Latent Activation

[Snowball2]

Alex groaned as he sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. He’d gone to bed at a horrible time, and he was paying for it now, but he didn’t particularly care. The light streaming in through his window prevented him from going back to sleep, but that didn’t mean he was about to get out of bed.

And then he remembered he was getting a sister today.

Alex had turned 16 earlier that year, and a couple weeks after that, his parents had started talking about adopting another kid. Initially it was a random thought, but it stuck around, and his parents had started to get more and more enthusiastic about it. Alex, on the contrary, was not enthusiastic about it at all. He wasn’t particularly interested in sharing their already small house with another person, and there was a chance he’d end up being forced to share his room too.

But, when his parents sat him down and said that they wanted to adopt a second kid, they had asked him if he was okay with it. Not just told him what their plan was, or even probing to see his reaction; they had genuinely asked him for permission, and they were willing to listen to him, despite that, from his perspective, they had no obligation to. That openness, and the joy he had seen in their eyes in the weeks prior when they talked about expanding their family, gave him the little push in the moment to say yes.

He regretted that decision now. He got out of bed, groaning, and got dressed, before leaving his room. As he walked to the stairs, he noticed that his dad’s office, which was the room his new sister was supposed to be sleeping in, was still very much an office. His dad had been putting off converting it into a bedroom for months now, and his promise to do it last night seemed to have held the same weight as the rest of his promises. Alex sighed, and went downstairs for breakfast.

“Good morning,” He said to his mom, as he entered the kitchen. “Where’s dad?”

His mom was sitting at the table with a cup of tea, reading a book. She looked up from her reading and gave him an apologetic smile. “You noticed the office is still intact, honey?” He nodded to confirm, and she let out a small sigh. “Your father was going to start working on it last night, but he got an urgent call from work and had to leave on a business trip. He’ll be back in a week or so, but don’t worry, he’ll get it sorted as soon as he gets back, alright dear?”

He just nodded, and poured himself some cereal, having gotten used to this sort of development. “When are we leaving to go pick…” he hesitated, realizing he’d forgotten her name.

His mother put her book down, eyes narrowing, and leaned toward him. “Do you not know her name? We’ve been talking about her for almost a month! Have you read any of her file I forwarded to you?” She asked, getting angry, and groaned when he shook his head. “There was important info in there!”

She leaned back in her chair and shook her head, her face in her hands. “Well, it’s too late now. We have to leave in 20 minutes to go get Aliva.” She said, before getting up, and leaving the room, muttering.

Alex, having been adequately lectured, finished his breakfast quickly, and made sure he was ready to leave on time. They had a quiet ride to the adoption center, permeated mostly by his mother muttering about “never listening” and “always procrastinating”.

As they pulled into the parking lot, though, his mother took a deep breath, and after taking a second to calm herself, turned to him. “Her name, in case you’ve forgotten again, is Aliva. She’s… she’s had a tough life, so just… be careful with her, okay? I don’t want you to break her.”

He just nodded, and, after receiving a forced smile in return, they headed inside. His mother talked to the clerk for a minute, and after a couple minutes of waiting, a 40-some year old man walked into the room. “Katrina? Aliva’s waiting for you.” He said with a tight smile, and gestured for us to follow. “And you must be Alex, correct?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Alex said, nodding, and they exited the waiting room into a hallway, before the man opened the door to a room and gestured them in.

Inside, sat on the side of a bed, was a girl Alex thought looked to be around 15. She was slender, but seemed about normal height. Her blonde hair was in a simple braid, and her skin was pale. She was fidgety, but seemed relatively calm.

The man walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Aliva, I’d like you to meet your new family, Katrina and Alex. Your new dad had an emergency to attend to, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon.” He said, gesturing to them as he said their names.

Aliva gave them a visibly forced smile. “It’s nice to meet you.” She said, a slight Russian accent poking through. After an awkward moment, looking between the two of them, she looked at Alex. “Ah… how old are you?” She asked, hesitantly.

“Oh, uh, I’m 16.” Alex said, feeling the tension in the room but not sure how to diffuse it. “You?”

“14, almost 15.” She said, and after another awkward moment of nobody saying anything, she spoke again. “So… should we leave?”

The man, after a moment of surprise, forced a smile. “Yes, if you’re comfortable already, that’s perfect. Shall we?” He said, standing up and opening the door. Aliva picked up her backpack, which Alex noticed was already completely packed, and they walked out to the waiting room. Aliva and Alex stood together as his mom completed some paperwork with the man, though she was clearly trying to keep some distance from him.

“So… where are you from?” Alex asked, trying to make some effort to make her feel more comfortable.

Contrary to making her more comfortable, she flinched at his question, but forced a smile anyways “Ah, R-Russia. A s-small town, in the east.” She said, stuttering.

“Oh. Um… why’d you move here?” He asked, cautiously.

She tensed at the question, and leaned away from him slightly. “Ah, it- it was… not good there.” She said quietly.

Alex nodded, and decided to stop asking questions.

The ride home was quiet. His mom tried to start a conversation a couple times, but they all sputtered out quickly. Back at the house, his mom led Aliva on a tour of the house, and Alex noticed that Aliva was keeping a couple meters of distance from him whenever possible, and she would fidget a lot when it wasn’t.

They got to the office, and his mom opened the door.

“This is going to be your room. My husband was going to get it converted into a bedroom for you, he got called away by work, so you can share Alex’s room until he gets back, alright?” She said, talking to Aliva but giving Alex a look as well. He sighed, annoyed but not surprised, and was about to move on when he noticed Aliva had fully frozen up. Every visible muscle was tensed, and she looked terrified.

His mother, oblivious, pointed out the last couple rooms in the hallway, and then gave Aliva a pat on the shoulder and walked downstairs. Alex, concerned, reached out and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “Hey, are… are you okay?”

The moment his hand touched her shoulder, she jerked away, her eyes locking onto his, looking scared for a second before she got control of herself. “Ah, no, no, it’s- I’m fine. Sharing a room i-is… fine.” She said, eyes still wide.

Alex nodded slowly in reply. “Okay… here, why don’t you get set up in there? I… I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay?” He waited for her nod, and then went back downstairs, and found his mom, lounging on the couch. He walked over to her, and spoke quietly, almost a whisper. “Hey, mom… are you sure Aliva’s okay? She seems scared.”

His mom in response, just rolled her eyes. “That’s why I wanted you to read the info I sent you. Maybe if you spent a bit less time on those stupid games you’d know.” She said, and looked back to her phone, waving him away dismissively.

Alex, now thoroughly confused, wandered into the kitchen, and sat down at the table, pulling out his phone to read the file he’d been sent. It had her name, Aliva Synvanova, her birthday, the 12th of June, and a list of other bits of information. Further down though, there was one small line that he almost skimmed over.

Made three allegations of abuse against former homes. Investigations have found no evidence. Likely a method to demand attention.

Alex felt his hands getting sweaty as he read the line. He hadn’t noticed any desire for attention of any kind from her, and if her complaints had been dismissed this easily, it would explain her skittish behaviour, and why it seemed like she didn’t want to share a room with him. And more importantly, his mom had read the file, knew all this… and had still decided to put her in there. Which, strangely enough, didn’t surprise him as much as he thought it would.

Walking back up the stairs, he decided the best way to deal with this would be to just tell her that he knew and that he wasn’t going to hurt her. He felt a twinge of annoyance that he was having to deal with this in the first place, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

He opened his door and Aliva spun around to look at him, guiltily. She had been looking at his whiteboard, and clearly hadn’t heard him coming.

Alex tried for a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, that’s not private. But, Aliva, I wanted to tell you that…” he trailed off, as he noticed she had knocked a magnet off the board in her spin. But what he was surprised by was where it ended up.

“Aliva… is that magnet stuck to your arm?” He asked, confused.

Immediately her eyes went wide with panic, and she swiped it off of herself as fast as she could. Alex faintly heard something slide, but he didn’t pay it much attention. “Uh… how did that…”

“It is, ah.. I have… it’s nothing- I just…” She trailed off, looking around frantically, clearly terrified.

And then, almost imperceptibly, she seemed to get a tiny bit shorter. Alex didn’t notice, but she did. She froze, unable to process what was going on for a few seconds, and then frantically, grabbed another magnet from the white board and started repeatedly sliding it up her forearm. After a few tries, there was a faint slide and thunk sound, and she put the magnet back. By now, Alex had noticed the change in her height, and it was accelerating. She just stood there, frozen in fear, as Alex watched her shrink in shock. He clothes grew loose on her body, and then pooled around her, save her shirt she clutched around her, until she finally stopped shrinking at about a foot tall.

Staring up at Alex in fear and awe, she spoke, just barely loud enough for him to hear.

“It worked.”

And then she fainted.

Alex, startled out of his immobility, rushed over and crouched down in front of her. He wrapped her shirt around her and cautiously wrapped a hand around her. He cradled her in his hands, still in shock about what just happened, and lifted her up to his ear. He sighed in relief when he heard ever so faint breathing. Looking around the room, he decided to set her down on his bed, making sure her shirt was still covering her like a blanket, and waited for her to wake up.

[TheBigG]

That’s one hell of a magnet

[NotATree]

Can’t wait to see where this goes

[Snowball2]

Appreciate the comments, hopefully this part clears a couple things up. A bit shorter, but I'm hungry and don't feel like writing more right now :)

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As Alex sat on his bed, waiting for Aliva to regain consciousness, he couldn’t help but stare at her. This wasn’t a doll, or a toy, and yet despite having seen her shrink with his own eyes, he couldn’t fathom that this little doll was, and still is, a real person.

He was still staring at her when she woke up, jerking upright, hands clutching the fabric of her now giant shirt. She stared at him, shivering but frozen still, eyes wide and locked on to his comparably huge ones.

Alex tried to smile reassuringly, but his worry was clearly visible. “Hey, are you okay?” He asked, to no avail. Aliva had turned white, her already pale skin looking more like snow. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I… I don’t know what’s going on, okay?”

Aliva, though she was still terrified, started to relax a tiny bit at his words. He seemed to be genuine, but he was also big enough to crush her with little more than a thought, and she had just met him earlier that day. And through all of this, one thought was pulsing through her head.

“It worked” she said, still unable to understand what her words meant.

Alex, just barely able to hear that she was talking, leaned in closer. “Sorry, I couldn’t hear that, what did you say?”

Aliva attempted unsuccessfully to scramble backwards at his approach, getting tangled up in her old clothing, but stopped when she realized he wasn’t trying to grab her. “The… thing,” she said, “it never worked before. They got… that’s why they got rid of me.”

Hearing all of this but understanding none of it, Alex’s confusion only grew. “What is this thing you’re talking about?”

Aliva, after hesitating momentarily, decided to give up on any secrecy. “It’s like… a tube. In my arm. It has a metal ball on the inside, that… that you can move with a magnet.” She took a deep breath, not sure why she was telling him this but knowing it was too late to stop now. “When… when the ball is at the top, I grow. But when it’s at the bottom… I shrink. That’s what they told me.” She shook her head, still in shock. “But… they never got it to work. It… I was a failure. That’s… why they got rid of me.” She said, softly.

Alex smiled at her, actually happy now. “So, I can grow you back with a magnet?” He asked, sounding hopeful, but she shook her head.

“I already moved the magnet to the grow stage, before I… shrunk. But… growing is a lot slower.”

Alex’s face fell. “How much slower?”

She looked up at him, fear creeping into her face as she remembered what she’d been told when the tube was implanted years ago. “An… an inch a week.” She said. “So I’ll be normal again in… about a year.” She said, unable to stop the tiny tear that spilled from her eye.

They sat in silence for a minute, both making the same realization that this was something they were going to live with for a while, not just a crazy day. Aliva, finding a strand of confidence she didn’t know she had, broke the silence. “So… what now?”

Her question baffled Alex. She was a foot tall, naked, hiding under her old shirt on his bed, and she was asking him what’s next? Aliva, on the other hand, while more calm now, was still terrified of him, and was equally terrified of doing anything that might annoy him.

“Maybe… I can try to find you some clothes, or something?” Alex said, after overcoming his bafflement. “I could go buy a barbie or something, if you want?”

Aliva felt sick at the thought of wearing doll clothes. She was already the size of one, and being dressed as a doll felt almost like an admission that she was one. But some clothes were better than nothing, and she didn’t want to risk asking for some other option. “Ah… yes, I guess. That would be nice.”

Alex nodded. “Alright, I should be back in like 20 minutes. Do… do you want me to leave you with my mom?”

Aliva stiffened, and shook her head violently. “Please…Please don’t tell her. I don’t… Please don’t tell anyone else about me… okay?”

Alex frowned at her distrust of his mom, but didn’t push it. “Okay, so… where should I leave you while I’m out? My mom might come in here while I’m out, and she’ll see you there.”

Aliva looked around the room, searching for somewhere hidden and open, but she didn’t see anything. Taking a breath to steady herself, she accepted that she was only going to get the first part. “Can you… can you put me in a… a drawer?”

Surprised, he raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I… I don’t think you’d be able to get out, is that okay?”

In response, Aliva nodded, though she looked unsure, and pulled her shirt around her. “I… I really, really don’t want anyone else to know… okay?” Alex nodded at this, now grasping the seriousness of her earlier protest against him revealing her. He got up off the bed, which felt like the earth tilting to Aliva, and opened the drawer on his bedside table. He emptied the few random things that had accumulated there, and then folded up a small blanket, giving her a soft surface.

“Is it okay if I pick you up?” He asked, trying not to show the excitement he felt at the possibility of doing it again, with her awake this time.

She tensed, but nodded. “If… if you have to. Just… could you try to be gentle, please?” She asked.
Unlike Aliva, Alex didn’t see that as a significant request, and nodded quickly. “Of course. I’ll be as careful as possible, but let me know if anything hurts, okay?” He extended his hand slowly, gently sliding his fingers under her, and then closing his fist around her waist, pinning the shirt in place. Aliva felt herself beginning to panic, but forced it down, squeezing her eyes shut as he lifted her.

Raising her into the air, Alex once again marveled at how small she was, but only for a moment, before setting her down in the open drawer, careful to keep her shirt covering her the whole time. He looked down at her in the drawer, and felt a sudden rush of protectiveness wash over him. Here was a one foot tall girl, his sister now too, he remembered, who was trusting him to keep her trapped in a drawer for the side effect that nobody would find her.

He felt a sudden determination to never break that trust.

“Are you doing okay in there? Can I close the drawer?”

She looked up at him, still only beginning to calm down from being in his fist. She nodded quickly, ignoring the gnawing fear that she would starve to death in the drawer, unable to escape. She sat down, as she was still too tall to stand once it closed. “Y-you can close it. I’ll be okay.” She said, trying to hide her fear unsuccessfully.

Alex noticed her fear, but with no other option, he just nodded and tried for a smile. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.” He said, before sliding the drawer closed, with her in it.

Inside the drawer, Aliva lay back, trying to relax, but unable to stop thinking about how her life was in the hands of a boy she only met a few hours earlier.

[Raso719]

Oooo if she had left it in the small position would she have just kept shrinking forever?

[TheBigG]

Here’s your new sister and now she’s gone for a year yup can’t see how no one is not going to notice her absence

[Snowball2]

Oooo if she had left it in the small position would she have just kept shrinking forever?

Yes, to a point at least. I honestly haven’t decided on limits to her shrinking yet, but if there is a limit, it’s much smaller than she is right now.

Here’s your new sister and now she’s gone for a year yup can’t see how no one is not going to notice her absence

They are absolutely going to notice :)

[Raso719]

Oooo if she had left it in the small position would she have just kept shrinking forever?

Yes, to a point at least. I honestly haven’t decided on limits to her shrinking yet, but if there is a limit, it’s much smaller than she is right now.

That's awesome. It sounds like there were others awesome well? Probably in some crazy secret facility... I wonder if we'll hear about the others and how the limit of the reduction was tested.... love me some micro!