Sizeaen Dilemma Chapter 2

Sizeaen Dilemma chapter 2

Alicila tried to slide her foot to the side, so it was no longer covering the doorway, but the clothing trunk kept her from moving too much. “Come on.” She slammed her leg against the wall, the clothing chest cracking the side of the wall. “Let me out of here.” She turned her head towards the small window which looked out over the back alley. “I need to find a way out of here before that man comes back.” She pushed the window open and slid her arm out. “I can’t let him see me like this.”

She twisted her arm and touched the window below her. “Why can’t I just slip through this?” She took a deep breath. “What am I going to do?”

Alicila turned her head as there was a sudden knock at her door. “Ok, times up. Open this door.”

“I can’t.” She tried to pull her arm back into the room and grunted. “I am stuck on the other side of the room and, umm, have the chest propped up against the door.”

“I have heard it all.” She heard the sound of jingling keys. “You think you are the first person who thought they could lock themselves in their room? The doors go both ways in case upstart people like you try and overstay their welcome.” Alicila gulped as beads of sweat dripped down her neck.  “Now, if I can just find the damn key.”

Alicila pulled her leg back and kicked the door. Her room shook, and she heard a scream on the other side of the wall. “Holy hells.”

“Don’t come in here.” She turned her head towards the window and tried to pull her arm into the room. “I mean it.”

The door suddenly swung open. “Why you. . .” There was a pause. “What the.” Alicila turned her head and tilted her foot to see the man. He stared at her with twitching green eyes and ragged amber hair. “A Sizeaen? Here?” He took a few steps back. “Umm.” He pulled at his linen sleeve. “You just wait right there.”

Alicila raised her free hand. “Wait, no. Please help me. I don’t know what happened to me.” He stumbled backward and fell onto the ground. “I just want to get out of here.”

“Don’t grab me.” He twisted around and jumped to his feet before rushing down the hallway.

Alicila shook her head. “What is wrong with him?” She scratched at her head. “I wasn’t going to hurt him.” She tried to pull her arm out of the window once more. “I just wanted him to help me. Huhh. Why did this happen.” She tapped one hand on her knee and the other on the side of the building.

“Alicila. Hey.”

She turned her head. “Cryrena? Where are you?”

She felt a tug on her right hand. “Outside. Are you ok?”

“I am giant and stuck in a room. Things couldn’t get much worse.”

Cryrena rubbed her arm tenderly. “It will be ok. Just listen to me, and we can get you out of there. But we have to hurry before the townspeople come back.”

“Why? They might help me out of here. I mean, that one man ran off, but I am sure people will come and help me.”

“Honey, listen to me. He didn’t run off to help you. Now focus. We need to get you out of there before they come back and things become worse than they already are.”

“But I can barely move.” She slammed her left hand on her leg. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Push on the wall your arm is stuck in. You should cause it to crumble and give out.”

“What are you crazy?” Alicila shook her head. “If I do that, then they will put me in prison for destroying the inn.” She shook her head. “I won’t do it.”

“Honey, listen to me. Please before they come back.”

“The Sizeaen is down this way.” Alicila turned her head. “I am serious. A giant heel covering a doorway. She even tried to grab me. We have to do something.”

Alicila narrowed her eyes and raised her voice. “Excuse me. I did not. He just fell to his feet when he saw me.” She shook her head. “I asked him for help, but I guess that is a bit hard to ask.”

A group of four men appeared in the doorway, all wielding various weapons. They looked up at Alicila with wide eyes, and the man who had opened her door pointed at her face. “See, I told you.”

One of them tapped a gleaming sword on her heel. “Yes, but how do you expect us to get her out of here? She looks pretty well-entrenched into the room?”

“I don’t know. Just do it before my boss comes back and tears me apart for letting that thing into the inn.” He pulled at his amber hair. “He will kill me for this.”

Alicila slammed her hand down. “I am not a thing. I am in need of serious help here.”

The man who had been tapping her foot with his sword raised his weapon towards her face. “Quiet you or I will send this right through your shoe and see how much protection that thing offers.” She gulped as he turned towards the staff member. “Maybe we can try cutting the Sizeaen into pieces and taking her out that way?”

“No way. I am not going in there.”

One of the others spoke up. “Maybe we just lock off the room. She is stuck in there. Why even bother.”

The innkeeper slapped himself on the forehead. “You do know they can change in size at will. She is probably sitting in there on propose.” He turned his head to look Alicila in the eyes. “Give us your demands already.”

She rolled her eyes. “I told you I don’t know what is going on.”

“We could use a torch and burn the room down.”

Alicila shook her head and covered up the doorframe with her foot. “I don’t want your help anymore.” She turned towards the window. “I think I can get out of here on my own.” She took a deep breath. “Just do what Cryrena said. Push on the wall until it gives out.” She gulped. ‘I can do this.”

Using her shoulder and left arm, she slammed into the wall. “Ugh.” Alicila shook her head. “That hurt. Owww.” She pulled her leg back and shook her foot. “What did you jerks just do?”

One of them pulled back a bloody blade. “If you don’t shrink down, we will have to continue to slice into you.”

She slammed her foot into the door and sent them flying into the room across the hall. The door to her room snapped off of its hinges and fell to the floor. “Don’t you dare.” She turned her head, took a deep breath, and then pushed into the side of the inn once more. The foundation shook, and she gritted her teeth. “Come on.”

Suddenly the wall gave out, and she fell to the street below. “Oufff.” Alicila shook her head and dusted the wood off her arms. “That was not very pleasant.”

“Took you long enough, honey. Now get up. We have to go.” Cryrena pulled at her arm. “Before they come after us.”

Alicila shook her head and made her way to her feet. “What is going on, mother? Why am I so big? I didn’t go to sleep this way.”

“Hush now.” She turned around and rushed to the other end of the dank alley. “This isn’t the time to discuss this. We have to get out of town now.”

Alicila blinked her eyes as she stood to her full height. Her head stood above the hole she had just made on the second floor in the inn. “This can’t be real.”

“Alicila focus.” Cryrena rubbed her leg. “We need to get out of town without being seen.”

“But look at me. I am huge.” She bent down. “Even now, I am a good few feet taller than you. How am I supposed to sneak out of town? Crawl?”

“Yes, and stay calm. No matter what, just try and stay calm. Ok.”

“Why?”

Cryrena ran her hand along Alicila’s face. “Just trust me for now. When we are safely away, I will explain more. Now come on.” She hurried to the end of the alley, her boot splashing in a puddle of water. “It won’t take long for those men to come down here and look for you.”

Alicila sighed and walked forward with her back bent. “I still don’t understand why they reacted the way they did. So what I am a bit bigger than I was last night. No need for them to freak out.”

“Alicila, can we talk about this when we are out of the city limits?” She stopped at the end of the alley and looked around. “Ok, it’s clear. Come quickly.” Cryrena rushed between the open space and into the next dark passageway.

Alicila sighed and followed. “Will I ever return to my normal size?”

Cryrena turned around. “Of course, you will.” She ran her hands through her hair. “Look, I know this is a lot to take in, but you have to be strong, and we have to get out of here, ok. We will talk. I promise.”

“Ok.”

“There she is. Down there.” Alicila turned around to see a small mob running after her.

“Honey, we need to run. Now.”

“Where?”

“Just go. Head to our camp on the edge of town. I will find you later.” Alicila ran down the tight back alley when she noticed her mother wasn’t following her.

“Cryrena?”

She turned her head to see her mother growing in size behind her. “Alicila, keep going. Don’t look back. I will find you; just go.”

She took a few steps towards her mother before Cryrena slammed her foot down. “I said run. Get out of here!”

Tears formed in the corners of Alicila’s eyes as she backed away. She clenched her hands into fists before turning around and running the other way. Her shoulder clipped the low overhang of a nearby roof and tore into her already torn jacket. “Ugh.” She reached out as she almost fell over. “Dammnit.” As she quickly bent back up, Alicila wiped the tears from her face.

“What is going on here?” A young blue-skinned woman appeared at the end of the alleyway.

“Get out of my way.” The young lady wouldn’t move, but Alicila didn’t slow down. “I said move.” The Eldenen lady fell onto her rear end and threw her head into her lap as Alicila ran overhead, her stretched shoes landing just a foot away from the frightened young woman. Once Alicila had passed overhead, the young lady screamed.

Alicila stopped at the end of the alleyway, now in the open street. Half a dozen people were staring at her. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked around. “What am I supposed to do now?” She looked at the group of armed guards heading down the street towards her, and she took a few steps back. “Please. I didn’t do anything wrong.” Her foot fell onto a cart, and they all ran at her, swords and axes raised.

She turned around and ran. “Find a way out. You can do that.” She quickly turned her head. “Why is it so hard to find a way out of a town even when I am so big?”

She suddenly noticed a gap between the buildings. “Finally. Alicila took a deep breath before she rushed off towards the tree line in the distance. Once she passed by the last building, she looked behind her and the people still chasing her. “I am sorry. Please. I didn’t mean to wreck the inn.”

She turned around and ran down the dirt road, quickly out pace her pursuers. A few minutes later, she arrived at the camp that just a night ago she had been sharing with her mother. She bent down and touched the spot where she had seen her mother sit last with her finger and sigh before sitting down on the ground. “She said she will find me.” Alicila crossed her arms. “Then I will wait right here for her. It should be easy. I am not that hard to miss.” She rubbed her nose, sniffling as tears ran down her cheeks.