The Past Pt. 1

The redhead sits at the kitchen table, spinning the glass full of ice water around. Sam and I sit across from her. She has this blank expression on her face while staring at the water.

To be honest, it's a really good poker face. If she told me she was an eight foot tall platypus bear with purple wings and horns, I'd believe her without a doubt.

Samantha, on the other hand, has the wrath of the gods fueling her right now. Anger doesn't describe expression she has on her face nor does it explain the amount of negativity radiating off her either.

And here I am stuck in the middle of some family squabble that I know nothing about.

Daniel's comes into the dinning room again with another glass of water. He sets the glass down in front of Samantha.

Samantha breaks her deadly glare to look at Daniels. Most likely swearing at the man in her mind for letting her cousin in. Daniels on the other hand, doesn't care about her terrible attitude and nods over to Kyla, advising her to start talking.

Samantha lets out a huff of annoyance at the butler then turns her angry glare back to her cousin.

"Nice to see you, Sam." The redhead says nonchalantly.

Samantha tighten the grip on her arm and her jaw tightens. "I wish I could say the same for you."

The tension in the air tightens. Gods, I might as well be breathing through a plastic bag at this point. I wish I could do something about it.

Oh, wait...

"Sam just ask her what she's doing here." I tell the giantess. "I don't want to be stuck out here all night, watching you make angry eyes at the girl."

Samantha turns her angry glare towards me, but it has no effect on me. Not in a situation like this.

"Talk." I say more sternly this time.

Samantha is reluctant as usual. The boiling undertone of hatred towards the redhead across the table is really starting to piss me off. Then again, it'd be hypocritical of me to say I've never held a grudges against someone or outright refused to talk to them. Exhibit A, the last three chapters of this story.

How many of you forgot that I was narrating the story? I'll admit I did for a moment.

"I see you got a new human." Kyla points out, her red eyes never leaving the glass.

The skin under my palms tighten and the blood  that flows underneath it turns into a rolling boil. Clearly talking about humans is a hot topic for Samantha. It's no surprise either.

"What do you want?" Samantha snaps.

The redhead watches as a single drop water slides down the glass and drips onto the table.

"Do you have any human medicine for the flu?" Kyla asks.

Samantha back in her chair and scoffs. "What do you need that for?"

The redhead rolls her eyes. The first emotional motion I've seen from the giantess tonight. "What do you think."

It doesn't matter to me if Kyla has a human or not. It doesn't shock, scare, and surprise me. Why would it?

Samantha says otherwise.

The huge teen jolts up from her chair, nearly toppling it as she does so. "You have a human!?"

The jump causes me to slip and fall from my perch on top of Samantha's shoulder. I quickly grab onto the shirt and dig my feet into Samantha's breast, so that I can clamber back onto the shoulder

Kyla sits up, but her blank face expression never changes.

Samantha's jaw tightens, the rage has boiled over now. "Why do you have a human?! How do you have a human?! What did you do?!"

Kyla presses her lips into a thin line, her brows furrowed. The giantess's blank stare falling and replaced with anger.

"I fu- messed up." The redhead admits. "And I need help."

Samantha and I watch as the giantess tugs on the collar of her shirt and reaches for something hidden in her cleavage. What she pulls out is a human, pale skinned, red-faced, and black long hair sticks her face. At first I think she's blushing, but the young woman's eyes are closed and her face wincing in pain.

She's sick. Deathly sick.

"Gods..." I mutter, leaning closer to get a better look.

"What?" Samantha questions. She tries to tone back her snappy mood, but it doesn't work that well.

I look up at Samantha with panic. "Sam, she's got giants flu."

Samantha's face scrunches up in confussion. "What's that?"

As frustrated as I want to be at Samantha for not knowing what giants flu is, there's no time to go in a deep dive about. Not when there's a human's life on the line.

"I'll explain later, but we got to get her some meds now." I say with urgency.

Samantha bites her lower lip. Her inner thoughts and emotions fighting over whether to help the human and get back at Kyla for whatever past transgressions she's inflict on the brunette. She releases the tension with a sigh.

"I'll help the girl." Samantha agrees reluctantly. Kyla's eyes sparkle with joy and relief. "But you are going to tell me everything."

Samantha - The Next Morning

I keep a close eye on the two girls in the house. Caesar seems to have the situation under control for the time being and has stayed by the young woman's side throughout the night. From the looks of it and the amount of knowledge the human has on giants flu tells me that she's dealt with it before.

From what Caesar has told us is that giants flu is a lot more harsh on humans, since this strand of flu is meant for giants and their larger immune systems and not humans. Attacking something smaller, but with the same biology, has been proven deadly for the human race.

Vaccines been created and some humans, like Caesar, have lived around giants long to become immune to it. Lily must come from a place where giants flu is uncommon and she's not used to giants yet.

On the other side of the room, sitting at my desk, is Kyla with her head down in a piece of paper. She didn't eat much breakfast and when she finished, the redhead came right back up here and sat at the desk. Her nerves haven't settled down since yesterday. I wouldn't either if it were Caesar in this situation.

My inner voice tells me I should go talk to Kyla, maybe comfort her in a way, but apart of me still deeply hates her for what she did to Tex. It's surprises me that she'd take in a human after nearly torturing Tex to death.

I asked Kyla to watch Tex one day while I was going out of town with Dad on a business trip. When I came back, Tex was beaten to a pulp and barely hanging on to life. Kyla didn't hesitate to confess what she did to him, but when explaining why she did it I didn't listen.

Looking back on what happened with today's knowledge, I realize how messed up Tex really was. Kyla just saw it before I did. Way before.

I was only fifteen and Tex was almost seventeen. Kyla was twenty and broken up from a year long manipulative relationship as well. So of course she saw the signs faster than me.

I didn't believe her because I thought she was enforcing her own views and opinions on Tex, trying to stuff him in the same category as her ex girlfriend. Now I do the same with Caesar. What a hypocrite I am.

I was blinded by anger and rage. I had labeled Kyla, my own cousin and good friend, to be a terrible person just like the rest of the family had. A family that, besides dad, mom, and I, thought was emotionally disconnected and mentally slow.

She lacked expressing emotion for a long time and people thought she was a freak for that. Mom said that she just took longer to open up and connect with others.

I shouldn't have blamed her, but I was ignorant. My overly loving heart for Tex is what caused my own pain and downfall. I had severed the relationship between Kyla and I.

And yet, after everything he's done, Tex still has a hold on me. My heart can't let him go for some reason. I suppose that's what happens when you fall in love with someone for the first time.

Several papers rustle pulling me out of my thoughts. Kyla is still scribbling away at the desk. Paper has piled up on the floor next to her work station. As a stroke of luck or a sign from the heavens, one scribbled on piece of paper flows through the air and lands right in front of me.

The drawing is a picture of the sick human, Lily, posed as a ballet dancer flying through the air. She looks lively and happy. I assume this is what she's supposed to be looking like when she's not in bed suffering.

I sigh and look at Kyla. The gears in my head turning and turning, emotions wrestling with each other like wild animals. I can't stand it.

If it were Caesar...

I swallow my pride, get to my feet and stubbornly march myself over to Kyla. She's still drawing away as I overshadow her work.

"Come to scold me like a child?" Kyla asks, her eyes never leaving the paper.

I bite my tongue to keep any angry comment from spilling out. "No... I just wanted to see how you were doing."

The pencil lifts from the papers as Kyla's processes what she heard.

"I'm... worried, to be honest." Kyla admits before going back to drawing. "I guess... I deserve this in a way."

My tightened jaw loosen up, realizing what Kyla's talking about. She thinks it's world's punishment for what she's done in the past. I don't think of it like that. It was an honest mistake.

"You don't." I say, although a part of me gets upset for saying it.

There will always be that part of me wants revenge for what Kyls did to Tex. I think it's the same part that still loves Tex.

The pencil stops drawing again. I watch as it's set down and follwed by a moment of silence. Then a sniffle and shudder runs through Kyla's body. Her body curls up as if she's trying to hold back a cry. My anger evaporates and I comfort the redhead, resting a hand on her shoulder and trying to reassure her that it'll be okay.

Kyla looks up at me with big watery tears in her eyes a quivering lip. There's so much pain on her face. This has to be the first time I've seen her cry too.

I pull the older woman into a hug and begin stroking her hair. "It's okay, Kyla."

"NO!" She snaps angerly.

I can't help jump in surprise. Kyla's never been loud. Not even when I screamed and shouted in her face about Tex. This situation has really torn her up inside.

"It's not okay! Nothing about this is okay!" Kyla growls into my chest. She pulls away. "I hurt her, Samantha. I hurt... people..."

"Kyla, that's not-"

"It is... or did you forget about Tex already?"

A sting of pain runs through my heart. I'll never forget what Kyla's done to Tex and I do hesitate to forgive her. I think it's because I'll finally admit to her that she was right about Tex or a part of me is agreeing to what she did to him. I don't agree with what she did, but I can see why she did it.

She wipes her tears away and sighs. "I now know how it feels to see someone you love hurting so much."

I blink once then again, then my eyes grow wide like dinner bowls. My mouth slowly opens as Kyla confirms what I'm thinking. I point at the house while trying to form some coherent sentence.

"Yes, Sam, yes." Kyla says.

A tiny tug of the lips tells me she's happy to tell me about her relationship with the human. That they're more than just friends. I never would have guest to be honest.

I take a seat on my bed and run a hand through my hair.  "Why would you tell me that?" I ask

"Because back then I found it silly to fall in love with a human." Kyla answers. She shakes her head and lets a small chuckle. "Here I am with a human. Happier then I've ever been in my life... I never thought I'd find it."

There's a moment of silence so the news can marinate.

"I think that's why I was jealous of you and Tex." She admits.

I've never heard that before. Then again Kyla's always been good keeping a straight face. There's possibly many things that she hasn't told me.

"Jealous?"

The redhead nods. "I had just broken up with Jackie and was upset that you and Tex had a seemingly perfect relationship. I was envious because I wanted that sameperfect love." She sits back in the chair. "I was slowly coming to accept your happiness with him, although I didn't fully agree with your choises. I can't now judge though."

I smirk. "No, you can't."

Kyla's lips tug again, but the happy look is fleeting. "When you asked me to watch over him while you were going out of town, I almost had my mind made up about you two. Staying with him though... I realized how terrible he actually was."

My hands curl up into fists and I look down at my feet. I didn't ask what Tex had done

to piss Kyla off so much that she nearly killed him. No, too busy yelling and coddling the human. Now that some time has past and Tex no longer here, I want to know what he did that night.

"What did he do, Kyla?"

"You don't-"

"No." I cute the redhead off with a stern answer. "I need to know what he did, what he said, before he... passed away."

I've always thought the reason Tex used my overly loving heart was so he could escape. That I'd be so hurt that I would distance myself. So that I wouldn't be clinging to him long enough for him to leave.

He was my first human so I'd have him around me nearly 24/7. There were no safety protocols back then so I took it upon myself to simply have him by my side all the time.

I never said I was perfect, but I suppose you could say I didn't change much either.

At some point, Tex's attitude changed harshly. He was hostile and upset towards me. He'd hit me where it hurt. Telling me how ugly I looked, that I didn't actually care for him, or that I needed to buy a human so no one would run from me. Lastly, he'd shame our relationship, though I don't think I can call it a relationship now. He thought it was disgusting and perverted that I loved him. It hurt me so bad that it's left permanent scars on my heart.

Kyla's face is stoic, but her eyes are filled with rage. "I wasn't the best at keeping an eye him, but it started when I found him stoned in your underwear drawer."

I try not jump from my seat in disgust, but the look of horror on my face most likely gives away how I feel on the inside.

"It seemed he was in there for some time too, jerking himself off-"

This time I do jumb up and gag. I put my hand over my mouth, trying not to throw up the food in my stomach. I start to question if he's done that before.

Kyla waits for me to collect my composure before continuing.

"That's when things got ugly." Kyla says with a hefty sigh. "He was so out of it that it was easy for him to admit that he never loved you in all the months that you two were together. The reason he stayed for this long is because he liked watching you hurt. Watching you be miserable because you loved him. It made him feel powerful." The grip Kyla has on the arm rests tightens. "And I just... lost it."

It makes sense from Kyla's perspective. She had just gotten out a similar relationship so seeing her little cousin in one, made her angry and knowing that she could do something about it, albeit I didn't like her method, she did.

It didn't do much though. If anything it backfired. I was more clingy to Tex and ended up hating Kyla for what she did. The resentment towards her, although has deminished over the years, is still there.

I wish my anger would completely disappear just like my feelings for Tex would. But both are a part of me now and affect me deeply. I'm still on the fense about Kyla's and Lily's relationship, and how I treat Caesar is much different because of Tex's actions.

The fear of losing another human because I pushed too far is overwhelming. It's so controlling. So suffocating that I never stopped to think how much it would hurt Caesar. Until these last few days that is.

"I don't regret what I did," Kyla says. "I'd do it again too if given the chance,"

"I don't blame you," I say, looking at the house now. "Although, I can't say I would have done the samething you did."

Kyla scoffs. "I know. Too kind."

I haven't felt kind in the last week. More like an owner who neglects their pet. And to think I preach to never treat a human like an animal. To treat one with love and respect. All I've done though is keep Caesar here, cooped up and caged, whether I see it that way or not, it doesn't matter.

No, I can't keep treating her the way I have been. I have to let her make her own choises. It doesn't help that my heart is starting to yearn for her it seems. We almost kissed last night. Would I have followed through with it? Am I even ready to for something like that? Or is my heart just wanting to replace Tex as soon as possible. I can't put that burden on Caesar.

How do I even tell that I love Caesar?

Oh, right.

I flop back on the bed and pull a pillow close to me to hug. "Kyla... can I ask you something?"

Kyla shrugs. "What do you wanna ask?"

"How did you know, like, really know, you loved Lily," I ask, gripping the pillow tightly.

There are a few beats of silence. I don't think the question is too personal.

"Hm... It was this overwhelming feeling of peace I got when I woke up the next day with her by my side." Kyla explains. "It's not just that rush of love you get from a person, Samantha, it's that warm fiery feeling you get too."

A warm fiery feeling... I think I've felt that before.

I sigh. "Thanks, Kyla,"

"No problem."

I suppose now I have figure out what it is that I want to do and how I proceed with all of this.

I sit up and look at the house in the wall again.

The best place to start is the kiss we almost shared. I don't want this to be some ploy to her or some sort of manipulationto get her to. I've already burned the small amount of trust we had between one another, I don't want to make things worse.

My eyes squint seeing a small amount of movement in the house. The red door then swings open and out walks Caesar.

Kyla jumps up, concern painted on her face. "Is Lily okay?"

Not to overwhelm Caesar, I pop up myself and put myself between her and Kyla. "Slow down, Kyla."

Kyla nods, nipping at the bottom lip nervously.

I turn back to Caesar and bend down. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's awake." Caesar says with a hopeful smile.