Eve's Boutique - Ch 27

Sacrifices

The world was clamoring for Makenzie, just like always.  Even lying in bed, she couldn’t escape it.  Her phone provided an endless stream of praise, worship, and downright supplication.  Ordinarily, this would have cheered her.

It wasn’t her style to sleep so late.  It was bad practice; a thing unhappy girls did to escape their unhappy-girl problems.  Yet today it had been hard to even summon the will to crawl out of the apartment.  Part of this was reluctance to make her way down the too-tiny hall outside her room, and part of it was her sore back after sleeping on such a small bed.  There were other reasons it was hard.  She was trying not to think about those.

The city crews were out this morning, cutting branches for her.  It wouldn’t do for someone of her stature to bend just because some silly tree was in her way.  The crews were happy in their work.  One guy, a little cutie in a pink hard hat, even shot her a salute as she walked past.  When she favored him with a wink, it was clearly the highlight of his year.

Mackenzie wanted to say something to him.  To tell him he was doing a good job, that she liked his hat.  She didn’t dare.

This wasn’t Abigail’s fault.  She knew that – intellectually.  Still, it felt like the girl had stolen something from her, that her accusation had drained all the color from the world.  She was one of the most popular and attractive girls on the face of the Earth.  She had everything she wanted.  She was supposed to be happy.

Maybe Abigail and Chloe were wrong.  Maybe they’d already changed their minds, and wanted to see her again.

She checked her itty-bitty phone.  There were plenty of messages, but not from her Besties.

She was still a half mile from Lilith’s shop when she caught sight of the woman.  Blue-haired and beautiful, leaning against the side of a building, cigarette held European-style between two long fingers.  The mere sight of her pushed all other thoughts out of Mackenzie’s head, and for that, she was grateful.

Lilith looked strangely tall today – tall for a normal person at least.  Her head reached all the way to the base of Mackenzie’s chest, instead of merely her midsection like most people.

“Oh my gosh!” Lilith called, waving with the tips of her fingers.  “I’m so glad I ran into you!  I had a feeling you’d be coming this way!”

“After yesterday, I just had to see you again!  Love your dress by the way, yellow is a good color on–”

Mackenzie tensed, slapping both hands over her mouth.  Oh no, what had she done?  The girl was going to tear off that pretty outfit and present it to her, and then Mackenzie would know Abigail had been right all along, and, and….

But Lilith only gave her a quizzical look, and flicked ash from her cigarette.  “You doing okay ‘Zee?  Don’t hide that lovely mouth from me.  I’ve seen what it can do.”

Obediently, Mackenzie returned her hands to her side.

“Take a deep breath, girl.  Relax.”

She did, and almost at once felt a million times better.  It was like she’d been carrying a massive weight, and Lilith had casually lifted it from her shoulders.  She grinned authentically for the first time today, almost overcome by gratitude for the woman.

“There.  That’s what I want to see from my best customer.  You’ve got such a nice smile.  I’m tempted to make you get down on your knees so I can see it up close.”

“Gosh.  Um.”  Mackenzie giggled girlishly.  “Say, tell me if this is an odd question.  Were you this tall yesterday?”

Lilith took a drag from her cigarette.  “The better to eat you up, my dear.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry about it.  I’ve always been fond of seven-foot-six, and besides, I can see you better from up here.”

“Oh.  That makes sense.”  Mackenzie shifted nervously.  Literally no one on the planet made Mackenzie nervous anymore.  It felt warm, and dangerous.  Like holding a lit firecracker in the palm of her hand.

“Anyway,” Lilith said.  “I need your help with something.  Do you have a little spare time?  I promise, the reward will be worth it.”

From the low growl in the woman’s voice, Mackenzie could guess at the ‘reward.’  She shivered.  “Can I ask you something first?”

“If you must.”

“Yesterday.  That make-over.  It was incredible, gosh, and the way you treated me after, I….”

Lilith flicked her cigarette into the street.  “Spit it out.”

“Right.  So.  That was….”  Mackenzie looked around to make sure they were alone, and leaned far down to whisper into Lilith’s ear.  “That was magic, right?”

The blue-haired woman gave her a wolfish grin.  “You bet it was magic.  The strongest kind I know.  You should be very, very grateful, by the way.  I don’t share something that powerful with just anyone.”

“Oh!  I am, believe me!  But um.  I’m wondering.  Would it be possible for you to… take it off?”

For a fraction of a second, Lilith looked incredibly hurt.  She quickly composed herself.  “Um, yeah.  Yeah, of course!  Does that mean… you don’t like it?”

“Of course I do!  I love it.  Just looking at myself in the mirror, I’m so gorgeous, I….”

Lilith looked up into her eyes, her expression almost supernaturally earnest.  “Then what’s the problem?”

“I think what you did to me is affecting the people around me.  Making them do whatever I say.  Making them give me things.”

“And you don’t like when people give you presents?”

“Well no, I actually love it, but….”  Mackenzie folded her arms self-consciously.  “Can I tell you about something hard that happened yesterday?”

“Sure.  I’m your friend, ‘Zee.  I’m here for you.  Cross my heart.”

The eleven-foot girl laughed with relief.  “You have no idea how good it feels to hear that.  Okay, here goes.  Last night, my friend told me that I’d done something awful to them.  That when I wanted to compliment them, tell them how much I liked them, that it actually caused them harm.  I was bearing my heart to them, and they were saying things that made me so happy.  But later they said I was taking things from them, while I talked.  Making them less, and less.  Like, I was stealing their height, and–”

“This friend,” Lilith interrupted.  “Who was it?”

Mackenzie smiled sheepishly.  “I guess I don’t need to keep secrets from you.  It’s Abigail.”

Lilith looked confused.  “Abigail.  Was mad at you.  For stealing her height?”

“Well, yeah.”

The smaller woman snorted.  “Mackenzie, exactly how tall is Abigail Archer?”

“That’s easy, it’s a matter of public record.  She’s the second tallest human on the planet – twenty-five feet, seven inches.”

“And she was upset because you took a tiny bit of that?  When she’s so gigantic?  That’s fucked up, ‘Zee.”

Mackenzie blinked.

“I thought she was supposed to be your friend.  Friends share.”

“That’s what I said, too.  And it gets worse: she didn’t even bother to tell me she’d met you!  She knew about a magic-person, and didn’t want to share.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not upset with you – it’s a matter of professional discretion of course, you didn’t need to share your customer list, but Abigail should’ve–”

Lilith laughed.  The sound was faintly cruel, like the bark of a mean dog.  “Pardon, but you’re mistaken.  I haven’t had the… pleasure of meeting Abigail yet.  She must’ve met the other ‘magical person’ in town – and we prefer the term, ‘witch,’ by the way.  Did you happen to, ah, tell Abigail about me, though?”

“Is that bad?”

“Not at all.  Actually.  I want her to know my name.”

Lilith stared off into the distance for a moment, her expression unreadable.  Then she sighed.  “Well, come on.  Let’s go back to the shop.  If you don’t want my gift, I’ll take it back.”

“Wait!”

Lilith had already taken three steps up the street.  She paused, looking over her shoulder.

“Why did you choose me, to receive such a powerful gift?  I can’t even remember the way I was before.  I guess I was probably short, ugly, unpopular….”

“Oh sweetie!  No!  Never think that!  You’re amazing.  You’ve always been amazing.  It’s part of why I thought you’d understand.”

“Understand what?”

Lilith took Mackenzie’s giant hand in both of her small ones.  “Do you think I’m exceptional?”

“Yes.”  The word was out of her mouth before she had even processed the question.

“You’d do anything for me?  Anything I asked?”

It was so bright out here.  The sun felt more like mid-August, than the early cusp of spring.  Had she remembered to drink water today?

“Anything.”

The witch smiled.  “You, Mackenzie, might be exceptional, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.  You have potential, anyway.  You see all these little people, walking around your little city?  They’re all beautiful, in their own way.  We care for them, even love them.  But the inescapable fact is, they are beneath us.  They know it, too.  And what’s more, deep down, they prefer it that way.  That’s the gift we give them – the ability to know their place.  My magic doesn’t do anything but remind them of that.  We’re their guiding stars, Mackenzie.  They revolve around us.  In return, we give them light, and meaning.”

It made so much sense.  Hadn’t she been saying the same, all her life?  Never in such stark terms.  But part of Lilith’s charm was her directness.

“Do you know anything about solstices?”  Lilith’s voice began to drop, until Mackenzie had to strain to hear.  “I do.  They’re kind of important to me.  Ancient people used to worship the sun.  Pay it tribute.  When they wanted its favor, they would sacrifice – their possessions, their animals, even their lives.  Think how generous a sun you are, not requiring any of that.  All you ask is… a hand bag here.  A few inches there.  How incredibly benevolent of you.  But never forget – you deserve it.  And you always have the right to ask for more.”

Mackenzie realized she’d been holding her breath.  She let it out, and inhaled deeply.  Feeling cleansed.

“Still want me to take it back?”

The giantess shook her head.

“Good.  But I haven’t even told you the best part.  Today, you get to use your gift to save someone!”

“What?  Who?  Where?”

“Oh you’re going to love this ‘Zee.  So Abby’s the second tallest person in the world.  And you’re what – third place?”

Something about ‘third place’ left a sour taste in her mouth.

“That’s right.”

“And who’s number one?”

“What a silly question.  Kayla Langston!  My roommate’s girlfriend, if you can believe the coincidence.  Forty-two feet, eleven inches.”

Lilith leaned in conspiratorially.  “Yesterday.  She was six-one.”

“No!”

“Yes.  See, what happened was… gosh this is embarrassing.  I kind of… hooked up with her last night.  Please don’t be mad, you’re still my all-time favorite….”

Mackenzie laughed, and slapped the smaller woman on the shoulder.  “Lilith, you absolute slut!  Good for you!  Lord knows I’ve been trying, Kayla’s a tough nut to crack.  Always so distant.  I don’t think she likes me, honestly.”

Lilith brightened.  “Maybe she’d like you if you did her a favor?  More than a favor.  She’s in danger.  See, she’s trapped.”

“But I can help?  Do you need me to lift something, or…?”

“I’ll explain on the way.”

It was a long walk – thirty blocks at least.  Mackenzie could’ve covered the distance in only a few minutes, if she hurried.  But she went slow, in deference to Lilith.  For her part, the woman didn’t seem to move with much urgency.  In fact, she seemed to adopt the gait of someone taking a very fancy dog out for a walk.

It was impossible to articulate.  But it stirred something in Mackenzie.  Something she rather liked.

The house Lilith brought her to was a literal mansion.  Tucked back in a neighborhood, far from any major street.  An old part of town, where the city’s grid pattern fell away.  Long sprawling avenues were allowed to curve and bend, as God intended.  The house – old brick and Romanesque columns – was one of the largest, on a street full of multi-million dollar homes.

Mackenzie crawled through the wide double doors.  And gasped.

Kayla lay unconscious, her chest rising and falling as she dozed.  It always took her breath away, whenever she caught sight of the giantess.  Mackenzie was big, sure – but compared to Kayla, she was practically mundane.  Her head didn’t even reach the taller woman’s knee when they stood together.

“Impressive, no?” Lilith said, keeping her voice down.  “Those bulging biceps, those tree-trunk thighs.  And then there’s her height to consider.  Yes, she’s practically a goddess.”

“How did she even get in here?” Mackenzie whispered.

“She didn’t used to be this tall.  I know, reality manipulation is a mind-fuck.  But the memories you have of her always being this big are false.  It’s something that bad witch did.  I can’t make it stop.  I’m trying, but… I’m scared I’m not powerful enough.”

“Oh, Lilith!”  Mackenzie dropped to her knees, and pulled her friend in for a reassuring hug.  “But what do you need me to do?”

The smaller woman hesitated.  “I shouldn’t ask you to do this.  It’s a tremendous burden.”

“Please.  Anything.  Kayla is my friend.  I want her to know that.”

Lilith sighed.  “Kayla used to be one of those tiny people I was telling you about.  The ones who need people like us.  She used that other witch’s magic to, and sorry if this is offensive, rise above her station.  It happens sometimes, and we love it when that story has a happy ending.  Cinderella, riding off in the carriage with her prince.  But it doesn’t usually work out that way.”

Carefully, Lilith stepped over a shattered pile of furniture.  She rested her hand affectionately on Kayla’s calf.  “The poor girl couldn’t handle it.  The shift in perspective, the sudden rush of power.  Plus I think she’s claustrophobic.  She just started screaming.  I was able to put her to sleep, for her own safety.  The thing she wants most in the world is to go back to normal.  I can wake her, let her tell you herself….”

“No!  You don’t need to put her through that.”

“You’re a good person, Mackenzie.  You understand you’ll be taking her burden.  Do you think you can handle being big, like her?  Being… exceptional?”

Mackenzie set her jaw resolutely.  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Then go to her.  Tell her how much you like her height.”

It took a long time to close the distance from Kayla’s knee, up to her head.  The woman snored lightly, dead to the world.

Mackenzie swallowed.  “Kayla?”

The giant woman’s head turned sleepily, lolling in her direction.  Her eyes fluttered, and opened to slits.  The unfocused pupils were each bigger than the pad of Mackenzie’s thumb.

Dreamily, the giant girl’s gaze shifted, and focused on Mackenzie.

Her friend smiled, and continued to snore.

“Kayla.  I really like your height.  You should… give it to me.”

Her friend sighed happily.

Nothing happened.

“Why isn’t it working?” she hissed to Lilith.

“I don’t know.  Something the other witch did?  But oh – would you mind stepping outside for a moment?  I just realized, if this works, we don’t want you getting trapped in here.”

The journey back to the front door was much shorter.  Getting out through the laughably tiny doors, however, was a challenge.  She ended up taking the frame, and some of the brickwork along with her.

“Shoot.”

Lilith opened the side window, so Mackenzie could see her thirty-foot friend, then came outside to join her.  There was something different about Lilith.  Mackenzie couldn’t quite put her finger on it.  But the girl was the same height as ever – up to the bottom of her chest – and nothing else discernable had changed.

Probably just her nerves.

“I really don’t know what else to do, sweetie.  Could you try it one more time?  Because it’s really hard for me to undo another witch’s magic.  Not without help.”

Mackenzie knelt by the window, and looked imploringly at her friend.  “Kayla.  I’m begging you.  I like your height so much.  It looks amazing on you.  But you don’t need it anymore.  It’s bad for you.  Please give it to me.  Please!”

And still nothing.  Her friend lay in a pile of broken wood, naked and vulnerable on the drawing room floor.  She kept watching, pleading with her eyes, until she could no longer see in the window, even on her knees.

“This is really bad,” Lilith said.  “We have to help her.  Oh gosh, but I don’t have any ideas.  I’ve never been so lost!”

“It’s okay.  We’ll get through this.”

The fifty-foot woman stood, stretching.  It was such a beautiful afternoon, here above the tree-tops.  She loved this city.  It was a shame so few people ever got to see this view.  Over by the highway, a pair of helicopters circled.  Moving in that distinctive pattern she knew so well.  Giantess Traffic Duty.  The whole crew were such sweethearts.  Always giving her little gifts, writing love notes on billboards.

But hm.  Those copters were miles away.  And if they weren’t for her….

“Abigail!” Mackenzie said suddenly.  “She knows that other witch!  And she knew about all this reality-changing stuff before anyone else.  I bet she has a way to fix this.  I don’t know if I can convince her to help, after last night.  But she’s Kayla’s friend – and mine too still, I hope.  I have to try.”

Lilith grabbed both her hands, and held them to her chest.  “It’s risky.  But I think it’s our best chance.  Mackenzie, you’re so smart!”

“Aw, Lilith!  You’re making me blush.  And I’m really tempted to hang around and hear about that reward you were offering.”

Her fellow giantess smirked.  “It’s going to leave you.  Absolutely.  Breathless.”

“Oh my.  But, duty comes, before I do.  I’m off.”

“Good luck,” Lilith called after her.  “And say hi to Abigail for me.”