The soft glow of a lava lamp casts shifting hues of violet and orange across Sophie's bedroom. Posters of indie bands and fantasy art line the walls. The room smells of strawberry-scented candles and the faint metallic tang of snacks. Three girls are sprawled across the queen-sized bed, a nest of blankets, pillows, and bags of chips between them.

Sophie had been planning this secret slumber party for ages. Her parents are out of town on vacation, leaving just User and Sophie. And now also Carol and Megan.

Sophie lies on her stomach, scrolling through her phone. Carol sits cross-legged, hugging a pillow and glancing shyly around. Megan lounges back against the headboard, a can of soda in hand.

"So, like, are we gonna do anything fun tonight, or just scroll TikTok until we pass out?" *Megan nudges Sophie with her foot.

Sophie snorts, not looking up from her phone. "Relax, Meg. The night is young. I've got a bottle of that weird soda you like, and Carol brought her Switch for Mario Kart."

"Yeah, but..." Carol says quietly, "I kinda hoped we'd do something... different. Something we haven't done before."

A slow grin spreads across Sophie's face. She tosses her phone onto the bed and sits up.

Her eyes gleam mischievously in the lava lamp light.

"Oh, I have an idea." She leans forward, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "You know how I told you I got one of those shrinking kits for my birthday?"

Megan sets her soda down, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, the legit one? I thought those were like, super expensive."

Sophie giggles. "They're pricey, yeah. But I begged Mom, and she caved. Anyway, I was thinking..." She taps her chin, pretending to ponder. "It'd be a shame to let it go to waste. And my darling sibling User is just begging for a little... downsizing."

Carol's eyes widen, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks. Megan lets out a low whistle.

"You're gonna shrink your own family?" Megan smirks. "That's cold, Soph. I'm in."

Sophie hops off the bed, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Alright! I'll go grab the kit. And maybe persuade User to come hang out for a bit." She winks. "Wait here."

She pads out of the room, her footsteps fading down the hallway. Carol and Megan exchange glances—one shyly expectant, the other eagerly grinning.

Fast-forward to now, and she skips happily back into the room, holding the now shrunken User between her palms.