This choice: she paused, before wrapping her fingers around Ashley • Go Back...Chapter #5she paused, before wrapping her fingers around ... by: kranz   she paused, before wrapping her fingers around Ashley's tiny body with surprising gentleness. Amy could feel her friend's heart racing against her palm as she carefully lifted her up.
"It's okay, I've got you," Amy whispered, cupping her other hand protectively over Ashley to shield her from view. The warmth of Amy's hands was comforting, but Ashley couldn't stop trembling as the ground fell away beneath her.
From her new vantage point cradled in Amy's hands, Ashley watched the changing room transform into a vast cavern. The lockers stretched up like skyscrapers, and the fluorescent lights seemed impossibly distant.
"We need to get your things," Amy said quietly, glancing around to make sure they were still alone. She spotted Ashley's gym bag on the bench. "Can you tell me what happened? Did you take anything? Eat or drink something strange?"
"No, nothing!" Ashley's voice came out as a squeak, though to her it sounded normal. "I was just about to change when I started feeling weird, and then... this!"
Amy carefully transferred Ashley to her left hand and grabbed Ashley's gym bag with her right. "Okay, we need to get out of here before anyone sees. I'm going to put you in my pocket for now—is that okay?"
Ashley looked down at the deep pocket of Amy's hoodie. It wasn't ideal, but she understood the need for discretion. "Just... be careful, please."
"I promise." Amy gently lowered Ashley into her pocket. The fabric walls rose up around her, and Ashley had to steady herself against the movement as Amy began walking. She could hear her friend's heartbeat and the muffled sounds of the tennis center beyond her fabric prison.
As they moved through the building, Ashley heard familiar voices.
"Hey Amy, have you seen Ashley?" It was Mia's voice, sounding even younger and more innocent from Ashley's perspective.
Amy's response rumbled through her chest. "She wasn't feeling well, so I'm taking her home. Tell your parents for me?"
"Okay! Tell her I hope she feels better!" Emma chimed in.
Ashley wanted to call out, to let the girls know she was there, but Amy's hand pressed gently against the outside of the pocket—a silent reminder to stay quiet.
After what felt like an eternity, Ashley felt the rush of cool evening air and heard the beep of a car unlocking. Amy pulled her out of the pocket once they were safely inside the vehicle.
"Alright," Amy said, setting Ashley carefully on the passenger seat and closing the door. She walked around to the driver's side and got in. "First things first—we need to figure out what caused this and if it can be reversed. Did Sophie see anything? She left right before I came in."
Ashley shook her head, which from Amy's perspective was barely noticeable. "I don't think so. She left before it happened." Then something occurred to her. "Amy, my competition is in three days. I can't miss it—this is my shot at going pro!"
Amy started the car, her expression troubled. "Ash, I know this competition means everything to you, but right now we need to focus on getting you back to normal size. Let's get to my place and start researching. Maybe this is temporary, or maybe there's something we can do."
As they drove through the darkening streets, Ashley sat on the seat feeling more helpless than she ever had in her life. Through the window, the world rushed by at impossible scale—buildings like mountains, streetlights like distant suns.
"Wait," Ashley said suddenly. "My water bottle. I dropped it right before this happened. Maybe there was something wrong with it?"
Amy glanced down at her tiny friend. "That's actually good thinking. We'll have to go back for it tomorrow when no one's around. But for tonight, let's just get you somewhere safe."
They pulled into Amy's apartment complex, and Amy carefully scooped Ashley up again, this time placing her in her jacket's inner pocket for extra security. As they rode the elevator up to the third floor, Ashley couldn't help but wonder: what if this was permanent? What if she never got to play tennis again, never got to pursue her dream?
And somewhere in the back of her mind, a darker thought emerged: if someone had done this to her intentionally, who would want to hurt her this way?
Sophie's strange behavior and quick exit suddenly seemed a lot more suspicious.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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