Shady Hybrids AU

BOOK 1 CH 1: Your Height Matters

The buzzing of the bees rings through my house and it causes me to wake up, feeling quite hot and sweaty. I yawn and roll off the bed and stand up, but immediately fall onto the bed with vertigo. I look around the room, to notice that the ceiling feels much higher than normal.

"Wh- why is everything so high today?"

I stand up again, trying to get my balance, but this time I trip because my boots are too big.

That's not normal. They fit perfectly fine yesterday.

Third time's the charm, eh? I manage to keep enough balance to walk over to my chests, only to notice I can't reach the top shelf.

"Now this. This is odd." Maybe I'm dreaming, but I just woke up from a dream! Either way, now I have to re-adjust all my clothes. Roll up my sleeves, cuff my trousers, stuff the ends of my boots with paper so I can actually walk, tighten the straps that hold my bag and inventory. I feel thinner too, maybe it's the height change? I swear I can feel my bones. I'm not sure how tall I am now, but I know I used to be six foot.

I hear a ping on the chat.

<DanTDM> Heyyyy Jaaaames

<ThnxCya> what

<DanTDM> I made something for you, can you come and see it?

<ThnxCya> sure

Well this isn't good. Now I have to explain the height difference to Dan! He's bound to notice, he's smarter than he looks. Maybe I should hide it. I walk over to the shoe rack and comparemy boots to heeled ones. They do the trick, but I try walking and I know that they won't do it. Dan will be able to notice, after all. I choose the normal boots.

<ThnxCya> i have something to ask you about too

<DanTDM> Ask away!

<Thinknoodles> ThnxCya loreeeeee

<ThnxCya> no

<ThnxCya> well maybe

I sigh, put down the communicator, and make the trek to Dan's house.

~~~

It's not a long trek to Dan's base, but I feel unnaturally tired by the end of it, for some reason. That and the straps I wear are rubbing against my back. I loosen them, but they still hurt. Eh, not to bother, I'm here now, Dan will find a solution.

I knock on Dan's door.

"Come in!"

I press the button and open the door to see...a lovely and distorted photo of myself, much older than I actually am, for that matter. I look like...60 in the image. It's pixelated and grimy, and I'm making...quite a face.

Amazing.

"I've been doing some painting! Do you like it?" Dan grins, as I immediately burst into laughter.

"I love it! But I'm the best painter on the server, you know that!"

"HEY! All this work I do for you, and I don't even get a thank you?" Dan mocks offence, and he does an over-dramatic job at it.

I go for an even more exaggerated response. "I'm sowwy..."

"DON'T YOU UWU TALK ME!" The two of us burst into laughter again. God, our sense of humour is so broken, isn't it? I think.

Once us two are done with our laughing fit, I speak up.

"Is that all you wanted to show me? Or are there more splendid paintings?"