not because I was scared of him but because I needed to lure him away from the village, if we were going to fight, we would not be putting anymore innocents at risk, I needed to get him to the clearing.
“Run, run, little one, you won’t get very far before you’re done.” He sing-songed darkly as he quickly gained on me.
I’d only reached the edge of town when his shadow eclipsed me, I’d run out of time, this would have to do. I spun around, brandishing my sword and taking on a fighting stance, just as Ryder had shown me.
Blade was crouched over me with an eyebrow quirked in amusement.
“What do we have here, a little hunter? You’ll need more than a silver toothpick to stop my thunder.” He tsked and slammed his fist into the ground, emphasizing his power.
I stood my ground, waiting for Ryder’s signal, I hadn’t seen him chase after us and I wondered briefly if he’d meant it when he said it would be every man for himself. The notion was abandoned when I spotted him dancing around Blade’s ankles, I smiled and met the Giant’s eyes once more, I needed to continue to distract him.
“Don’t you recognize me, Blade?” I called up to him as his hand reached for me again, I ducked and rolled out of the way, but he didn’t seem to be trying to catch me, his fingers reaching lazily almost as though he were playing with me.
“Should I? I’m sorry, I don’t make a habit of talking to snacks and then letting them live, not to worry, I can fix that.” He mocked, revealing his yellowed teeth, and snapping them together for emphasis.
“Oh, come on, I haven’t changed that much in a year!” I called up to him, dancing again out of his reach but only just. “You on the other hand…” I laughed. “Well let’s just say the human diet has done you no favors.” I taunted him.
His fury peaked then, and he slammed a fist down, aiming for my body but missing by an inch, I was thrown off my feet and the Giant laughed darkly above me.
“NOW!” Ryder shouted from Blade’s feet, Blade glanced down and raised an eyebrow, I focused my energy and began to grow as Ryder pulled the ropes in an attempt to trip him over.
“Time for you to pick on someone your own size.” I seethed.
Blade brandished a knife, taking no notice of my growing body and instead he cut the ropes with a flick of his wrist. Ryder made an attempt to circle around his feet and take cover behind a building. He wasn’t fast enough, and I wasn’t fast enough, Blade’s foot swung with incredible speed and slammed into Ryder’s stomach sending him flying.
“NOOO!” I roared, now at my full height I swung at Blade aiming for his neck, he deflected it with his own hand pushing against it despite the burn of the silver.
“How interesting.” Blade sneered; I took another swing, but Blade kicked me down planting a heavy boot on my chest.
I raised my sword and sliced at his head, I managed to successfully cut into his ear and blood dripped down onto my face. My victory was short lived however as Blade punched me hard in the nose and used his other foot to slam onto my wrist causing me to release the sword.
He then grabbed me by my hair, lifting me up, pain burst through my skull, and I writhed, scratching at him to get away, I needed to know that Ryder was okay, I hadn’t seen where he landed. My heart beat wildly as I was dragged along the ground, knocking into multiple buildings along the way.
Before I knew it, I was thrown to the ground again and kicked hard in the side, a sickening crack resounded. Having the wind knocked out of me I curled in on myself, some hero I was turning out to be.
Blade once again grasped me by my hair and turned my face toward the ground, my eyes focused in on the small figure who was sprawled on the ground before me and slowly waking up from being knocked unconscious.
“Ryder.” I croaked, he was barely an inch away from my face and as Blade pushed into my head, I fought with all my might to stop myself from being pushed into Ryder and consequentially killing him.
“Looks like your little pet is stronger than I gave him credit for, not to worry, they taste better when they are kicking at deaths door.” Blade’s voice taunted from above me.
Ryder slowly came to, he looked in bad shape, but his fearless eyes were filled with fury as he took in the scene before him. He shuffled himself back a little, eyes darting around for an escape plan.
“Go on, have a taste, we wouldn’t want him to go to waste.” Blade pushed into my head again, this time angling my face so that my mouth was directly in front of Ryder, I kept my lips firmly shut as they brushed his shoulder.
I kicked again but Blade held me firmly, my mind raced for something, anything that would result in us both making it out of this alive. One idea came to mind, though it made me sick and I knew that Ryder would never forgive me, but it was our best shot, the only thing I could do.
Ryder searched his person for a weapon, he searched the area around him and grasped his sword which had thankfully fallen near to him and then looked around frantically, calculating his own next move, but I’d already made up my mind.
When Blade pushed down on my head again, I let him, I opened my mouth and closed my eyes and Ryder was forced inside, I closed my lips around his feet and fought from gagging.
Blade let go of my head, having surmised that I’d caved in to his demand and he stood back from me, letting me go.
He laughed and stood there, arms crossed, I remained still and once he figured I wasn’t going to put up much of a fight he turned and headed back toward the house he had started his rampage at.
“When you’re ready come and join me for some more fun.” Blade called over his shoulder.
He underestimated me, I hadn’t given up the fight yet.
With no time to lose, and the awful feeling of Ryder kicking around against my tongue and the bite of his sword against my gums, I lunged for Blade. Wrapping my arms around his neck I knocked him to the ground and spat Ryder out directly onto his neck.
I held Blade’s arms down, but my strength was giving out, I wouldn’t be able to hold him down forever, we only had a very small window for this to work.
Ryder, seeming to have understood the assignment, pushed his sword into the back of Blade’s head, though it wasn’t silver, the expert placement of the sword meant that Blade would not recover from this.
He roared in fury as blood spurted out from the vital artery and the beast finally went still and silent beneath me.
I rolled off of the monster and proceeded to empty the contents of my stomach in the shrubbery to the left of us before collapsing. My skin was cold and slick with sweat, I knew I was shaking, and I knew I’d likely broken a couple of ribs, I gagged again, my mind focusing on the taste of blood in my mouth.
The blood was caused by my friend who had been desperately trying escape my mouth, trying to fight ME to save himself from being eaten.
“Hendrix?” Ryder’s voice called from somewhere nearby, but I was too ashamed, too disgusted with myself to look at him.
“Hendrix!” He shouted sternly, I focused on my breathing, the way my body tingled and shook with the shock and energy I’d just exerted, I felt close to passing out.
“Hendrix!” He said more forcefully.
I turned to face him, unable to ignore him, unable to deny him.
He was limping towards me, still at least an arm’s length away from me but he continued his approach. He still held no fear, and I wondered then if maybe something inside him was wired differently. I would be running for the hills if I were in his shoes.
“A-are you okay?” I croaked, my throat raw from vomiting, tears threatened to cloud my vision.
“A bit battered but I’ll live, I would like my shoe back though.” He stated, my eyes widened, and my tongue instantly swiped around the inside of my gums until it landed on a positively miniscule foreign object. I picked it out between a finger and thumb and my stomach heaved again, I guess I was lucky it hadn’t dislodged itself when I’d thrown up.
With shaky fingers I extended the dripping wet boot toward Ryder, who grimaced at it but took it into his hands anyway.
I remained perfectly still as he continued to approach me, with a heavy sigh he sat down leaning his back against my forehead, giving my cool slick skin a firm pat. He was wet with saliva and blood but radiated a heat I didn’t know I needed.
“Well, that was fucked.” He said bluntly.
I cringed and muttered an apology, but he cut me off.
“Not you” He said impatiently. “Though some warning in the future would be nice because that was certainly a harrowing experience that I don’t wish to repeat, but I meant, Blade, HE was fucked.”
“Ryder, I really am s-sorry, it was the only thing I could think-“
“You did good.” He said simply.
We sat in silence for a time, while we caught our breath and worked on calming down, letting the adrenalin from the fight slowly ebb away. Eventually I found the strength to sit up, I pulled my shirt up and pressed my fingers against my ribs, feeling for any damage.
A large purple bruise was already forming along my side where Blade had kicked me, and there were at least two broken ribs.
My wrist ached where Blade had planted his boot, but it didn’t appear to be broken and surprisingly my nose was also still intact though I imagine I looked a sorry sight regardless.
My mind flickered back to the image of Ryder being literally kicked by the Giant and I looked down at him, he’d been watching me but quickly looked away and busied himself with checking his own body over.
“Sprained ankle and a fuck tonne of bruises, not too bad considering, how did you do?” He asked glancing up at me. I was surprised, I thought for sure Ryder would have at least one broken bone, he was certainly made of tougher stuff than me.
“A few broken ribs and bruises as well, I guess we were both lucky.” I shrugged, he nodded, satisfied.
“Let’s go check on the village.” He said. “Can you shift?”
My body was weak and tired, I’d be lucky if I could shift within the next few days, it would take some time to regain enough energy to hold my human form again, I shook my head.
Our first stop was the house that Blade had targeted, the family within were reluctant to leave upon seeing that a Giant was indeed still wandering the streets but Ryder assured them I meant no harm and had assisted him in taking down the monster.
I busied myself with gathering debris, parts of buildings and structures that had been knocked down during the fight. Most of the damage had actually been caused by me, from when Blade had dragged me through the streets, it was the least I could do to help.
Then with as little grace as possible I dragged Blade out of the town, by his feet, dragging his face through the dirt as I went. I dragged him a good distance from the town before I began digging, using my hands to shift the dirt around it wasn’t difficult considering the ground was softer and easier to push through at this size.
Once the beast was buried, I made my way back to the town but stopped as the trees grew thinner, deciding to sit and take a moment to myself. I wasn’t needed within the town now anyway, I’d done all that I could do. Now I would sit and probably stay here, out of sight and out of the way.
Ryder found me a number of hours later, it was well past midday, and the exhaustion was really catching up to me. I’d managed to find some bandaging in my bag and strapped my middle as best I could, but the adrenalin was soon replaced with pain, and I honestly just wanted to sleep for a week.
“You look like shit.” Ryder remarked.
“Could say the same to you.” I quipped back, he’d since dried out but his clothing and hair had stiffened from the residue of my saliva and blood.
“I think we both have earnt a bath.” He said resolutely, he skirted around me and headed in the opposite direction of the village, I had figured he meant he would find a bath in town. Where in the world was he going?
He was a fair distance away from me before he turned around waving me over.
“You coming or what!?” He shouted.
Feeling overly large and clumsy, I stood up to my full height and walked slowly and carefully toward him, seeing I was following he continued on ahead picking up his pace as best he could with a sprained ankle, so that he remained in front of me.
A short while later we came across a lake I hadn’t noticed had been in the area before now, it was rather large even by my standards and I guessed the water would at least reach my chest at its deepest. Suddenly renewed of energy, I couldn’t help my elation upon seeing the fresh clean water and was itching to jump in but I restrained myself for now.
I peeked down at Ryder having come to a crouch when we stopped, I hated looming so far above him, but it couldn’t really be helped right now, he smiled up at me and gestured to the water.
“After you.” He says.
With no further encouragement needed I pulled my shirt over my head and dumped it in a heap beside me, then with only a little hesitation, I removed my pants also, leaving only my long johns on and avoiding Ryder’s stare the whole time. I then stood and stepped slowly into the water.
It was cold and gave me goose bumps all over but in the best way possible, once I was far enough away from the shoreline, I dived in, emerging from the water with a splash and shaking the water from my hair. I smiled at Ryder who’d stepped back a little to avoid the wave I had caused, I beckoned him to join me.
I had underestimated the depth of the water and was pleasantly surprised to find it reached my shoulder blades and I let the cool water wash over my injuries, soothing them beautifully.
Ryder took his time removing his own clothes before wading out into the water, it would take him a little bit to reach me this far out, but I was patient, and I washed my face and hair clean in the meantime. Feeling like a new man and less like a monster I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face watching Ryder swim confidently toward me.
When he was about a foot away, he stopped and tread the water catching his breath and smiled right back at me.
“Gods its fucking freezing!” He exclaimed.
“It’s amazing.” I laughed. “You were right, we definitely needed a bath.”
“Well, I usually am right about these things you know.” He muttered.
Feeling stupidly confident, I lifted a hand and splashed it down again in front of him, causing a wave to pull him under, he emerged again a second later spluttering.
“Asshole!” He growled and proceeded to do the same thing in retaliation, only his splashes had very ‘little’ impact on me, causing me to laugh at his attempts. This only fueled his annoyance of course.
I ducked under the water, purely to keep my face familiar with the temperature of the water when a mischievous idea struck me. I angled myself directly below his kicking legs, admiring them for a moment before blowing the remaining air from my lungs up toward him. I watched as I succeeded in propelling him out of the water and then back down again with a splash.
I emerged coughing on water as I was unable to hold back my laughter, Ryder on the other hand was less than impressed.
“Just when I was changing my opinion on Giants, you prove me wrong, you are in fact all just Giant dicks.” He growled but I only laughed harder, I moved closer to him then and placed a hand directly below his legs, giving him a platform to stand on and to give him a well-earned break.
“Oh, come on Ryder, we Giant’s are the best at playing practical jokes.” I smirked, he couldn’t stay mad for long, and the corners of his lips quirked upwards, and he rolled his eyes.
He sat down on my palm letting his legs dangle in the water, I sobered then observing the nasty bruise that covered his entire chest, he was lucky he hadn’t broken anything, clearly, he was tougher than I gave him credit for.
Even with the bruise he was incredibly handsome, he was clearly the natural fighter of the two of us, with a solid build, muscular and firm abdominals. He was very nice to look at, he cast his eyes up to me and I felt heat rush to my cheeks, he’d caught me ogling him, again.
I cleared my throat awkwardly. “So uh, are you really okay? I know you’ll tell me you’re fine but um if being around me makes you uncomfortable or anything then, you can just tell me.”
He raised a hand to silence me and shook his head.
“For goodness sake Hendrix, I’m not scared of you.” He was stern and somewhat astounded that I’d even suggest such a thing. I felt it was pretty reasonable since I had just been a huge part of the traumatic experience that had just taken place.
I lowered my head toward the water and came up close to him slowly, nudging his chest with my nose and looking directly in his eyes I said. “Really?” His breathing hitched and he placed his hands on my nose, meeting my eyes with a no nonsense look.
“Yes really.”
Without thinking I closed the distance between he and I and pressed my lips to his bruised chest, giving it a gentle kiss before drawing away. His cheeks were a flame and his breathing had quickened again though I honestly didn’t think it was out of fear this time.
“I take it back.” He said and I tilted my head in confusion.
“You are scary, positively frightening in fact.” He continued, and I slowly moved my hand further away to give him space, perhaps I’d crossed a line.
“Not because of your size Hendrix, you’re scary because I don’t know what to make of you, I don’t know how to be around you, I’ve never met anyone like you before.” He said earnestly.
I wasn’t really sure what to say so I just remained silent, my eyes never left him, I waited for him to continue. He heaved a sigh and fiddled with his hands in his lap.
“I just know that I want to be near to you, I guess that’s what scares me about you.” He finished.
I lifted a finger, trailing it gently along his back, trying to touch him in a way that gave him strength like he had done for me when I was feeling scared and vulnerable. My finger found his shoulder and then found his chin before I nudged it upward so that he was looking at me again.
“It scares me too.” I admitted softly. “I know that I don’t want to simply go our separate ways now though, I don’t think I could… When Blade… kicked you I-“
I closed my eyes fighting back the tears that came along with the memory. “I thought I had lost you and I knew then that I didn’t want to ever lose you.” My heart beat loudly in my ears, I’d never been so vulnerable with a person before, never mind a human.
“You won’t lose me.” He said quietly, a promise and a tear trailing his own cheek, this hard man, so stoic and so brave, was crying because I cared for him, I wondered if anyone had ever cared for him the way I do before.
Gently I brought him close to me and held him to my shoulder, embracing him in the only way I could at this stupidly too large size. Even despite my stupid size, he saw me as an equal, he saw me as a partner, my heart shattered into a thousand pieces in that moment.
“Let’s do it together.” He said, I brought him before my face again.
“Do what? What do we even do now?”
“We are going to go and find your family, and before you argue with me, you don’t have a choice. I am going to find your family; I need to prove to you that not everyone sees you the way they saw Blade. I know you; I see you for who you really are, and they will too…Do you trust me?” He asked, my mouth hung open, I had been about to utter a firm no thank you, but I couldn’t find the strength to do so.
I nodded. “I trust you.” He smiled up at me and I learned then that I probably wouldn’t ever be able to say no to him.
“Good, now let’s go dry off and warm up, I’m freezing my balls off.”
I laughed as we headed back to the shore. The cold didn’t bother me, I was too elated, too surprised and blown away by what had just happened. I’d only known Ryder for a little over a week and suddenly I didn’t know why I had been living before, and he gave me a reason to.
With my heart warm and full, I couldn’t wait to begin our next adventure, together.
A young Shifter wanders into a town crawling with hunters, Hendrix plans on laying low but when he catches wind of one particular hunter who is after the same Shifter that he’s been tracking himself, his curiosity gets the better of him. Offering to join the man on his quest he can only hope he can track down the dangerous shifter, saving the lives of innocents all the while keeping his secret hidden.
TW: mentions of murder/eating people, giant spiders, some swearing, mentions of death, mentions of drug use, some violence
Approx 3.6k Words
Part One
Part Two
Part Three - Your are here
Part Four
Part Three
“Ah! You bloody bastard, you know you don’t have to actually stab me, fuck!” I hissed as his silver sword once again slashed at my skin, back to my human height we were training once again, this time with the knowledge of my ability. And I have to admit, he looked way too happy every time he got a particularly painful strike in.
“Don’t be such a baby, you wanted to learn, didn’t you?” He chuckled gleefully, mocking me.
“Yeah, well you’re not the one holding back a damned Giant inside of you every time you get slashed!” I growled, growing a few inches involuntarily, my height continued to fluctuate as I focused on my breathing in an effort to remain at a human height.
I’d regained my strength from the night before, but each time the silver cut through my skin was like being injected with a poison I had to fight to stop it from spreading through my body.
We had decided to stop in Armarand for a few days, deciding it was a good idea to get some more close combat practice in given my recent revelation and to prepare properly for the fight ahead of us. Ryder hadn’t stopped giving me shit about lying to him, but at least he hadn’t murdered me in my sleep, I reminded myself to be thankful for the little things.
“Maybe you shouldn’t hold back, probably good for me to brush up on my skills fighting a ‘Giant’.”
My eyes bugged at that, I had been ready to shift in relief, having permission to stop holding back, that is until he suggested we fight at such vastly different statures to one another.
He’d taken down shifters before, he’d told me so, and given his skill and reflexes with the sword the only reason I’d been able to get my hands on him the other night was because I’d taken him by surprise. I didn’t have that advantage on my side this time.
“Shifter.” I clarified, still taken aback by his suggestion. “And I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“You scared Hendrix?” He taunted, flicking his silver sword in the air.
“Yes, as a matter of fact.” I said astounded. “I’ve never fought a hunter before, besides one of us is likely to get hurt.” I reasoned.
He quirked an eyebrow at me. “I can handle myself big guy, come on, show me what you’ve got.”
Sighing heavily, there was no way I could get him to change his mind once he had an idea set, I’d tried and I was finding it harder and harder to say no to him, especially because I had lied to him. So instead of arguing, I focused on shifting, allowing my body to stretch out of its cramped space until I felt like I fit my own body once again.
I looked down at Ryder at my feet, he’d taken a few steps backwards rightfully so, giving me room to grow, smart move for a man who seemed to show no fear.
Staring down at him I was once again reminded of how small humans really were, it really wasn’t very often that I interacted with a human at this size, and I suppressed the sense of power I got from looming over him. The mere thought of using my size against him made me feel uncomfortable and somewhat excited all at the same time, I shook the feeling away and focused.
I blinked my eyes, taking on a defensive stance and noted that Ryder had disappeared.
One moment he was there and then the next it was like he had vanished; I brushed my hands roughly through the trees wondering if he’d climbed them in hopes of jumping me by surprise.
There were no screams of surprise or any indication that I’d knocked him off, so I did a slow sweep of the area, being mindful of where I put my feet, though I doubted Ryder was being as mindful of causing injury. As if on cue the bastard emerged.
“Ahhhh!” Ryder cried out from behind me, he dug his sword into my shoulder, and I yelled in pain, no doubt deafening my attacker. I brought my hand up to my shoulder hoping to get my fingers around the little shit, but he was fast. Using some kind of hook and rope he had managed to dangle himself in the center of my back, right out of my reach.
Thinking quickly, I stepped backward intending to push my back into a nearby tree and knock Ryder off that way. Though as I stepped backwards, I noted he had swung around on his rope, feet planted firmly on my abdomen and was now aiming his sword for my stomach. I leaned heavily on the trees behind me and went to grab Ryder before he could do some serious damage, but once again, he was quick.
He swung at my fingers causing them to retract reflexively and then spun himself around my wrists, I watched on in amazement at how fast he was able to move and how fearless he looked interacting with body parts that were so much larger and stronger than he was.
I flexed my wrists ready to snap the ropes when he gave me a little wink.
He then shot another rope up past my shoulder, I heard it whiz with speed past my ear before it was embedded into a tree behind me, pulling himself and my wrists up and over my head with speed. This caused me to lose my balance, I spun trying to catch myself, but of course my hands were tied, with nothing to break my fall, I braced myself as my face headed for the ground bellow.
I fell to the forest floor face first in the dirt and shrubbery with a loud and embarrassing thud that shook the earth around me, causing any animals and birds nearby to flee immediately.
To add insult to injury he landed heavily on my head, touching the tip of his blade down onto the soft part of my skull, though he didn’t push it through, the silver burned, and I knew if he wanted to, he could end my life right now.
I lay there, mouth full of mud and in complete amazement of him.
This man, a man the size of my finger had taken me down and rendered me helpless in about three moves. I was ten times the size that he was, ten times stronger and yet he fought me and won with a worrying amount of ease.
That sense of power I’d felt over him a moment ago? Yeah, that was long gone. Never again would I underestimate a human, well never again would I underestimate this human.
He jumped down from my head, landing in the dirt before my eyes and smiling proudly at me, hands on his hips in triumph, the jerk seemed very happy with himself.
“Gods it’s been so long since I took down one of you guys, that was great, you okay big guy?” He asked mockingly, I spat the mud from my mouth out at him and he chuckled.
“Care to untie me?” I asked flatly.
He laughed again and I marveled once more at how easily he climbed onto my shoulder and walked with confidence down the length of my spine to where my hands were tied against my back. This man had no fear, I was probably the most dangerous creature he would ever encounter, and he showed no fear.
Once my hands were free, I waited for him to climb down to the ground again before pushing myself up to sit before him, I brushed the dirt from my clothes and inspected the wound to my left shoulder. Only a small cut but the burn from the silver would take a while to heal.
“That was…amazing.” I said, not hiding how thoroughly impressed I was, his cheeks took on a reddish hue and he shrugged.
“It’s my job.” He brushed it off as though it were nothing, it was definitely not nothing to me.
I stared down at him, seeing him in a whole new light, he’d seemed so gruff and stoic but now he practically glowed, he was truly in his element, doing what he loved, and no wonder he loved it. He was so incredibly and dangerously skilled at it.
As much as he tried, he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face and I couldn’t blame him, I’d be just as happy with myself if I took down a being ten times larger than myself.
“Let’s take a break, shall we?” He suggested clearing his throat.
I closed my eyes and focused on shifting once more, down to an average human height and when I opened my eyes, I was looking up at Ryder who was holding out hand for me to help me up from my sitting position.
I accepted his offer gratefully, and now standing eye to eye with him once more I looked him over from a whole new perspective. It was so hard to make out facial features when you were so much larger, but it didn’t escape my notice that Ryder was exceptionally handsome.
His hazel eyes seemed to change hues nearly all the time and that fascinated me to no end, I wondered if my own blue eyes ever changed colour in that kind of way.
“Quit staring at me like that.” He groused. “Come on, let’s go get a drink, I think we’ve earned it.”
I blinked and shook my thoughts away from my head, he’s going to think you’re a real freak now, good job Hendrix, you bloody idiot.
We sat down in the local tavern, it was only us and two other patrons at the bar, the other two men kept to themselves with their faces buried in their drinks.
“You said once, you didn’t have any family.” Ryder said taking a swig of his whiskey.
The last twenty-four hours had been filled with questions about shifters, what triggers the shifting, what I need to do to shift on command, and I’d happily answered them, seeing no point in lying to him anymore. He’d not asked anything personal up until this point.
This statement, though it felt like a question, struck me in a different way, I hadn’t felt I was lying when I said I had no family, because the truth was that I didn’t, not anymore anyway.
“I don’t.” I reiterated.
“You also said you had to leave your family when you first turned.” He continued to push; he knew he’d struck a chord.
“I also said that I was cast out.” I countered grumpily.
He held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, I’m just trying to understand why you never went back, from what I can see, you ARE able to control your ability enough that you wouldn’t be putting anyone in danger.”
“That’s not the way they’d see it.” I muttered bitterly into my own drink.
“How can you be sure?” He wasn’t going to let it go, why did he have to be this way? Couldn’t he just be happy with what he did know and take my word at face value. Why was he pushing so hard about this? It wasn’t like I’d ever have the opportunity of seeing my family ever again anyway. His pushing seemed to have the intended effect because I slammed my drink down and glared at him.
“Because! It was my own family that wanted me beheaded!” I snapped. “The mayor granted me pardon on the proviso that I never come back. It was my ‘family’ that wanted me dead.” I seethed; it wasn’t something I wanted to be reminded of, it definitely wasn’t something I wanted to have a light conversation about.
There was silence between us and then I felt his heavy hand grip my good shoulder.
“I’m sorry Hendrix.” He said earnestly and I melted. “I only wondered if after all this is over that it might be a good thing to reconnect with your family again, I didn’t realize, and I’m sorry for that.”
I glanced up at him, meeting his concerned gaze, only yesterday when he’d found out what I really was, he’d looked at me the same way my mother and father had the night I turned. The horror, the disgust, the anger.
Somehow Ryder wasn’t looking at me like that anymore, and it did make me wonder if my own family’s view of me could change. But I still wasn’t about to go through the pain of finding out, just to be thrown away again.
His apology proved that I couldn’t stay mad at him though, and besides it wasn’t really him I was mad at anyway, I’d been holding onto that anger for a long time. He had just found the button that unlocked it, that was all.
“Thanks.” I said finally, to which he gave me a sympathetic smile and motioned for the bartender to pour us another round.
“Oh uh, I shouldn’t really have more than two…” I awkwardly pushed the glass toward Ryder, I knew my limit. I could handle my alcohol just fine, but it became increasingly more difficult to hold my human form when I’d had more than two drinks. Two drinks was safe.
“I guess we’ll take a bottle to go then.” Ryder said, handing the bartender some cash, grasping the almost full bottle of whiskey and heading for the door.
“What?” I asked, quickly standing and rushing to the door, I planted a hand on the handle holding it closed in front of him, demanding an explanation.
“You’re worried about endangering the people here, right? You’re worried that if you have too much to drink, you’ll lose control? So, let’s go somewhere where you don’t have to worry about that, loosen up a bit.”
He pushed past me, and I stood there slack jawed for a moment before following.
“I’m not just worried about the people here Ryder, I’m worried about hurting you too!” I exclaimed at his back; he kept up his pace heading for the clearing in the forest where we had been doing our training.
“I can handle myself.” He said simply and I fought hard for a way to argue that point but, seeing as he had literally beaten my gigantic ass to a pulp only hours before, I couldn’t think of a sound enough argument.
“That’s not the point.” I grumbled, but he paid me no mind and instead got to work building a fire.
The fire I was grateful for, winter was only a few weeks away and the chill in the evenings were already creeping in. I was still dubious of him though and his intentions with bringing our drinks out here, it was like he wanted to keep on testing my limits, perhaps he did.
He sat down in the dirt and stoked the fire, he then turned and looked at me expectantly, patting the ground beside him. I sighed and prayed to the Gods to give me strength, because for some reason I seemed to have none when it came to this particular human.
He handed me the bottle and I took a long swig from it before handing it back to him. The whiskey warmed my throat and settled pleasantly in my stomach, taking the edge off of the stress of the last few days and the uncertainty that was awaiting us.
“You know, you’re not like any Gia- I mean shifter I’ve ever met before.” He said thoughtfully, I wondered if that was a compliment for a moment before I realized he probably hadn’t ever given any other shifter an opportunity to defend themselves let alone talk to them as though they were real people.
“I don’t imagine you’ve ever given a shifter an opportunity to talk to you.” I said somewhat defensively of my own kind.
“You’re probably right, I’m not really sure what I can do to make that right, but I know I’ll be more mindful around rumors of Giants in the future.” He promised.
I nodded, I supposed that was all he could do, I watched as he stared into the fire, that familiar look of guilt and shame crossing his features, a feeling I knew well. I’d done things I regretted, I’d hurt people in the past sometimes by accident but a few times intentionally and you can’t ever take that back. I know how that weighs on a man’s shoulders.
“So, there was this one time.” Ryder began, filling the silence.
“I was hunting a werewolf. Now, they do normally travel in packs so this one had me curious as to why he was alone, but I suspected he might have been freshly turned. Anyway, a number of people in the neighboring village had been killed so I was employed to take up the job.” Ryder spoke lightheartedly, clearly trying to change the mood.
I smirked ruefully seeing right through him and nodded along as he continued his story.
“So, what they thought had been a werewolf was actually just a homeless old man who’d stumbled upon some funky mushrooms, he’d been eating them for days and hallucinating that a village full of dwarves were trying to kill him! He assured me the only people he’d killed were dwarves!” He laughed and I decided I liked the sound, slapping his leg and wiping his eye he continued to chuckle at the memory.
“So, what did you do?” I asked, smiling, and laughing quietly alongside him.
“Once I convinced the old man that I wasn’t an angel sent to destroy him for his sins, I took the mushrooms from him. I told the mayor about what I found but he didn’t believe me, just told the townsfolk to lock their doors at night. He was a real jerk that one.” He laughed again. “So instead of hunting a werewolf I had a few days off doing mushrooms with a crazy old man, who turned out to be just lovely by the way.”
I burst out laughing, unable to help myself as I tried to picture the image that Ryder had painted. We both took another generous helping of whiskey and continued to share in our laughter.
“What about you Hendrix? Got any stories to share?” He looked at me hopefully.
“Uh.” I chuckled nervously, thinking quickly. “I mistook a mermaid for a fish once, her scream damn near left me deaf for a week, mind you I had literally been about to eat her.”
Ryder looked at me keeping his expression as straight as he could, but he couldn’t hold it for long before he broke out laughing again.
“What! I was hungry! I thought I’d found a big fish!”
He slapped me on the back then, his laughter growing louder as he struggled to keep his composure. His cheeks were flushed from the alcohol and laughing, and the warmth of the fire gave him a soft glow.
I fought back my own blush, watching him, he was so happy, I had made him happy, I couldn’t think of any time in the past where I’d actually made someone happy let alone made them laugh.
My body tingled and I quickly shot up a few feet without warning, my legs brushing the fire. “Shit!” I gasped, crawling backwards frantically on the ground, putting as much space as I could between myself and Ryder.
“I’m sorry!” I exclaimed, eyes closed, I didn’t want to see the fear, the rejection from him, not when I felt we were finally building a trust between each other.
Why did this need to happen at the worst possible time, my chest filled with shame and disgust with myself, so uncontrollable, so unpredictable, no matter how hard I tried, I would always be dangerous.
A tear escaped my eye and I felt it drift down my cheek as my body expanded again against my will. Stupid body! Why can’t you just do what your told for once!
I felt a small hand brush against my cheek, it wiped at the tear that had escaped and then rested on my jaw.
“Hey, you’re okay Hendrix, your safe.” His voice was a whisper, but he had stayed.
I opened my eyes, I estimated I had grown about twenty feet, though that didn’t seem to deter Ryder, he stood before me his arms reaching up to hold my large stupid head with his smaller stronger ones.
“I told you that you didn’t need to be afraid to shift, I know you won’t hurt me, you need to trust yourself Hendrix.”
I took a shuddering breath; how could he be so calm about this? The tingling sensation wracked through my body again and though I tried I couldn’t hold it; I continued to expand and felt his hand grow smaller against my skin. As I grew, he stood beside my head, his hand never left my face as though trying to give me the strength to just let it all out.
Once I’d reached my full height, I let out a sigh of relief before turning my head to look at him, my nose bumped into his chest and my cheeks burned with embarrassment as he stumbled backward.
“Woah there big guy, at least take me out to dinner first.” He joked, pushing his hands on my nose and raising his eyebrows playfully at me, I let out a small laugh which finally did make him take a step back, but that was probably more because of the breath I’d let out which pushed him backwards.
“Your breath smells of whiskey.” He coughed and I cringed, finding no way to hide my embarrassment, he just smiled waving it off. “Good thing I like whiskey.”
In a dystopian version of London, tiny humans known as dolls are bought, sold, and displayed like collectibles-stripped of their rights and humanity. Behind glass and beneath glittering lights, their pain is hidden beneath carefully curated perfection.
Sixteen-year-old Nyah has spent years in a store, forced into the role of a ballerina and silenced by fear. With her twin brothers at her side, she awaits the day someone will choose them-dreading what comes next. But when they're purchased by Luca, a quiet, grunge-loving teenager with grief in his past and kindness in his actions, Nyah begins to question everything she's been taught about humans, love, and survival.
As Nyah adjusts to a new kind of life, she encounters others-both dolls and humans-who blur the lines between cruelty and care, freedom and control. But danger is never far. In a world designed to keep dolls obedient, the cost of resistance is high, and trust can be deadly.
With tensions rising and secrets unraveling, Nyah must decide whether to protect the fragile peace she's found-or risk everything for a chance at something more.
