To Trust a Giant

Chapter 18

“Never trust the giants” Her father's dying words rang in her head. “They never helped your mother and I, they won't help you either.”

It was true, the giants Stella went to for help when she was only sixteen did not help her. They were the reason why scars covered her body.
But why was Stella having a hard time believing that now?

Stella had been thinking about what Glenda had said for the past week.
“I think you shouldn't be alone.”

Honestly, Stella hated being alone. She hated wandering the streets trying to survive on her own. But when she prayed for someone to be with her, she was expecting someone a little more her size. She never expected she would start to grow on a giant family.

This is insane! Stella thought. I shouldn't be here anymore!

It would probably be best if she just left now before things got worse, she can't go through that again. She can't trust another giant.

“Stella?” Glenda called out.

“Huh?”

“I asked if you were done with your pancakes.”

“Oh, yeah.” She pushed her plate forward. “Thank you.”

Glenda flashed her a smile and took the small plate to wash.

The door opened and Richard strolled into the kitchen.

“Got the boys to school okay?”

“Barely.” Richard responded. “The engine started making this weird rattling noise.”

“I told you it was going to break down soon.” Glenda said in a teasing tone.
“It just needs a little elbow grease and it'll be fine again.”

“Until it breaks down next week.”

“Oh, I'm sure it would be fine.” Richard glanced over at Stella. “wouldn't you agree?”

A wave of awkwardness washed over Stella as eyes fell onto her. She didn't know anything about cars, why did Richard have to do this? “Uh… sure.”

“See.”

Glenda giggled. “Well, if Stella says it'll be fine, then I guess I'll take your word for it.”

“I'll have it done by lunch.” Richard kissed his wife and waved to Stella before leaving out the door.

Richard. A giant Stella really didn't understand. He has exchanged small talk with her since they met but other than that, he usually stayed away from her. Normally, Stella would be glad a giant was staying away from her but this made her a little wary. She had no idea how he thought of her. Did he like her? Did he dislike her? Does he view her as an equal or just as some pet not worth talking to? Why did she care so much about what a giant thought of her?

“How does Richard feel about humans?”

“About the same way I feel about human.”

“Then why does he rarely speak to me?”

“He figured you didn't want to talk to him much.” Glenda shrugged. “I didn't realize that you wanted to talk to him so badly?”

“I don't!” Stella blurted out. “I mean… I don't know. I just noticed Richard and Clair are the only ones that don't talk to me, and Clair obviously hates me. So I figured he did too.”

“Clair doesn't hate you.”

“Could have fooled me.” Stella scoffed.
Glenda gave Stella a sad look. “I don’t support her actions, but please understand that she's been through a lot.”

“What could she have possibly been through?” Stella asked.

Glenda's expression shifted to a flustered look. “Um… let's changed the subject.”

“Fine.” Stella sighed. “So, how did you and Richard meet?”

Glenda's lips curled into a loving smile. “Oh that was many years ago.” She moved over to the table and pulled out her cellphone to reveal an old black and white photo of a young woman with long blonde hair hugging a young man with brown hair. They seemed to be at an event with all the people gathered around outside despite the snow falling in the picture.
“I came home to visit family during the holidays, but I got lost trying to find my way around the city.” She explained gleefully. “Fortunately, Richard was an officer on patrol, he showed me where to go, but not before he invited me to a New Year's Eve party.”

“And you two have been together ever since?”

Glenda nodded. “Everyday has been an adventure. You should have been there for our five year anniv-”

Before she could finish, Glenda dropped her phone on the table and she fell backwards and hit the ground. Her head banged against the wall.

“Glenda!” Stella rushed over the edge of the table to see the older woman sprawled out on the floor, but the most upsetting part was the blood smeared on the wall. “Glenda?! Glenda! Can you get up?!”

There was no response. Stella had to get help, she looked towards the door. The only person who was here, was Richard, but he's outside…

“RICHARD!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping by some Miracle, that he would hear her cries. She yelled out until her throat, but of course, he couldn't hear her.

Stella's heart sank, she couldn't do anything to help Glenda in a time of need. She can't even get off a table without help. Tears squeezed out of the corner of her eyes. The only giant Stella even remotely liked was going to die on the floor!

PING!

A notification from Glenda's phone popped up on her screen.

“That's it!” Stella scurried over to the device. She frantically swiped through the screen until she found the phone app and then dialed 911.

A woman answered the call. “Hello 911, what's your name and  emergency?”

“My name is Stella and I need an ambulance at 629 Washington street. A woman fainted and she hit her head on the wall!”

“Is there blood?”

“Yeah, she's bleeding from her head.”
“Okay Stella, I'm gonna need you to get something like a towel to put pressure on the wound.”

“I… I can't really do that.” Stella responded. “I'm… stuck on the table.”
The woman was silent for a moment. “Oh… you're a human.”

“Yeah, no one else was able to help her.”

“Okay, well until the ambulance arrives, I'm gonna need you to stay there and keep me up to date on her condition.”

Stella sighed with relief. “Don’t worry, I'm not going anywhere.”