A game of chess

Caesar

The drive home is relatively quiet. It's somber honestly. Thoughts churning in my head like fruits being shredded in a blender, except the fruits are bad and the blender is rusty. It's all mushy and turning black.

The garage opens and the sun's rays slowly disappear as Samantha pulls in. It feels like an aligory to what happened today. Nothing but up except a meteor comes out of nowhere, crashes into earth and destroys the planet.

Yay... so fucking peachy.

Samantha unbuckles her seatbelt, opens the door, and steps out while taking her backpack (and me) with her. I stand in her button up pocket, head poking out and hands holding the hem, so the sway of her walking doesn't get to me.

The door opens and Cleo is there to take her pack and jacket. Samantha thanks the maid and tells her to take them upstairs.

She makes a be-line for the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and two little evenly cut triangler sandwiches. She breaks off a small piece for me to eat and we walk out of the kitchen, back to the foyer, walking past the stairs to the back rooms. These are rooms I've never been in since being here. Samantha has told me that its where her parents room is as well as the study. Or one of them at least.

The other is upstairs.

She stands in front of two doors that looks like they slide rather then swing. The giantess takes a peak inside. I can hear Samantha's Dad on the other side of the doors. He's chatting about business deals and other big boy CEO stuff that I can't quite understand. He's seems frustrated.

Hopefully Samantha doesn't make the situation worse.

Samantha pushes open the door and slides them closed behide her. The office is large with tall windows letting plenty of sunlight to leave the lights from above off. Both sides of the walls are bookshelfs filled with books (duh), knick knacks, family pictures throughout the years and so on. I notice a chessboard that's been set up. All the pieces in their places, ready to be moved.

Markus turns to the door and smiles. He does hold up a finger telling her to give him a minute. Once the guy on the other line stops talking, Markus tells him he's got to go and hangs up without second thought.

"Hello, Hazelnut! How was your first day as a senior?" He asked with a cheery tone.

Samantha gave him a plain answer. "It was alright... I do have some concerns though."

"You can tell me anything." Markus comes walking up to his daughter. He reaches out for her and pulls her into a hug. Once again, I'm getting squished in the process.

"Dad!!" The teen whines, pushing Markus away, although not forcefully. "You're gonna crush Caesar."

Markus, looking a little hurt from his daughter pushing him away, apologizes. "Sorry, Hazelnut. I didn't know the human was with you."

"Well she is always with me. She's my girlfriend." Samantha says as if it common knowledge.

There's a pause. Every muscle in my body tenses up.

"A girl friend. There's a space between the girl and friend." She clarifies holding up her fingers to show the space between the words. "She's part of the girl friend squad."

"The girl friend squad." Markus raises an eye brow, not entirely understanding what Samantha is talking about, but he nods to show support. "That's what the girl groups are calling themselves these days."

Tension is released from my body. I feel it leave Samantha's body too.

"Yes," Samantha responds, although a little too quick for my liking. Not that it matters because Markus doesn't notice. Or he doesn't care.

Markus makes his way back to the chair at his desk and takes a seat. "Alright, tell me what you're dealing with at school.

Samantha and I glance at each other. I nod, encouraging her and show that I'm here with her every step of the way.

Samantha takes a seat in one of the chairs across from him. "Well there's this teacher. She's got a past with treating humans terribly."

Markus hums. "I heard. The principal called me and told me what you did today."

Samantha winces. This might put a dent in our plans to get Markus on our side.

"I might have jumped the gun on that," She admits. "but can you at least listen to me before making any assumptions."

"Of course."

Samantha, twiddling her thumbs and chewing her lower lip, thinks for a moment. She trying to approach the situation in a better way than she did with with princil Norburn.

"My biology teacher was Caesar's previous owner," Samantha says. "She's not a great person and has done a lot of damage to her. So I went to talk to the princil about it, but... kind of lost my patience with him."

A few understatements, but that's the simplest way she can put it. I don't think I could have done better then her in the explanation.

Markus looks at Samantha with a blank stare, as if he's processing the information. He sits up, resting his elbows on the table and crossing his arms. "This teacher? What did she do exactly to... Caesar." His hestitation in saying my name puts a bad taste in my mouth.

Samantha looks at me with a worried look, fearing a repeat of earlier's debacle, but I'm ready this time. I swallow and nod, showing approval.

The giantess scoops me up and puts me right in front of the giant. Markus is a lot more imposing than I expect. His shadow large and dark. His eyes sharp and he seems to give off the vibes of a snake, ready to strike at any moment. A true businessman if you ask me.

The intense gaze doesn't hold me down though. I've face much worse than an ugly stare and a mean shadow. I grab the hem of my shirt and lift, exposing my torn up abdomen, revealing all the scars that the giantess from before has left me.

Markus' eyes shrink ever so slghtly. I can't tell if that's a good thing or not.

"Are you sure your teacher did this?" He asks, pointing at me. "I know the schools do background checks. I do fund them after all."

"It was her." I say, but it seems my words fall on deaf ears.

Samantha comes to my defence. "You weren't there. You didn't see how Caesar reacted."

"You're right, but doesn't mean she didn't get bored or-"

"Dad!" Samantha barks. I tense up a little from the sudden rise in valume. "Please."

Markus sighs and sits up, back straight, with a look in her eyes. "I understand your concerns, Sammy, I do. But I've already bent enough rules for you. I'm not going to bend them anymore for a some human."

Samantha jumps up in protest. "What if-"

"No ifs. No buts. No exceptions." He states.

"Dad, Ravenworth is-"

The argument falls on deaf ears for me. For some reason I'm drawn to the chessboard that's on Markus' shelf again, the gears in my head slowly starting to turn.

"A chess game." I say to myself. Lightning strikes my veins. "A chess game!" I shout, turning to Samantha.

Samantha stops midsentence to look down at me. "What?"

"A game of chess." I say and turn to Markus. "If I beat you in a game of chess, then you bend one more rule for Samantha. If not then we won't argue about it anymore."

Markus' face morphs into a smile and a chuckle bubbles up in his throat. "You want to play chess against me?" Of course he's not taking me seriously. "You can't be serious."

My brows pinch together. "Dead serious."

The giant's smug expression faulters. He looks at Samantha who has a similar serious look, and his smile drops completely.

"Fine. I agree to your terms." Markus says getting up from his seat and collecting the chess board. "I will not be going easy on you, human."

"You giants never have." I respond.

Markus set down the chess board. He opens his drawer and pulls out a what looks a timer for when we take turns. Markus is very serious when it comes to chess. I might have bitten off a little more than I can chew.

I look at the detailed and well carved wooden pieces on the board. They are an foot shorter than me, but I doubt I can push these pieces with ease or the entire game.

Markus gestures to me and Samantha. "Ladies first."

Samantha looks at me. She shrugs unsure of what to do. So it's just me in the ordeal against her father. Great.

I climb onto the chessboard and make my way to the front of the pieces. I look at the pieces as if they'd already been played, which they haven't. That doesn't help honestly.

"Time is ticking, human." Markus says, tapping the timer on the side.

Right. This isn't a phone game with James. I can'ta take all the time in the world.

I get behind a pawn and push it one space forward. Samantha reaches over and pushes the button on the timer.  Good. That's one thing I don't have to worry about.

Markus easily moves his pawn two spaces forward and pushes the timer button.

I move another pawn forward. Samantha pushes the button.

Markus goes. Then me. Then him.

Back and forth. It's not long that I get winded from pushing the pieces aroundand struggle to push the rook across the board. Samantha picks up the piece and moves it across the board.

"Too far!" I yell.

Samantha stops and back the piece up.

"Right there."

She stops and pushes the button.

Samantha brings her hand back to the board and scoops me up and puts me down on her shoulder. "Let's even out the playing field."

I smirk. "Alright. Let's win this game."

"Interesting developement we have here." Markus says as he moves his bishop to take out my pawn. Another button push and he gestures to us. "Your move."

I tell Samantha to attack with the knight, taking out the bishop from the previous move. Samantha clocks it and moves on.

As the game progresses things do go a lot faster for us. Although, my instructions on moving the pieces around aren't always the clearest and mistakes that have cost us some pieces and time. It's frustrating to be honest, but I know I would have run out of time without Sam's help.

Markus looks at the board with contemplation. He's unsure of what to do next, his finger resting on his last knight rocking it back and forth. I think I got him with the next few moves, if he plays the way that I expect him to.

Markus takes his finger off the knight and moves his queen instead.

I choose to move the rook to the corner. This will force his King to move. That way I can move my knight into position and force him into check. After that, I'll push my queen up and he'll be checkmated.

Markus peaks over at the clock, his mind thinking. We have few seconds left compared to him, but I know I can do this.

He pulls back his queen back, putting her in front of the rook rather then moving the king. My brain immediately comes up with a different plan. Samantha moves my knight forwrd and to the left. I have to get rid of this queen without moving the rook. The king will be trapped in a back and forth with the rook. I'll skip the check and go right for the checkmate.

Samantha slaps the clock. Markus moves his queen towards the rook in the corner of the board. He's onto me.

I put a pawn in front my rook. This secures my protection. If the queen attacks then I can kill her with the rook. She's stuck.

Good.

My knight moves forward again.

Markus looks at the board with thought in his eyes, calculating his next move again. He moves his knigh tin front of the king, blocking the piece in. So that leaves me with a wall to breakthrough.

I move my queen to the other corner. It doesn't matter now. He's trapped, there's no escape for the king. Markus knows that he doesn't have anywhere to go. All he can do now is burn time, which is possible, but I think Samantha and I can break through the wall and beat him.

Now it's a game of cat and mouse. I like to think I'm the cat, but it hard to tell what Markus' true intentions are.

We move our pieces back and forth. Quickly we are picking off the last of each other's pieces on the board. My rook still sits in the corner of the board, waiting to strike.

Markus moves his king. Rather then moving my rook, I move my queen.

The man, looking at the board, speaks "I have to applaud you, Caesar, but it seems that time is not on your side."

I know how much time I have left. Markus is nervous. He knows he can't beat me so he's going to burn out the clock.

So he is the mouse. And he's running for his life.

I have to the queen moved inward, towards the king. Not close enough to get her killed by the king, but enough to make her a threat. The king can't move back now.

Markus, again moves his king forward, taking out my bishop.

Click.

I move the rook across the board this time, taking him out of the corner so I can cut off the king from the front.

Click.

The king moves to the right this time.

Click.

Now.

I move my rook inward a few sqaures away from the king, but right in front of him.

"Check." I declare.

Click.

Markus moves the king to the left.

Click.

I move the rook again. "Check."

The King moves.

I move my queen closer.

He's not going to win.

Markus moves the king.

Click

Ding.

The clock chimes, signaling the end of the game.

Samantha and I look over at the clock. Time has run out for us. We didn't get the chance to move another piece. We lost. Dread fills the air as we come to the realization that we didn't win the deal.

Markus doesn't smile and boast about his win. If anything he still stares at the chestboard, thinking, fingers drumbing against the table.

"A valiant battle," Markus says. "No doubt I would have lost if you two had more time. You have my respect, Caesar." He holds out a hand for me to shake.

There's an awkward pause and he hands over a finger instead. I shake his finger and thank him for the game.

"Please, the pleasure is mine. I never thought of humans to be highly intellegent creatures, but I've been proven wrong today." Markus admits without hesitation.

Wait until he realizes that his daughter is dating a human. I'm he'll be thrilled about that.

"I won't change my deal. No more rule bending, but." Markus shakes a finger. "I will have a deeper check into this biology teacher of yours, Samantha. If you say she's the devil then I wouldn't want her at school."

Samantha, somewhat disappointed still, nods. "Thanks, Dad." And gets up from her chair to leave.

The giantess slides the door shut and sighs, letting her back rest against the door. "Well... we tried. I'm sorry for messing so much."

I shrug. "I was at a disadvantage from the start because of my size. It's not your fault."

Samantha nods. A small smile crosses her lips. "You almost beat him though. I didn't know you knew how to play chess."

I chuckle and rub the back of my head sheepishly. "Yeah. I played it alot in my free time with James back at the shop. I was unnaturally good at it that James actually let me watch chess videos to get better."

The giantess cocks a cheeky brow and her smile grows into a grin. "Care to tell me more over some ice cream?"

"You bet!" I say without hesitation.

Although we've lost the chess battle, the seeds have been plantedd and hopefully Ravenworth will get her comeuppance because of it. For now, we can only hope and pray that Markus will water the seeds.

AN: Thanks for being patient guys. Things have been wild in my life recently (its been better now). I've got my laptop in and have grinded out this chapter for the last two days. I already have plans and ideas for the next couple of chapters. Finally getting into the second half of the story. Again, thanks for being patient. Thanks for all the support (comments, votes, and follows) it means so much to me.