"Sophie! Get away from there", Jenny called from across the street

"You know that's off limits", Jenny stood with her arms crossed as she watched the fifteen year old venture towards the fencing. She had to move away before the guards would catch her or there would be trouble.

"I just want to see", Sophie yelled back with a mischievous smirk. She had always wanted to see what it looked like. Of course she had seen pictures but nothing is like looking at the real thing. She heard Jenny stomp towards her, getting ready to pull her away. She jerked her arm away as she felt Jenny's finger tips brush against it.

"You can't make me move. You're not my mother!".

"I may not be but I am the closest you have", Jenny was right. Ever since Sophie could remember, she had been cared for by Jenny and the others. She wasn't sure what had happened to her real parents and it wasn't like she cared. As far as she could tell, they had abandoned her and never looked back or even tried to find her again. Sophie huffed as she caught sight of the guards turning the corner to her right. They hadn't spotted her yet and she wasn't prepared to allow them to. Spinning on the spot, she came face to face with Jenny.

"We need to hide", she hissed as she grabbed Jenny by the hand, pulling her towards a nearby bush. Her eyes narrowed as the guards reached where they had stood not a moment before. A few minutes passed before she let out a sigh of relief. "That was far too close this time"

"This time?! How many times have you done this? You know if you are caught, there are serious consequences. Please, promise me you won't come back here", Sophie waved her hand, dismissing Jenny's words.

"Please", Jenny pleaded.

"Fine, fine".

"Good, now, we need to go home before the others start eating without us. Those greedy boys will eat all the food again if we don't hurry".

Sophie looked around the area to make sure the coast was clear before crawling out from behind the bush. She began to make her way home with Jenny not far behind. 'Maybe tonight' She thought as she approached the door 'Hopefully I will get to see what is on the other side' She grinned to herself, unaware Jenny was watching.

"What are you grinning about?".

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all".

"Well, hurry up then", she hummed as Joe was heard yelling about his portion of food. Jenny pushed the door open, giggling. "Joe! You know we all need to eat, not just you. I don't care how hungry you say you are. It isn't just you living here.". Joe slumped down on to the cushion with a "thump".

"It's not fair. I'm a growing boy".

"What about the others? Aren't they supposed to be growing?" She gestured to the other children playing in the corner.

"Yes, but...".

"No buts", Jenny placed her hands on her hips signaling the end of the discussion.

Sophie plopped down on a cushion at the other end of the room, silently planning tonight's adventure. The sound of a plate being placed in front of her dragged her out of her thoughts.

"You're quiet", Tony stated bluntly.

"Is something wrong?".

"I caught her by the portal again" Jenny sighed.

"We have warned you about that", Tony nudged her arm gently

"We don't want you to get hurt. It's for your own good. Did we not tell you the stories we heard?".

"Yeah, yeah. I know.", she sang with a mouth full of bread.

"Just as long as you know.".

Once she had finished her meal, she made her way to her bedroom. Her eyes glanced over to the backpack that she was about the prepare. 'I hope this all goes to plan'. She crouched down and pulled it towards her. Everything she thought she would need was stashed away under her bed. She crawled towards her bed and lay down on her stomach, careful not to make a noise in case the others became suspicious. She felt around until her hands brushed against a box.

"Ah-ha!" She dragged the box from out under the bed. Opening the box, she ticked off each item in her head. 'Wire cutters, check. Water, check. Torch, check. Jacket, check. Okay, that's it' She smirked as she placed them all in the backpack.

Sophie closed the door behind her careful not to wake the others. She had to see it no matter what anybody said. She had packed her backpack a few hours prior just in case she couldn't leave on time. She walked towards the fenced off area, stooping down as she got closer. She had to make it quick or the guards will come off their break before she got through. She plunged her hand into her backpack and grasped the wire cutters. Pulling them out, she glanced around the area one last time before setting to work. It was hard than she had imagined but with some effort, she managed to make a hole just big enough for her to slip through. She stashed the wire cutters back into the backpack then crawled through the hole.

"Ahh, I didn't think this part through", she muttered as the rough edges scrapped against her clothes, causing rips and cuts in her skin.

She scrambled to her feet as she caught a glimpse of the light. That was it! The portal she had so longed to see. She crept towards it, through the trees and bushes that covered it from view, her hand outstretched towards it. Her eyes flicked shut for a moment from the intensity of the light before a sound like thunder was heard. As she opened her eyes again, everything seemed much larger than before.

Her arm dropped to her side as a gasp escaped her lips. It was all true. This was a world much larger than her own, no doubt filled with beings much larger than herself as she had heard. The thought that she must return home crossed her mind for a second before a grin spread across her face. She had managed what was thought to be impossible. Evading the guards and entering the portal. The decision was already made to investigate this new world before any feelings of fear engulfed her. It never occurred to her that one wrong move on her behalf could lead to her demise. She was far too excited. She slipped the backpack off her shoulder and allowed it fall to the floor with a small thump. Tucking her black hair behind her ears, she bent down to find the camera.

"Camera, camera, Oh no. Did I even bring it?!". Her hand grasped around any object she could find in the backpack but none felt like what she was looking for. Finally coming to the conclusion that she had, in fact, left it at home, she flopped to the ground with a grunt.

"I suppose I could just go home and try another night". She sighed as she pushed herself up.

She picked up her backpack and slumped towards the portal. There was no use in being here if she couldn't at least get some pictures. It didn't feel like an adventure without proof. She approached the portal with her hand outstretched but was met with a strong force throwing her backwards.

"W-what?! Why?". Her voice sounded panicked. She jumped back up and ran back towards the portal, only to be met with the same force as before.

"I don't understand. Why can't I go back?". She felt a single tear run down her cheek as it slowly dawned on her. She was stuck. She couldn't return to her home, to her life, to her friends.

"What do I do now?".

2: Chapter Two

She wiped her cheek with the sleeve of her red jacket. This is not what she had wanted when she set out this evening. She wanted adventure, she longed for it but now she was trapped. A quiet sob escaped her lips which would have been barely audible to anyone nearby. As her eyes scanned the area around her, the fear set in. If the grass alone was just slightly taller than her, how big where these beings? Large enough to kill her without even noticing, that’s for such. Her heart pounded in her chest, threatening to explode right out from under her ribs. She hadn’t contemplated this before, but even if she did, it wouldn’t have been so frightened with the idea that she could still return home at the time.

“Jenny, I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you”. She cried, her stomach seemed to twist as she remembered that they didn’t know she had left. Would they go looking for her? Would they worry about her? She hated to worry people but now she had no way to tell them where she was. Everything seemed so hopeless now. How was she going to survive and look after herself? She didn’t want to die of starvation or exposure, nor by a strolling giant who didn’t happen to see her. She tapped her chin thoughtfully before one word popped into her head. A name in fact. Arrietty. The movie she loved so dearly would now possibly save her life.

If she could find a way into a building, preferably a home, she would be able to sustain herself buy borrowing food and items from the giant owner. They would be unaware of her presence, of course. The idea was almost perfect, the only problem was how. How would she do this safely? She didn’t know if she was close to civilization, or if these beings lived in buildings at all. They could live in huts or tents for all she knew. Perhaps she should stay in this area for the time being, she still needed to fully compose herself before venturing out. It would be harder if she was still in a state of shock and it could lead to her death.

She slowly brought her right knee to her chest. As she felt it gently collide, a sigh escaped her lips. If there was one word she would use to describe the feeling of being so small, it would be unusual. She wasn’t used to it at all. Her stretched out her hand towards a fairly large blade of grass that was situated only a few inches away and carefully grasped it. She had obviously touched grass before but never to this scale. She could feel its texture so much better. She bit her lip as she pulled it towards her, raising her other hand to touch it. Her eyes widen in awe at the feeling of something so ordinary yet so foreign to her. A small smile played on her lips as she grasped it tighter and with a sharp tug, she fell onto her side, grass blade in hand.

“Ooof”. She hadn’t anticipated it to be so difficult. She pushed herself up into a seated position, legs now extended in front of her. She lay the grass on her legs, carefully running her hand up and down it. It felt smooth to the touch. She could see where small creatures, small compared to the residents to this world, had nibbled it. “Amazing” She mumbled, afraid to speak any louder in case something heard her. She swung her arms behind her, palms down on the ground and then lent back, using them to balance her. Her head tilted to gaze at the sky.

“Oh”. She had failed to notice the fact that it was daytime here, whereas it was night back home. Either that or passing through the portal took a few hours but it wasn’t apparent while it was happening. It felt instantaneous to her but it could just be an illusion, a mere trick of the mind due to the circumstances. She doubted she would ever find out as it was impossible to return and it was unlikely she could ask anyone. She shivered at the thought of being mistaken for a bug whilst attempting to ask this. Come to think of it, had they even met humans before?

She hummed to herself as she thought back to the stories she had been told while growing up. She guessed that they were true and the humans in them must have went somewhere. Perhaps they were found and are being looked after, or were they killed instantly. Nobody really knew what happened once someone entered the portal, people never came back once they did. She should have taken that as a hint that it was a one way journey. None of that mattered now, the past can’t be changed no matter how hard you wish for it. She lay back and shut her eyes slowly. She was starting to feel exhausted and a nap wouldn’t hurt.

“Hmm, not the best spot to take a nap. Anything could happen”. She grunted as she forced herself to stand up, her body was feeling weak from all the ‘excitement’. After a few minutes, she discovered a little hole not far from the portal, it also seemed big enough for her to sleep in. With a clap of her hand, she entered, quickly checking around in case an animal or insect lived there. Once she was sure that it was perfectly safe, she settled down near the back. It wasn’t long before her heavy eyelids closed and she was lightly snoring away.

As she awake, she discovered it was pitch black where she lay. Before her eyes had a chance to adjust, a shuffling sound could be heard just outside. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a yawn that was threatening to give her away. Her eyes fuzzy and covered with sleep, she squinted at the entrance to see what was causing such a noise. She rubbed at them, attempting to clear her vision. Her eyes began to adjust to the lack of lighting just in time to see something move outside. She propped herself up on her right hand, leaning closer to the entrance. A black shape scuttled past, Sophie jumped, her heart hammering within her chest. What was it? She couldn’t really tell but it was scary all the same. She had to get as far away as possible before it spotted her but that was going to be difficult with it staying around the entrance to the hole. She leant a little closer trying to see if there was anyway to get out without it seeing her.

With no time to stop herself, she fell onto her stomach, a tiny thump was made on impact. She held her breath, hoping that it hadn’t heard her. Everything seemed quiet until a larger, hairy leg filled her vision. She squealed as it brushed her hand. Drawing back the hand, she rolled to the back of the hole, attempting to stay out of reach. Her eyes wide, her heart thumped violently as she felt tears stream down her cheeks.

A giant spider was blocking her way out and it probably wasn’t going to let her run away. It was extremely unlikely that it would know she wasn’t an insect to eat. It suddenly dawned on her that this may be her last night alive. The ground shook beneath her with a rumble. She blinked to clear the tears from her eyes as she watched the spider get lifted away.

“W-what?”. She gasped. She could hear the sound of some sort of animal eating. Although she knew it probably couldn’t see her, nor did it know she was there, she was grateful that something had saved her. She sat in silence, listening for when it had moved away. After all the noises had stopped and she was sure the coast was clear, she edged towards the entrance, still wary of anything that could snatch her up without her seeing it first.

She brushed herself off once she was outside. She needed to find somewhere safe but no ideas came to mind. How far was civilization? Would she even make it that far? For all she knew, it could have been just beyond the trees that towered over her right now. She pulled her jacket around herself, the chilly night air chilling her to the bone. At least it wasn’t raining, right? She threw her hood over her head in an attempt to warm up any way possible. She rubbed her arms, warming them slightly in the process. “I guess I should decide on a direction” Something was nagging at her to turn right, she wasn’t sure what it was but she thought it best to go with her instinct for this. She turned to her right, drew in a deep breath and began her journey.