Chapter #2Home Storyline by: Storm   The spider scurrying across the dining room is crushed between the wooden floor and the sole of your shoe as you stomp and smear it.
"They're everywhere," you say.
"I still don't know where they came from," Dad
Calvin, AKA Dad: The protagonist's father.
- Age: 45
- Occupation: Engineer
- Appearance: Short blond hair, combed back, slightly balding. Sky blue eyes. Tall, lean, broad shoulders. Usually wears button-up shirts, jeans, and hiking shoes.
- Personality: Calm, nonjudgmental, reserved, stern. |
"How do you know that's even a bug bomb?" you ask him.
"I don't, but I'm not going to argue with your mother. We got it from one of her cousins, I think. They're a strange bunch--removing all the labels from things and such," he answers, adding, "Don't tell her I said that."
"Maybe you have to poke a hole into it."
He purses his lips. "I don't see how else we're even supposed to use this thing."
"How long will it take?" asks your younger brother, Bronson,
Bronson: The protagonist's younger brother.
- Age: 15
- Occupation: High school student
- Appearance: Mid-length, wavy, brown hair, with bangs. Mahogany eyes. Tall and lanky. Most often found in oversized T-shirts or hoodies, baggy jeans, and skate shoes.
- Personality: Quiet, distant, bright, unmotivated. |
"I'd assume a few hours."
"What?" Bronson moans. He gets up and walks toward the stairs. "I'm getting some games then."
"Hurry," your father calls after him. Then he looks at you. "Can you grab me a screwdriver and hammer?"
Once he has the tools in hand, your father puts the canister on the floor and kneels beside it.
"I'm opening it, Bronson!" Dad calls. "Get your games and let's go!"
Then, Dad holds the screwdriver against the canister and hammers it to pierce it. Immediately the pressurized canister flies against the wall, spewing out a gray gas.
"Time to go," your father says to you. You stare at the canister for a second, thinking how unusual it seemed. Then, you follow your father to the stairs, where he was calling for Bronson.
The fumes from the canister act fast. They weren't really meant to kill the invading insects in your home. As you would soon discover, the chemical actually had the capability of shrinking humans.
Neither you nor your father see Bronson again before you both pass out from the fumes. Next to each other, you two tumble to the floor at the foot of the stairs--gradually shrinking to just one inch tall.
*** ** *** ** ***
You wake up to your father shaking you. Your head hurts, and you immediately clutch your temples. The world seems so bright, and as your vision focuses, you are not able understand what is going on or where you are.
"Good, you're awake," Dad says, turning away from you and looking around. You finally start to notice where you are.
For some reason, everything in your house is seemingly dozens of times bigger than normal. Your parents' living room is before your eyes, but you gaze out at it as if from the eyes of the very insects you had been trying to get rid of.
Then, your memory returns.
"Dad," you say, "the can..."
"Yeah, it seems that the gas from it must have shrunk us."
You stare at him as a new level of understanding hits you. It's not that the whole house has gotten incredibly large--you and your father have both shrunk. Looking around, you see that you are at the stairs going to the next floor, where you and Dad both passed out earlier.
"Where's Bronson?" you ask. "Is he OK?"
Dad frowns.
"I haven't seen him yet. But, he must be around here too."
At that moment, the front door of the house opens. Just a few feet to your left at normal size, it seems about a mile of white, plush carpet away now. Through the door comes Dani,
Dani: The youngest sister of the protagonist.
- Age: 13
- Occupation: Junior high school student
- Appearance: Shoulder-length, curly, blonde hair, with some curls straying into her face on occasion. Hazel eyes. Lean. Likes loose, colorful shirts or dark jackets, jeans or knee-length skirts, and usually either skate shoes or sandals.
- Personality: Bubbly, thoughtful, playful, hyperactive at times. |
"Is it safe for us to come in?" Dani asks. Behind her comes Mom,
Renée, AKA Renee or Mom: The protagonist's mother.
- Age: 39
- Occupation: Nurse
- Appearance: Long, wavy, brown hair, no bangs. Mahogany eyes. Average height and slim but curvy. When home, prefers sun dresses and bare feet.
- Personality: Cheerful, eager to please, talkative, but prone to mood swings when stressed. |
"I'm not sure," Mom says. Then, she calls out, "Honey? Boys? Is it OK to come in?"
Your mom approaches you and your dad, unaware that you are both now only the size of insects. She stops next to the stairs, only a short distance from you. Her feet, tan from her love of being barefoot outdoors, remain in her light brown sandals--a rare sight when she is home. You are stunned by the enormity of your own mom at your new size. You may not even be much bigger than one of her clear toenails. She towers over you so that you must strain your head back just to look up to her face. From your spot on the floor, you can see the entirety of her legs, fit from her evening walks, all the way up her sun dress. You quickly look away but notice your father doing exactly the same. He recovers soon as well, however, when the severity of the situation returns to his mind.
"There's no way she can hear us at this size, this far away," Dad notes out loud. "And if we don't find cover..."
Finally, Jenna
Jenna: The oldest sister of the protagonist.
- Age: 17
- Occupation: High school student/athlete
- Appearance: Shoulder-length, straight, brown hair, no bangs. Sky blue eyes. Slightly taller than average, lean, athletic. Wears a wide variety of clothes but loves loose, thin, and comfortable shirts--often layered--along with tight jeans or sweats and either flip-flops, flats, or knee-high boots.
- Personality: Aloof, vain, talkative. |
"The truck's still here," Jenna tells the others without looking up from her phone. Her flats come off her feet almost immediately at the door, and she leaves them flung off where they fell. "Didn't you tell Dad to leave a note?"
Jenna walks towards you as well, and before you can even act, she walks past Mom--stepping right over you and Dad--and heads up the stairs to her bedroom.
Mom turns away and goes into the dining room, seeing the broken canister. She bends over and picks it up, but she does not see a note or any sign of you, Dad, or Bronson anywhere.
"Well, they opened the bug bomb," Mom says to herself as Dani walks into the dining room, still holding Mittens. "But why is the truck still here...?"
Dad turns to you as Dani passes by, fear in his eyes. You've never seen him this way before.
"We have to find cover right away," he tells you. "Once Dani lets go of Mittens, things will get bad in a hurry."
You nod, seeing Dani and Mom talking in the corner of your eyes.
"We don't have many options," Dad says, "but I think we should go _____."  | Members who added to this interactive story also contributed to these: |
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