Borrowed Courage

Chapter Five

The first thing Kaleb did after Brooke Tucker's dramatic exit was hug himself in disbelief.

Holy shit. I'm alive. He felt giddy—decidedly too giddy for someone stuck in an old jam jar. I'm actually alive.

But still trapped. He had to remind himself. Still very much trapped

Kaleb frowned for a moment as the false bravado he'd put on while interacting with his borderline sadistic classmate started to dissipate. He assessed his surroundings warily. The vacant concrete floor of the rooftop stretched out in all directions, illuminated only by the handful of stars and crescent moon that dotted the sky. Any human might have considered the view to be almost peaceful, but at his natural size, the mere thought of being out in the open for so long had Kaleb's heart pounding frantically against his ribcage. Brooke had played right into his weaknesses by abandoning the jar there, and try as he might, the fear was already sinking in.

"Don't freak out. Don't freak out." He muttered, leaning heavily against the curved glass wall to anchor himself. "She let you go, that's gotta count for something, right? You can figure this out no sweat, just like you always do."

With a shuddering breath, Kaleb adjusted the strap of his borrowing bag—a rather cobbled together satchel his mom had made for him back in eighth grade—so that it hung open at his waist. He rummaged through its many compartments, lips pursed as he considered the kind of tools he'd need to make his escape.

I could always bust out of here from the inside... He thought idly, referencing the spare Upsize pill he kept for emergencies in the side pocket. As his mind ran over the logistics of that plan, however, he barely surpassed a shudder. Nope. On second thoughts, I choose life.

Besides, even if smashing his way out of the glass didn't slice him to ribbons, he doubted the landlady would appreciate watching him traipse around the building stark naked through the new security system his mom had mentioned. It was why he'd held back from leaving the apartment earlier—what a mistake that was. Upsize might adjust his scale at the molecular level, but the drug did nothing about his clothes.

His gaze wondered to the red blinking light of the security camera mounted by the roof's entrance, that watched him even now from his pathetic glass prison. Oh, for the love of— Kaleb couldn't help but groan. She better not be recording this. The last thing he needed was an embarrassing reminder of his own screw up, caught on tape for his entire family to see.

Hang on a minute. It was then that his brain started connecting the dots. If she really is watching right now—no, she's definitely watching, there's nothing else decent on TV after ten pm— Kaleb straightened up —Then it's only a matter of time before...

He let out a breathless laugh.

Well hallelujah. I've been saved.

Sure enough, not even five minutes passed before the telltale thumping of human shoes against the rickety stairs reached his ears. Kaleb craned his neck, heat rising to his cheeks as the landlady, and only human that knew his family secret, strode onto the roof. With her chunky hair curlers, slippers and a faded nightgown, she looked almost as out of place standing there as he did.

"That was quite the soap opera, kid." She smirked, crouching down in front of his glass prison. Kaleb braced himself against the curved walls as her knobbly fingers closed around them and lifted the jar easily into the air. After his not-so-pleasant experience with Brooke, Kaleb couldn't keep his breath from hitching in his throat at the motion, but seeing her huge, concerned eyes through the hazy glass helped bring him back to his senses. "You okay?"