devipa

It didn't take Dani long to catch up to Shiloh on the conveyor belt. In the inky blackness she heard first the labored huffing of an angry woman crawling as fast as she can, then felt the weight and pressure of that same adult woman flopping on top of her. "Dani, I can't breathe!" Shiloh hissed. "Shhhhhut up!" Dani hissed back. "We have to stay as small as possible or we're going to be hamburger!" "What makes you so sure?" "I helped build this damn thing!" Dani pinned Shiloh's shoulders back against the conveyor, still lazily moving them deeper and deeper into the machine. "It's programmed for one kid, one at a time. That's it. And more kids? Hamburger. I already explained what it looks like in here without the VR." Shiloh hadn't experienced it firsthand, but Dani's account of gyrating metal arms and pistons was fresh in her mind. "Okay, I don't want to be hamburger. What do we do?" "For the next couple minutes we are one kid. We move together. We get small. We wait this out.

Shiloh and Dani left the upstairs bathroom with a plan and a renewed sense of purpose. Whatever he was up to, Dr. Mike was going down. Downstairs in the kitchen Mr. Strait had Logan in one arm slung across his hip, juggling dialing the phone in the other hand. Shiloh could only marvel at him: The brilliant scientist was really calling out for pizza after forgetting to buy groceries for his only child. Maybe marvel wasn't the right word... "Oh, yes, Shiloh, my dear," he called out. "Dr. Argyros wanted to see you down in the basement! Yes, one pepperoni, large..." Shiloh and Dani exchanged glances. He was already alone with the machine. It was two on one. This was going to be simple. Shiloh took the stairs casually with Dani in tow. Dr. Mike was at the foot of the stairs, tapping away at the machine's touchpad. He looked up from his work, flashing a white smile against the dim basement light. He was so much younger than Dr. Strait, but still commanded such a presence. She remembered

"ew," Katrin typed. "i cant believe ur mom bought you a friend" "how do you think i feel?" Odette replied. "i have plenty of friends" "AND ur 18 a grown ass adult you could pack up and leave tomorrow and martha got you a playdate" "that she's paying for" "a paydate WAIT DET a payforplaydate" "you're hilarious, kat" "DET is she cute tho" "i can't even think about that. she's being paid for it. that's like hitting on your waitress. she's just here because she has to be." "yeah but a lot of people pay for 'playing' with other adults" "kat seriously" "wats her name" "why?" "det wats her name" "Michelle. She went to a different high school than me at least so she's a stranger" "oh hey shel come here often?" "TO MY HOUSE, KAT?" "i've got an air fryer and martha stocked the freezer shel excuse me while i slip into something more comfortable shel" "you're horrible. i need to go." "shel do you take clients with special interests" "KAT I'M LEAVING" "enjoy ur

The two girls stopped bickering, stunned into silence. They exchanged harried expressions back and forth. Who could have Dr. Strait brought home with him? Why now? And how were they going to get out of this? "You stay here," Shiloh began, "I'll wait until the coast is clear, then wave you out." "You're not leaving me here like this!" Dani hissed. "Well then what do you suppose we do?" Shiloh whispered. "Give me your dress." "Hard pass." "You have less to lose being seen in baby clothes!" "I can't believe we're having this conversation. I'm not zipping into your prison onesie," Shiloh huffed. “And you stink!” "We called a truce," Dani whined. "I'll let you out as soon as I can." Making a snap decision, Shiloh flicked off the light switch then nabbed the door’s handle, twisted it, and escaped into the hallway, closing the door perhaps too hard behind her. The last thing she saw was the shadowy scowl of Dani through the closing door’s crack. She brushed down her dress

Lily loved the way her eyes reflected the bright white halos of the ring light. She swiped through her camera roll, picking out today’s best shots to post to Instagram (and which ones to save for her “premium” Snapchat). The set tucked into the corner of her bedroom looked immaculate, a carefully-curated gentle rainbow of pastels: the soft foam alphabet tiles and quilt beneath her, the stacks of plushies, the string lights and the white cube organizer overflowing with sippy cups. She could edit in some soft focus, a little bloom. Her profile looked like it was borrowed from a dozing fairy’s daydream. But the star of the show? Her brand-new lavender onesie, covered in an all-over print of snuggly teddie bears, three rows of white ruffles across her bottom. A brand deal with some new littles shop. There were too many opening up to even count. When it arrived in the mail she was a little skeptical it would fit her profile’s aesthetic. It was a little… much, but once she tried it on and