Miss Step!

Caesar

I wake up to the sound of birds chirping along side whispers. I roll onto my back and throw my arm over my eyes to block out the orange rays of sunlight. Comflicting dreams pleagued my mind last night, making sleeping unbarible.

Punishments from the past still haunts me and I know they always will. At some point, I will be able to live with them. Not now though.

I still doubt my decision to stay, but leaving is simply not a reality for me. I wouldn't survive as long as I think I would. I'm out of practice and don't know the forest like I do back at home. The wildlife, the veggitation, where to get water? I mean, at point or another something will come along and kill me.

I sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes. The birds are keeping me awake anyway and my brain needs to wake up too. With a few quick stretches, I finally get my body flowing and crawl off the pillow. I look at the two empty make shift beds in the tent.

The place is void of the plushies that were laid out all over the floor. Chip bags and soda cans are missing as well. The girls must be picking up already so it's not too late in the day. My eyes search the area for my axe and duffle bag. They're propped up and sit next to the pillow that I slept on.

I spot the tear the in the tent. Well, it wasn't a fever dream at least.

A part of me though wishes it was a fever dream. The consequences of my actions are going to bite to me in the ass, I just know it. There hasn't been a single time where trying to escape led to some miserable or humiliating punishment.

Thunderous rumbles shake me to the core. The girls are coming back.

My heart begins to race as my mind conjures up all the different forms of punishment that Samantha has planned for me.

It's not like her though.Samantha has never hurt you... but it also doesn't mean she isn't capable of it. I just hadn't pushed her to her limit.

If Samantha were to truly do something to me then she wouldn't have comforted me last night. She wouldn't have been so gentle or kindhearted. A giant who's angry with their human wouldn't do such a thing.

She probably doesn't know what I was doing anyway. At worst she'll just think I tore a hole in the tent on accident... who am I kidding, she's smarter than that. Right?

"She's just stressed, Ash." Samantha says as she pulls open the tent flap and steps inside. I stay close the pillow so I don't get stepped on.

The redhead comes in after Samantha. "I don't know, Sam. Caesar has had the tendency to escape, like you said. I think she's sorry cause she got caught."

Samantha's face twists into a frown. "She was balling her entire soul out, Ashley. She couldn't even sleep soundly."

Ashley raises her hands up. "I understand, I just don't want you to get hurt because her. You don't want another Tex situation, do you?"

"Tex was different." Samantha hisses. She sighs, letting go of the emotional damage. "He manipulated me..."

Ashley crosses her arms, giving her best friend the girl please look. "I'm just saying that this is all looking too familiar. Like deja vu or something."

"Then I'm not going to let it happen again." Samantha responds tightly.

The snappiness creates silence in the air. Samantha pauses in the midst of folding up a blanket. I can't see what her face looks like, but I know that she'd rather be talking about something else other then what they're talking about now. This Tex guy must have done a lot of damage to her for the way she's been acting.

As far as I know, they were close friends until something bad happened, then this mysterious accident occured and he died. That's just a hunch, I'm not sure.

"There's a part of me that blames me for what he did... " Samantha admits weakly. She takes in a deep breath and exhales. "And I won't make that same mistake with Caesar. I can't put myself through that kind of emotional trauma again."

I don't feel relieved hearing those words. There was a small sliver of hope that Samantha would let me have more freedom. I figured after she sees me here in the morning rather then escaping, then she'll losen the leash. I mean, it has to amount to something, right?

"Alright, Sam. Alright." Ashley says, backing off. "Just know that I'm here for you know matter what."

"I know," The burnette answers weakly again.

The redhead bends down and scoops up an arm full of pillows and waddles out of the tent like a fat man. On her way out though, she spots me and smalls warmly.

"Hi," I say with a single wave.

"Caesar's awake," Ashley announces to Samantha then mouths to me good luck.

Good luck? Why would I need-

"Woah!"

I snatched off the ground like a prize from a claw machine and held against the giantess's cheek.

"Are you okay?" She askes, her voice dripping concern. "What happened last night?"

The giantess's grip a little too tight and being mushed up against her cheek isn't all that comfortable either. When I push against her cheek, I feel the hard teeth on the other side of the fleshy wall.

"Sam... antha... too tight." I say while gasping for breath.

The immediately losens her grip. "Sorry, sorry."

The girl waits pateintly while I catch a few gulps of air.

"Can you tell me what happened last night?" She askes, not wasting another second.

Gods, girl let me catch my breath first before you start hammering me with questions.

I look at the girl. There's no hate. Just worry for my wellbeing, which makes this all the more painful to admit.

I bite the inside of my cheek and let my head hang. "I was trying to escape... and I couldn't...."

There's a long pause.

I twiddle my thumbs impateintly, waiting for some form of serious whiplash. Samantha snatching me back up and marching right back into the house just to throw me in my so-called home. Declaring that I'll be stuck forever or worse.

The thought of having a repeat of what has happened to me so many times is making my body go numb.

The worst part about admitting this is that it confirms what Ashley said earlier, but only partly. I wasn't crying cause I got caught. I have too much turmoil built up inside of me and I'm afraid to admit it now, but I've started to care a little about Samantha's feelings. Which is odd to admit, I won't lie.

"So you were going to leave..." She says thoughfully. Her voice filled with hurt and topped off with anger. "Ashley was right."

I raise my head to meet the girl. Her brows pinched together and saddest in her eyes. A look of betrayel.

"Not entirely." I say defending myself, although I have a feeling it's hopeless.

"Really, cause you just admitted it." Samantha response in a harster tone.

"I didn't leave though!" I snap, the stone hard exterier coming back to protect me from any emotional wounds. This going to be exactly like the bathroom argument all over again. "Just listen-

"You listen!" Samantha snaps back. "This exact situation has happened to me before and I'm not going to let it happen again."

"So you're putting someone else's past wrongdoings onto me? That's why you won't give me a chance? Why you won't listen?" I ask in total bewilderment. "Gods, no wonder Tex hated-Mph!" A thumb is pressed over my mouth and once again, Samantha's grip tightens.

Samantha's face screws up in rage. "You don't know a single thing about what happened between me and him."

Her face is screaming with rage and anger, but Samantha's golden brown eyes tells me she's hurting deeply inside. And to add the icing on the cake, a single paingul tears rolls down her cheek.

She removes her thumb, knowing that the argument is over and ends it with one last statement. "I'm taking you back to your house where you'll stay for the rest of the day."

"Oh, you're fucking joking!" I growl.

"I'm not arguing about this, Caesar." She responds. "You've broken my trust and these are the consequences."

"You can't do this to me!!" I roar. "I'm not some pet!"

Samantha's expression goes cold. "I bought you, didn't I?"

The words send a shiver down my spine. All the fight in me defuses like fire does when water is dumped on it. And that ends the argument.

Samanth doesn't rub it in or make some snide remark. She doesn't tell me to behave or things will get worse for me. If anything, she's not happy how the conversation ended.

The giantess leaves the tent, walking passed Ashley and right into the house. Maids and butlers step out of Samantha's way as she makes her way to her room.

She walks in and slams the door shut behind. Wood slamming against wood causes my ears to ring. I almost expected my brain to melt out of my ears as well.

Samantha marches on over to the house in the wall and holds her wrist band up to the door. The door beeps and unlocks. Her hand is too big to fit in the doorframe while holding me so she has to set me down.

"In." She commands.

I want disobey her. I want to make this as hard as possible for her. No action I make will hurt her, but words? Words will drag her. They'll cut deeper then anything has ever cut me before. And the worst part is that I want it to her. I want it to fuck with her mind. To screw her up to bad that she won't sleep at night.

"I stayed because you," I start out as I walk to the door. "I stayed because I had faith that you'd be different then the other giants." I look up at the giantess. Her face trying to hold the same hard expression. "Thanks for proving me wrong."

And close to door on the girl.

Samantha

I stayed for you...

Thanks for proving me wrong.

I sigh and rub my temples. I've been sitting in the living room for a while now with a bag of chips and root beer in a fancy glass cup sitting on the coffee table.

It's been hours since our short and hurtful argument. Ashley tried to consult me, telling me that I had a right to worry and be skeptical about what Caesar was actually doing. That I shouldn't believe her words if she hasn't done anything in the past to prove me otherwise.

The problem is that she has done things to prove me otherwise. She comforted me twice on the first day we met. She's been supportive in her own odd way. And I won't lie the flattering comments and compliments make my heart sing. These acts of kindness are the real her. The real Caesar who has been buried deep down to be protected from the real word.

It's too similar to how Tex was though. I tell myself. I can't put myself through that mess again.

I pick up the cup of root beer and take a large gulp.

"You seem beat today, miss Gains." A well-mannered englishman says as he walks into the livingroom.

Daniels comes in with a small scoop of Cookies and Cream ice cream topped with chocolate and rainbow sprinkles. My favorite comfort food.

I set the root beer aside and take the cup of ice cream instead. "Thank you, Daniels."

The man smiles at me as I dig into the scoop. He around the couch and takes a seat on the red velvet sofa chair and crosses his legs. I know that seating position. It's the we need to talk position. I hate it. The last thing I want do is talk.

"Mind telling me about your little stomp around the house earlier in the day?" Daniels asks.

I take another bite ice cream, hoping that somehow if I eat enough of it I'll turn into ice cream and just melt away. No luck though.

"Did you and Ashley get in a fight again?" The man asks.

I shake my head. "No," I mutter out.

The man hums thoughtfully. I take another bite.

"So it was Caesar that you were mad at." My jaw tightens ever so slightly. "Thought so..."

Daniels sits forward in the red velvet chair, legs uncrossed and elbows on his knees. "Samantha, you need to stop treating Caesar like she's-"

"Like she's Tex," I finish his sentence. I stop eating my ice cream for a minute. "But she acts so much like he did."

"Her acting like Tex doesn't mean she is Tex."

No, but I'm so afraid that she'll turn out like him. Is what I want to say, but I don't think Daniels will ever understand that.

I look at Daniels, clearly not wanting to talk about the whole human situation. He returns my look of distaste and discomfort with one of talk or I take the ice cream away look.

My eyes fall to the floor in defeat. "I don't want her end up like Tex."

"Then start treating her like Caesar and not Tex." The bulter states. "You have to start trusting-"

"I did trust her and she almost ran!" I respond in protest.

"Keyword, almost."

I scoff. "Yeah, I caught her right as she was leaving and... she was crying." I mutter out that last bit.

Daniels raises a brow, silently asking me if I knew why the human was. I shrug as an answer because I don't know either. It could have been nightmares. It could have been because she wasn't going to be able to escape. Or Caesar was telling the truth, saying that she didn't leave because of me. Because she had faith in me.

Have faith. That's what I told Caesar a few days ago when I said I'd fix her. Now I'm questioning if I'm the one that actually needs to be fixed. How can I even say have some faith when I can't even have faith in her.

I sit up calmly and set the bowl of ice cream down. "I want to trust her, Daniels, but given her past escape attempts from other homes and my past experience with Tex, I just... I can't"

"Then have faith in her instead." Daniels responds gently. The man scooches forward a little more. "If you can't trust her, then have faith in her. Okay?"

There is it again and if it's coming Daniels then it's a clear sign. I can't keep fooling myself into thinking this is Tex. The over protectiveness, the house arrest, the tracker. It's like Daniels said before. All the precautions and looming has caused me to push Caesar onto the same path that Tex took.

I can't let that happen. I need to fix what I broke. The question now is will Caesar allow it?

"Samantha."

My eyes flick to the butler. He's holding out a handkerchief for me to take. I touch my cheek and feel wettness. I started to cry without realizing it.

I thank the man and use the handkerchief to wipe away my tears. "I messed up, Daniels." The man hums in agreement. "Don't agree with me."

He chuckles this time.

"I'm going to fix this though. I promise." I say, getting up from the couch. "I just hope Caesar will forgive me."

"That's not up to you to decide, but I'm sure you'll find a way to make it up to her." Daniels also gets from his chair. He holds out his arms for a hug. "You always do."

I step into the man's hug. Daniels rubs my back for comfort which is very effective, but a a small part of me feels blooming saddness. I bite my lip, remembering all the terrible things I said. I called her a pet for crying out loud. How am I going to regain her faith and trust after that?!

After Daniels and I take the dishes back to the kitchen to be cleaned, I head back upto my room. The blooming saddness turning into a rose full of thorns made out of guilt with every step I take towards the bed room.

I open the door and close it softly then walk over to the nightstand and turn on the light. The first thing that catches my attention is the black duffle bag and axe. Caesar was planning to leave. All the evidence is there. She had everything she needed to survive the wild. All she had to do was leave.

She didn't thought.

But I simply refuse to believe that I am the reason she stayed! She doesn't care about me or my feelings and yet those few glimpses of her being nice are at the forefront of my mind.

I pluck the tiny axe off the table and twiddle the hilt between my thumb and index finger, my thoughts wondering.

A sigh escapes my lips and I set the axe down. How am I going to fix this?

My nails drum against the nightstand as I gnaw on my lip, thinking about how what I should do. Just try talking to her.

That's so stupid though. What do I even say to her?

Maybe start out with an apology.

I run my fingers through my hair and exhale. "Okay... an apology..."

I straighten myself up, walk on over to the house in the wall and kneel down. The lights in the house are off and there isn't any movement inside. I peer through all the windows looking for Caesar, wondering if she hid herself away. Instead, she's in bed in the midst of rolling over to face away from me.

"Caesar?" No reaction from the girl inside. I rest my forehead against the wall, feeling the guilt weigh me down. "Caesar, about what I said earlier? I didn't mean it." My throat tightens sad I try to get my words out. "I was just angry and hurt a-and just... didn't listen and I'm sorry."

The girl in the bed doesn't react. Why would she? I've cut her so deep that the wound would be impossible to sew up. It'll be like putting a band-aid on bullet wound.

My eyes begin to tear up, blurring my vision to the point that I might as well be under water. I let the tears round down my cheeks while I hold back the sob in my throat. Not even the pathetic whimpers catch her attention like they did before. I didn't think I'd miss the attention she gave me, however little it was.

"Caesar, I..." I don't know what else to say and clearly she doesn't want to hear an apology from me right now either. "I'll leave you alone."

I wait and hope that she'll say something. There's nothing. Not a word, a whisper, or even a twitch from her. With all hope lost for me, I get up a leave the girl alone.

While getting ready for bed, I question how I'm going to fix this?

Or worse.

How long is this going to last?

Author's Note: I figured I'd start doing author's notes again. First off, thank you guys for showing the remastered version support like leaving votes and comments. It's greatly appreciated.

Published 02/23/2024