The Half-Giant's Guide to Seeing the Future

The Day I Got A Pep Talk

I didn't leave my bed for the next two days. Alana sent a rotating schedule of Petra and Gayle to bring me meals. Petra kept trying to cheer me up, and Gayle begged me to change my clothes or at least run a brush through my hair. 

Every time I closed my eyes, I could see myself pointing a gun at the king of Jontun. His hand coming down towards my face was burned in my retinas. My thoughts were a swirl of questions. 

Would I be a murderer? Why was the king so angry with me, a granddaughter he'd purposefully sent away? And most importantly, could I fix this?

Shortly after Petra had dropped off lunch on the third day, there was a knock on my door, and Alana herself pushed the door open. She looked grumpy, and her spiked hair seemed somehow higher. 

 "Go away," I said. "I'm not coming out."

"You know I spent the better part of the first three years I lived with halfants locked in my room," Alana said. 

Her comment caught me off guard. I tried to imagine Alana as some little emo kid with spiky hair locked in her room. It was almost laughable. 

"I'm not going to make you come out," she continued. "You need to stew. Hopefully, it won't take you three years to get over it, but I wanted to let you know that you have visitors."

"Who?" I asked. 

"Your cousin Dylan came with the weekly supply shipment," Alana said. "And I bet you can't guess who came with him."

"Dylan is here?" I frowned. 

"I told him I'd tell you he was here," Alana said. "He and his friend really want to see you, so I said I'd inquire."

 "How long will they be here?" I asked. 

"Long enough to stay for dinner," Alana said. "Shower and then come down to the sitting room to see him. You'll feel better, I promise."

She left the door open when she walked out. It was as plain as an open invitation. I knew what she was trying to do and that I couldn't stay in this bed forever. 

I took a deep breath. Dylan was one of my best friends. Sure, he hadn't told me about the world of giants, but he had his reasons. I still trusted him. 

My legs felt numb as I got out of bed. I found my favorite flannel shirt and jeans and headed to the bathroom to clean up. 

The hot water in the shower melted around me. I watched as days' worth of grime washed down the drain. I ran my fingers through my hair, massaging conditioner through the knots and snags. 

It took a while before I felt like a human. Or half-giant or whatever I was. I stood in the shower for what felt like an hour before I finally turned off the water.

The flannel and jeans felt familiar. It was like getting ready for a day on the ranch and being ready to steer cattle. 

When I returned to my room, the open door still beckoned me. Instead of walking through it, I took the coward's way out and went to locate my shoes.

I leaned over and pulled the worn sneakers from beneath the bed. Once they were on my feet, I was out of excuses. For the first time in three days, I left my room. 

While I didn't know my way around the compound quite yet, I did know if I followed the big hallway, I would end up near the kitchen and the sitting room. 

There were voices as I moved down the hallway. Dylan's voice carried down the hallway, and my heart jumped. 

"Terri wouldn't retreat unless you did something, Moreno," he said. "I know you're a big shot, but you pushed her too hard."