To Trust a Giant

Chapter 28

What was Clair's problem? Stella thought things were getting better between them; that maybe, if she had a little more time to get to know her, the two could have been friends. She was even going to consider staying with Jason's family for a little bit longer. It was a stupid idea sure; Stella would never be seen as a real person and she would have to rely on giants to help her out, but the thought of going back out on the streets fighting with some feral over some moldy crumbs just didn't sound appealing to her anymore. But that'll never happen with Clair hating her now.

Stella took a deep breath, now wasn't the time to mope around, it was Thanksgiving. It was a time to celebrate not being alone for the first time in a long time, and Stella was going to eat more food than she had ever seen in her life! She'll deal with Clair later.

She scurried across the couch where she had left her traveling pack that Glenda was kind enough to give her several weeks prior. Stella pretty much only kept clothes in there, it wasn't like she had much else. She rummaged through all the clothes she had brought, trying to find something nicer than oversized sweaters to wear. Stella cursed herself for not asking to go to the store for this special occasion. She dug through the entire backpack, until Stella hit the bottom and that's when she found it. Crumpled up at the bottom of the bag was the red button up flannel shirt she wore the night Jason found her. It's been such a long time since she wore that outfit. Honestly, Stella couldn't even remember if she ever wore that shirt anytime after Jason bought her more clothes. Her fingers delicately ran across the fabric, when she first found it on the road after she escaped, it was dirty, dull and smelled like it had been dragged through the sewers, but it kept her a little bit warmer during the cold nights. Now, the colors were brighter and the smell of the fabric softener reminded her of the Spring flowers at the park that bloomed after the rain. If there was a perfect time to wear it, now would be the time.

She pulled the flannel, black tank top, and black jeans out of the bag, and quickly began changing into her clothes. Fortunately, it was too early for anyone else to be walking around, so no one saw her scars as she changed. However, as Stella began buttoning up her shirt, she noticed how it felt a little tighter than usual. All this time that Stella had been here, she never noticed the slight weight gain she obtained over the past two months. It's almost like she forgot about the pains of starving and wondering when her next meal will be. Life could be so much easier if Stella could forget about all the struggles in her life, but could living with giants help her forget all that pain?

~~~~~

Who knew Thanksgiving would be so busy. Breakfast ended before it even started. All Stella could really do is sit on the table and watch everyone prepare the food. She didn't realize just how big and time consuming a Thanksgiving meal would be. The four adults all just scattered around in a small kitchen messing up the counters with pots and pans filled with food. How could anyone eat this much food in one day?

“Mom, is dinner almost ready yet?” Charlie wailed out as he and his brother entered the kitchen.

“It won't be ready for another two hours, boys.”

“Why don't you two turn the TV to the football game to pass the time?” Richard suggested.

“The New York Beagles aren't playing, so what's the point of watching it?” James stated.

“And there's nothing else to watch.”

“Well you two have to find something else to do besides complaining in the kitchen for the next two hours.” Glenda stated.

The boys groaned.

Stella could help but chuckle. She couldn't really blame them for complaining, it wasn't exactly entertaining to sit by a salt shaker all day and watch people cook, but she figured that it was probably best to get the boys out of the way while the adults cooked. So she waved to them to get their attention. “Why don’t the three of us hang out until dinner's ready?”