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Alessia had never had a huge interest in plush toys. They were cute, sometimes cool. She just didn’t have a reason to want them. It was what made the fact she even walked into a store that only sold plush toys an oddity. There was just something that caught her eye today. Something that didn’t look like it belonged.
“Miss, can I help you?” an employee called. Alessia offered a smile before shaking her head.
All she had to do was go to the display and pick up the toy that stood out. She’d realize she was crazy and walk away. Of course the problem was figuring out which one it was among the identical toys. There were the usual suspects. Cats, dogs, wolves, any common animal. Alessia kept her eyes locked on the rows of cartoon bunnies and rainbow chameleons.
She had to admit they were kind of cute. It almost made it seem worth it to buy one if she did just imagine something.
“Miss, that line’s been very popular,” the employee made Alessia jump. She hadn’t noticed them come close. Just as she started to look at them, something moved. The very something she’d been waiting for. “If you’re worried they’ve been handled too much we have some in the back too.”
“How much is a bunny?” Alessia asked. There it was, but not the bunny she expected. “And a chameleon?”
“The two together? It will be about a hundred. If you want one off the shelf feel free to grab it, otherwise I’ll go get them from the back.”
“I’ll pick one out soon.”
The employee gave her a look, but walked off. Alessia rolled her eyes, of course that was the problem. This store had a history of theft obviously. It probably didn’t help that she’d been glaring at the toys the whole time. One step closer, she saw it again. The bunny first. The one that first caught her eye. As soon as she lifted it she saw the change on the chameleon again. She grabbed that one too.
A quick squeeze to each. They felt the same as any other plush toy she’d seen before. At least these two were weirdly cute. If it was her imagination maybe she’d keep them on her couch or bed. They were soft. A lot softer than her pillows.
“Have you decided, miss?” another call, another check that she wasn’t going to run off with the two. She walked to the register and placed them both down. A simple nod. The transaction went by quickly. Both plush toys were set in a bag as she left.
Alessia’s trip home was a blur. The next thing she knew she was sitting on her couch at home, staring at her purchase. At the store she was confident, but now it felt stupid. It wasn’t possible. A trick her mind played on her because of her usual disinterest. There wasn’t something moving inside them.
“Ugh,” Alessia fell to her side on the couch. This all felt like something she imagined. Probably because she was tired. A nap on the couch and then she’d put the toys somewhere. Maybe pick someone who would like them more to give them too…
“Del, are you there?” A quiet voice pulled Alessia from sleep. It didn’t seem right. Alessia tried to ignore it. Clearly her tired mind was pushing the things she saw earlier into her mind again. Maybe she was still dreaming. “Please tell me you’re there.”
The fact it continued took the dream theory away. She tried to be quiet as she opened her eyes. It took a bit for her eyes to adjust. The plushies were obvious. The thing that stood out first was the bit of stuffing in front of the chameleon. There wasn’t a rip when she picked it up.
“Ash!” Another quiet voice. A shadow moved in front of the bunny toy. Maybe a few inches tall. Too big for a bug, that’s for sure. As silently as she could, Alessia started to sit up. “Ash, I was so scared. I thought you might have been left behind!”
As she moved the bunny had movement inside it. The different colored fabric on its stomach opened and another tiny figure dropped out. The two next to each other made it obvious the new one was shorter.
“We need to find a way down. Before she wakes up.”
Alessia was up enough to reach the light. Quietly she leaned over. Click! The light came on, for just a moment she was blinded. Two soft screams of terror reached her as her eyes adjusted. The two figures backed into the bunny, nearly back inside it. It wasn’t going to hide them well. She leaned down, curious about just what was in the toys she bought.
“S-stay back!” the shorter one screamed. Long black hair and almost sickly pale skin. The taller one stepped forward with a glare. Dark brown skin and almost shaved light brown hair. Most importantly… They looked just like tiny people.
Alessia reached a hand towards them. The two immediately scrambled backwards. The taller one turned and lifted the woman into the bunny. It didn’t do much to hide her. She kept reaching forward until her fingers were close to the taller one. They kept a glare on her the entire time.
“What are you?” she whispered. A shiver ran down her spine as her fingers wrapped around the tiny frame. They were more solid than she expected. It only increased her curiosity about them. She tightened her hold as she started to pull them away.
“Stop!” the woman screamed. Alessia jumped at the voice. “Please, please don’t hurt them!”
“I wasn’t…”
The one in her hand started squirming. The glare shifted to fear. Alessia hadn’t really considered their point of view yet. She was just curious, especially about what she’d found. She kept her movements slow as she lowered the little person again. As she pulled her fingers away they burned. Almost desperate to feel the light weight again.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Alessia slid forward off the couch. Careful not to jostle the table too much. “I… you’re really real. Like actually really real. I thought I was crazy.”
The woman climbed out again. She ran right up to the other. Alessia crossed her arms and rested her head on them for a pillow. The taller one pushed the woman behind them. Like this she could get a better look at the two. Make out their eyes. A piercing green on the woman. Grassy green and watery blue on the other person.
She slid a little closer. An attempt to make out their faces. Fear was an obvious thing to find. What she wasn’t expecting was how attractive she found them both. The taller one felt sturdy, but now she could see it was from muscle. The woman bled elegance and beauty despite her fear.
“Wow,” she breathed. The two didn’t move. The fear didn’t even start to wane. She chewed her lip… “I uh… I’m Alessia.”
“What are you going to do with us?” the taller one asked.
She furrowed her brows. What was she going to do with them? Tiny people were living in plush toys she bought because she saw them moving. She couldn’t take them back to the store. Maybe she could get them home, if they had a home.
“Just let us go, please,” the woman begged. “We can fix the plushies before we leave!”
“Where will you go?” Alessia said. That caused a change. Two small forms broke immediately. Confidence, fear, everything was gone. They were lost. The only answer she got was a shrug from the taller one. “Do… you want to stay here?”
The fear was back immediately. Alessia had always been overzealous. Ruined more than one relationship by her excitement to know new people or learn new things. It had never been easy to recover from. This would be the hardest one yet.
“I-I just mean, you wouldn’t take up a lot of space. It looks like you came with your bed or room or whatever. It would be pretty easy to keep an eye out on the ground for you. So why don’t you… just… stay… ” She trailed off.
The wide eyed stares kept her from even trying to recover anymore. One day she’d learn to think more about what she said. That obviously wasn’t today. She didn’t even know how the two would get around. Those thoughts died as the two started to laugh.
“I’m Delphia,” the woman said as she stepped forward. She gestured to the other person, “This is Ash.”
“Ash, Delphia,” Alessia nodded. Those names would be permanently burned into her mind. Just like those tiny faces filled with fear. She didn’t want to be why that happened again. Honestly the laughter, the smile, only made her find them both adorable.
“What do you mean by us staying here?” Ash asked. A tiny thunderstorm of a voice. Alessia already had a crush on these two. They could fit in her hand, she was insane. She’d wake up the next day, find the two plushies, and question her insane dreams.
“I guess… tiny roommates? Not sure what else you could be. Friends would work too.”
“As long as you don’t grab me again.”
Alessia opened her mouth to argue, but the smirk on Ash’s face stopped her. Delphia had a smile on her face. At the very least they were giving her a chance. She could work with that.