The Shrink Program

Chapter 26

I stared at Nigel's relieved face for a long silent moment.

"Close?" I asked, slowly giving him a smile of my own.

One of my if-you-don't-get-me-out-of-this-jar-right-now-so-that-I-can-murder-someone-I'll-reacquaint-your-face-with-my-fist- smiles.

"I have just had a near-death experience, Nigel," I told him gently. "Yet the only words of comfort I receive are "That was close"?"

"Well, um, we're kinda talking inches here Ma-"

"Get me out of the jar," I commanded flatly.

"... Yes, sir."

The jar lifted as Nigel sat up, the movement causing a sensation similar to being in an elevator. I

groaned quietly to myself, tired of the constant motion sickness I was experiencing at this size.

The upward movement stopped once I was on the same level as Nigel's cheerful expression.

Cheerful was so not what I wanted to be close to at the moment.

I needed to get out of this jar so that I could go be bad-tempered and sullen with Vain.

Nigel reached a hand up to the top of my jar, only to pause a couple of inches away.

When his hand withdrew completely, I noticed that his cheerful expression had paled to a mixture of anxiety and fear.

Like it always does when he doesn't want to tell me the bad news.

"Is she alright?" I heard Vain's voice behind me, accompanied by his approaching footsteps.

I watch as Nigel looked up in surprise as if noticing Vain for the first time. He sent me one last nervous glance before smiling at Vain disarmingly.

"Well, she's not dead." He replied, his blunt words not quite matching the pleasant expression on his face.

I closed my eyes painfully, resisting the urge to bang my head against the glass.

Nigel had never met Vain face to face before... But Alex liked to tell horror stories of the few times he had battled the white whale....during the whole mess two years ago.

Friendly and goodhearted as he was, Nigel didn't really have a lot of reasons to like Vain.

"Thank god," Vain replied, not seeming to notice Nigel's off tone.

The utter relief in Vain's words was enough to make Nigel's stiff expression soften a little.

Unlike Alex or Vain himself, Nigel just didn't have the mental capacity to hold onto a grudge.

I stood as Vain knelt beside us, peering at me through the glass.

Uncomfortable with being looked at like a bug under the microscope, I glared back at him.

"What happened to Apollo and his gang?" I asked Vain, trying to drag this situation away from our beautiful reunion and back to business.

"Ran as soon as Nigel got loose." Vain murmured, not looking away from me.

I grimace at the continued staring, knowing that if I didn't escape soon, he was going to start asking me uncomfortable questions.

Such as, are you alright?

"Great. Go, team. We won, and everybody gets a prize," I said sarcastically. "Now, if it's not too much to ask, can I get out of here please?!"

This is me asking nicely.

Vain sent a questioning look at Nigel over my jar, as if asking why I wasn't already out.

Wordlessly, Nigel turned the jar around to face Nigel, making me stumble to keep facing the right direction.

Like Nigel, Vain's face paled when he looked at the top of the jar...if that's even possible.

Alarmed, I took a better look at my prison. The glass of the jar was obviously thick, and the lid of the jar had one of those plastic seals, so it wasn't a screw-on. I could even see part of the metal wire contraption that was used to shut and keep the lid of the jar closed.

It was probably one of those jars you buy to put lollies in or whatever. It was shaped like a squat cylinder, a few inches than my five, with more than enough room for me to lay lengthwise with my arms outstretched.

Near the top of the jar, there was a ring of finely drilled in holes, so I wouldn't have to worry about air.

Courtesy at its finest.

What I did have to worry about was the fact that this was no jar just randomly pulled off the shelf. This jar was custom made, created to keep me in.

Dread made me sit, sliding down against the glass. After a deep sigh, I said what the two boys had been too afraid to tell me.

"It's locked, isn't it."