Something in the Woods

Chapter 10

Katie walked through the woods like it was any other day, but she couldn't shake the thought of Byssa. That girl was onto her now, and she feared what would happen if she got even more suspicious. The one time Katie wants to be invisible to people and the new girl decided to take an interest in her, just her luck! Katie really wished she never opened her big mouth that day. No matter, it's not like anyone really goes into the woods, and besides Barrett knows how to stay camouflaged. He's been doing this for almost four months now, there's no way anyone can catch him! 
In the distance, she spotted Barrett sitting by the lake. It was kind of funny, from far away he didn't seem like a giant. He just looked like a normal sized teenage boy. Sometimes, she wondered what he would be like if he was a human, would they have been friends if they went to school together or would he be like all the other kids? Katie had a hard time believing he would hang out with the popular kids, he would have been different even without his gigantic size. 
Katie opened her mouth to call out to her friend but before a word could come out, a force collided into her and clasped her mouth shut! She was shoved into the nearby bushes and pinned to the ground. Katie looked up to see what just knocked her down, she was shocked to see Sarah and Michelle looming over her with deadly flares pointed at her. 
"Don't even think about making a sound!" Sarah hissed. 
Katie struggled to break free but Michelle tightened her grip on her. 
"You made us look like idiots with your little lie." Michelle growled. "But we know what we saw that night. The monster is here and you're hiding it for some reason."
Katie tried to tell them "you wouldn't understand! He's not a monster!" But her protests were muffled. 
"Is the beast nearby?" Michelle asked. 
Sarah scanned the area around her, then fixated towards the lake. "I think I see something… it looks like a giant boy?" 
"A giant?" Michelle stared down at Katie for an answer. The blonde sighed and gave a short nod. 
Sarah looked at Michelle and smirked. "Oh now I get it, this giant is her boyfriend!" 
"Figures the only boy to give her attention would be a monster." Michelle chuckled. "What a freak!"
Anger swelled up in Katie, she was so sick and tired of being picked on by Michelle and Sarah! They wouldn't be doing this if Barrett was watching and there was only one way to get his attention. Katie stuck her tongue out and licked Michelle's palm. 
Michelle retracted her hand for a second, which was enough time for Katie to scream out at the top of her lungs, but her cries for help got cut short when Michelle slapped Katie across the face. The force was so hard, her glasses were nearly knocked off. 
It was too late, thunderous footsteps headed in their direction. Katie couldn't help but smile, for years Sarah and Michelle targeted her because she was too small to fight back. Now they can see what it feels like!
"We gotta go!" Sarah shouted. Both girls sprinted off in an attempt to escape but Barrett's hand slammed down in front of them. Their fearful eyes gazed up at the giant who kneeled over them.
"Well, well, well, looks like we meet again." He sneered. 
"W...w…what are you going t.. to do to us?" Sarah asked. 
"Oh nothing…. As long as you aren't causing trouble." 
"We weren't doing anything!" Michelle exclaimed. "In fact, we were just leaving!" 
"That's a lie!" Katie shouted, stumbling out of the bushes. She could still feel the sting on her cheek. 
Barrett stared at Katie's red cheek, a look of pure anger fired in his eyes. He swiftly plucked the girls from the ground. An ear piercing scream escaped from their lips as they became face-to-face with the giant. 
"How dare you hurt Katie!" He growled. 
"You don't understand, they were just jokes!!" Michelle screamed out. 
"Oh really? Then maybe I should just drop you both as a joke!" He growled. 
The girls let out screams of pure terror begging for him to spare their lives. This should have been a victory for Katie, but the fear in their voices made her sick to her stomach. They actually think they're going to die and with that look in Barrett's eye, they very well might!
"Let them go, Barrett!" She shouted. "They've learned their lesson!" 
Barrett let out a deep breath. "If you two ever lay a finger on Katie again, then I'll make sure you regret it!" 
He gently placed the girls on the ground but they were so terrified that their legs turned to jelly and they collapsed to the ground. 
"Leave, and never come back." Katie said, crossing her arms. "And don't ever speak of this to anyone!" 
It took them a minute to overcome their shock, but they found the courage to get to their feet and run away. Once they were gone, Katie turned to Barrett. "You weren't actually going to drop them, were you?" 
"What? No! I just wanted to scare them!" 
"Yeah, but you acted like you were really going to do it." 
"I would never hurt anyone." The giant reassured, he reached out and gently rubbed her arm. "But I will always protect you." 
Katie smiled softly and leaned into his touch. "I believe you."
The moment was cut short when the sound of a twig snapped in the bushes. The two looked over and could see the top of a person's head peeking out of the bushes. Without warning, Barrett's hand shot out to grab the person.
~~~
Byssa caught the whole thing! Her amber eyes fixated on the giant that threatened the girls, and their screams would forever haunt Byssa's nightmares. Even after the whole ordeal was over, Byssa sat there unsure of what to do. Should she tell her brother or pretend this never happened? A giant has to be a major threat to the town! However, this giant just protected Katie from two girls who quite frankly, deserved it. 
Byssa wasn't sure what the right decision was, but she knew she should probably get out of here. She was about to tiptoe her way out, when her band t-shirt snagged onto a thorn. Byssa tugged at the fabric until it finally broke free, but she stumbled back and stepped on a twig. Her heart dropped when silence filled the air. 
Suddenly, something latched onto her ankle and yanked her from her hiding spot. Byssa thrashed and hollered as she dangled in the air, the world around her began spinning out of control! Until her entire view became the giant's face. 
She could see every blemish and every strand of hair sway with each breath he took, he would have looked like any other teenage boy, if it wasn't for those angry green eyes boring into her. 
"Who are you?" He demanded. 
"Whoa, put me down, beanstalk! I'm not the enemy!" 
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" He growled in annoyance. 
"Ask Katie!" She said. "I never picked on her!"
"She's right." Katie stated. "You can put her down." 
Byssa let out a sigh of relief as she was lowered to the ground. She slowly sat up, her head still spinning profusely. 
Katie ran over to her side. "Are you okay?" 
"Yeah, I think so." 
"Good, because I wanna know why you decided to follow me into the woods!" 
"Truth be told… I never believed your story about the backpack. So I wanted to find out for myself." She stared up at the giant in awe. "I never would have thought Claymore had a giant lurking in the woods." 
"It's not permanent." He said. 
"This is Barrett." Katie introduced. "He's from a place called Jotunheim, but he got trapped here from a portal in the lake." 
"Okay, you gotta give me all the details later." 
"Sure… but you won't tell anyone else about this, will you?" Katie asked. 
"Your secret's safe with me, but on one condition; I get to hang out here with you two." 
"That's fine with me!" Katie exclaimed. "What about you, Barrett?" 
Barrett nodded. "If you trust her then I see no problem." 
"Great!" Byssa smiled. Maybe moving to Claymore wasn't so bad after all. She was able to figure out the mysterious rumors along with befriending the mysterious girl.