The air in the room smelled suddenly of wet soil and freshly cut clover. Shrinking Horizon

Leo looked down at his hands. He was wearing the tactical scout gear from the game’s character creator. In his right hand, a tiny spear made of a toothpick and a sewing needle glinted in the dying light. The download was finished. The game had begun.

The monitor above him was no longer a screen; it was a shimmering sky of liquid crystal. The last thing he saw before the world swallowed him was the file name scrolling across the air in giant, glowing letters. Into the Backyard

Leo wasn't just downloading a game; he was downloading an escape. In the world of Grounded , he wouldn't be the kid who tripped over his own feet in gym class. He’d be a warrior, even if he was only half an inch tall. The Final Byte

Leo reached for his mouse to cancel the process, but his hand looked... different. Larger. Or rather, the mouse was growing. The desk stretched out like a vast wooden tundra. The coffee stain near his keyboard became a bubbling, brown lake of caffeine.