Mammoth charged through the wall of the bank.  “Mammoth wants money!”  he shouted.  “Give Mammoth money!”

A few people screamed.  Most dove for cover.

Mammoth’s shaggy coat hid a naturally armored hide.  When a guard pulled his gun and opened fire, bullets just bounced off or embedded in his thick skin without reaching any vital organs.

The guard had reason to open fire.  Mammoth had become one of the most well-known super-henchmen in the United States.  He was too low-functioning to operate on his own, but villainous bosses who didn’t want to get their hands dirty would send him in to do their work for them.

Mammoth screamed in rage.  “Bullets sting Mammoth!” he shouted.  Then he grew to double the 12-foot height he had been when he entered.  “Now Mammoth sting gun-shooter!” he roared.

Mammoth grabbed the guard’s head in his hand.  He had every intention of squeezing when he realized he was hearing loud sounds and vibrations from outside.  He turned to see a truly enormous hand gloved in black leather reaching through the opening he had made in the wall, and reaching right for him.

Confused, Mammoth dropped the guard.  He had no time to do anything else before he was grabbed by the hand and pulled outside.

Once outside, Mammoth could see he was in the grasp of Elevator Girl, wearing her black leather uniform.  She was kneeling on the ground.  Now she stood up, towering 250 feet tall.

“Listen, big man,” Elevator Girl said, “Don’t you know better than to rob a bank in my city?”

But Mammoth was now enraged.  He grew rapidly this time, scaling up to where he broke Elevator Girl’s grip in less than  two seconds.  His feet hit the ground due to growth before he could fall.  Still he swelled, expanding to 400 feet tall before he finally stopped.

Elevator Girl swallowed hard.  She’d never faced another size-shifter before, and Mammoth’s changes seemed to be fueled by rage.  He was enough of a berserker that she wasn’t sure one of her favorite tricks -- shrinking into an adversary’s ear canal and throwing off their balance -- would matter with him.  She was going to have to match him brute strength for brute strength.

Mammoth took a swing at Elevator Girl.  She ducked, and he hit a skyscraper with a glancing blow.  Elevator Girl was glad it had only been glancing as she watched the building shake; a direct hit would have knocked the building over, costing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives.  She had to get the fight out of the city.

Turning, Elevator Girl bolted for the most direct route she could think of to the harbor.  She could head out into the lake and get the fight away from people.  There might be some risks to people in and around the harbor, but that number would be lower than anywhere else she could think of.

As she ran, Elevator Girl tried to think of how to stop Mammoth.  If he grows when he gets angrier, then fighting him couldn’t be the answer unless she could take him out with one blow.  She’d never been that big before -- she’d rarely been as big as she now was before -- and there was no guarantee she could make that work.

Just as she got to the harbor, Elevator Girl got an idea.  She dove into the water and hit the up button on her elevator bracelet.  In seconds she rose from the water, now more than 1,200 feet tall.

Mammoth stopped and stared up at her.  She was taking off her gloves as she turned and smiled down at him.  “There you are, sweetie,” Elevator Girl said.  “Come to Auntie Ellie now.”  She reached out her arms to him as if inviting him into a hug.

Mammoth looked confused, but he wasn’t getting any angrier.  Elevator Girl continued smiling as she gently, lovingly picked up Mammoth, who was, to her colossal form, the size of a toddler.  “C’mon, Mammoth,” she said in a sing song voice.  “Give Auntie Ellie a hug.”

Tears began to stream down Mammoth’s face as he slowly started walking toward Elevator Girl.  She lovingly scooped him up and hugged him, then began to gently pat his back.  “My poor, tired Mammoth.  You must have burned a lot of energy with all that smashing and growing you’ve done.  “Would you like to snuggle in for awhile?”

Mammoth yawned.  Elevator Girl realized he was starting to slowly shrink.

The giantess sat down on the edge of the pier.  She cradled Mammoth in her arms, rocking him back and forth and quietly singing him a lullaby.  After just a few minutes, he was asleep.

Elevator Girl smiled.  She’d managed to defeat a fairly major baddy, and done it while preventing any more injuries.

But she was also troubled.  The robbery took place during her regular after-school patrol.  There was only a narrow window of time between when she got out of school and when the bank closed.  Since she was obviously a teenager, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out you should rob the bank when she was in school, not when she would be patrolling the area.  Mammoth wouldn’t be capable of picking his time for the robbery.  This must have been planned for after she got out of school.  But why?

Elevator Girl realized she would have to shrink.  Mammoth had dropped to under 100 feet tall now, and she ran the risk of dropping him.  If he woke up after that kind of fall, it might undo what she had done.

When Elevator Girl hit 200 feet tall -- by this time, Mammoth was around 75 feet tall and shrinking fast -- she heard a voice calling up to her from a megaphone.  “Elevator Girl!” called a woman.

Elevator Girl looked down.  It was Kiera Long, a local news TV reporter.  “Elevator Girl!  I need to talk to you!”

“Shhh!” said Elevator Girl.  “You’ll wake the Mammoth!”

Once police were able to sedate Mammoth, Elevator Girl, still about 18 feet tall, turned to Kiera.  “I don’t do interviews,” she said, turning away as she regrew to grab her gloves.  Since they were off when she shrank, they were still far larger than she was.  She had to put them back on to reduce them with her.

“It’s not about an interview,” Kiera said.  “It’s for a dying kid.”

Elevator Girl turned back.  “Go on,” she said.

“Well, he’s got a potentially terminal illness, anyway,” Kiera said.  “The Wish-Granters Foundation contacted all the media in the region, hoping one of us could find a way to reach you.  See, this kid about your age with a cancer has made his wish.  He wants to go on a date with you.”

Elevator Girl’s lower lip quivered ever so slightly, but it was more obvious due to her gigantic stature.

“What’s wrong?” Kiera asked.

“I lost … someone close to me to cancer,” she said.  “I’ll grant that wish, if I can.”

In fact, in her real identity as Kellie Ross, Elevator Girl’s father had died of brain cancer.  His loss -- wanting to make him proud even though he was gone -- was one of the forces that motivated her as Elevator Girl.

“Great,” said Kiera.  She reached up and started to hand the giantess a cell phone.  “This prepaid phone’s number won’t trace back to you, so you can use it to contact the foundation office and set up the date.  Do it from some neutral site, so no one has any chance of triangulating the signal to trace your identity.”

To keep it from being too tiny and changing sizes with her, Kellie shrank to seven feet tall and took the phone.  “OK,” she said.  “What’s in it for you?”

Kiera smiled.  “As the reporter who got you the message, I can cover the date, or parts of it -- if you’ll let me.”

Kellie nodded.  “Thank you.  I think I can live with that, and I want to do this.”  Holding the phone, she grew and left the scene, striding away as a skyscraper-size colossus.

Once she was out of sight, Elevator Girl proceeded with her patrol.  Kiera’s story was probably true, but the superheroine couldn’t take a chance on this turning out to be some sort of trap, either.  It would be easy enough to check the matter out when she got home.

The rest of her patrol uneventful, Kellie headed for her home neighborhood.  She shrank in a secluded spot, then slipped in the coal chute that served as her secret entrance.  Her mom was waiting for her, having prepared some supper for them to share.

After supper was over, Kellie went to the phone book and looked up the local office of the Wish-Granters Foundation.  It matched the number programmed into the phone.  Since she knew the phone book was nearly a year old, which predated her superhero career of less than three months, Kellie knew the number was legit.

Kellie took a walk down to the creek near her home, in the vicinity of the cave that had served as her first headquarters, before Mom found out her identity.  She placed the call and set up a meeting for the next day at the foundation’s office just after her patrol was over.

When it came time for the appointment, Kellie, still in her leather costume, arrived at the meeting.  In the office were Kiera and a man introduced to Elevator Girl as Micah Rice, the local foundation chapter chief.  He directed Kellie, who was at her “standard” Elevator Girl noncombat height of 7 feet tall, to a seat,

“Our wish-maker is a 14-year-old boy who has non-Hodgkins lymphoma,” Rice said.  “His condition, like that of many with that condition, is up and down day to day, depending in part on where he is in his treatment regimen.  He’s looking at a good cycle right now, and he wants to attend his school’s homecoming dance -- with you.  That’s his wish.”

Kellie nodded.

“Kiera tells me you lost someone close due to cancer,” Rice said.

“Yes,” Kellie said.  “Even without wanting to help a very ill teen, I’d want to do this just to honor … my loved one.”

Rice patted the young heroine’s shoulder.  “Then you know some of what this young man is going through, at least,” he said.

Kellie turned to Kiera. “So, what’s your role in all this?”

“It’s a great story,” the reporter said.  “We want to record the beginning of the date, from when you pick up your wish-kid to shortly after you get to the school for the dance.  After that, we’ll split.  We don’t plan to release anything about what’s going on ahead of time, or until after the date is over.  Not only would that mean we didn’t get an exclusive, but it also could put your date and the other students at risk.”

Kellie nodded again.  “And when and where are this dance?”

Rice sat on the corner of his desk.  “It’s a week from Friday at Jackson High School.  You‘ve rescued the students there twice.  That may have factored into why he wants a date with you.”

Kellie’s eyes went wide at that statement.  Suddenly, she had an awful feeling she knew who the “wish-kid” was.  She knew someone who went to Jackson High -- her own school -- who was 14 and had non-Hodgkins lymphoma.  He had been her best friend when they were in elementary school.

“They rescued me the last time,” Kellie asked.  “And what’s this boy’s name?”

“Dakota Greene,” Rice said.

Kellie had a hard time holding back her emotions.  It was her childhood best friend, for whose health she had been fearing.  They weren’t as close lately, but he was often on her mind.

Kiera leaned in.  “Elevator Girl?  Are you all right?”

Kellie smiled.  “It’s just … you know, baggage.  History.”  She looked to Rice.  “Of course, I’ll do it.”

“Great,” said Rice.  “Here’s the address.”  He handed her a slip of paper that had information Kellie didn’t need; she knew exactly where Dakota lived.  “The dance starts at 7 p.m.  Would you like a limo to take you?”

“Did … Dakota say something about travel in his wish?” Kellie asked.

Rice shrugged.  “Actually, he said he’s like you to carry him to and from the dance, using your powers.”

That sounds like Kota, Kellie thought.  She said, “Then that’s what I’ll do.  Are there any other specifics to the wish?”

“You, the carrying and the dance,” said Rice.  “That’s it.”

“OK,” said Kellie.  “I’ll plan to be there a little before 7 to pick him up -- literally, in this case.”  She turned to Kiera.  “I’d rather just carry my date, if that’s all right.”

“Understandable,” said Kiera.  “We can shoot footage of you from the ground, and get some more at the school once we get there.  That will be plenty for us.  Then you’ll have the evening to yourselves -- well, as much as you want to, anyway.”

Kellie smiled on the outside.  Inside, she was panicking.  How would she get through this one without tipping off her identity?  But she couldn’t have turned it down -- it was a kid with cancer, and if Kota’s wish was a date with her, how could she say no to that?  Especially when she wanted it.  But she wanted a date with him as Kellie, not as Elevator Girl.  But she was Elevator Girl.

Realizing the tangled knot of her thoughts and emotions wasn’t helpful now, Kellie smiled and stepped into her role as charitable celebrity, at least until she left the office.  She’d have to sort all this out later.

Kellie was checking out her outfit in the full-length mirror in her Mom’s room.  As was usual for the teen heroine, it was designed to be practical.  She was wearing a modified leotard similar top similar to the one she wore as her emergency Elevator Girl costume under her clothes, for when she didn’t have the right conditions to access her leather armor, but this one has a plunging neckline.  It was somewhat daring, but tame compared to the leather.  Over it she wore a skirt designed to match the top.  It was ankle-length with a slit on the left side that came almost up to her hip.  With the spike-heeled shoes she was wearing, these would be killer legs.

To make sure she was getting the full effect, Kellie grew to her standard Elevator Girl height of 7 feet.  From behind her came a voice.  “Wow!  That outfit’s dangerous,” her Mom said.

Kellie turned back and smiled down at her mother.  “I’m a big girl,” she said.  “I’ll be fine.”

“It’s not your health I’m worried about,” Gemma Ross said.  “It’s your identity.  There are so many people who know you at this school, including your date.  Your risk of exposure is incredible.”

“I’ll be fine,” Kellie said, toggling the bracelet down to her Kellie height.  “I’ve been practicing my mannerisms to make sure Elevator Girl moves differently.  When I’m as tall as I’ll be, my voice sounds different; it does when I’m anything that isn’t close to my usual height.  I’ll be OK.”

“But your date is Dakota,” Gemma said.  “He knows you so well.  How will you keep it from him?”

“He knew me so well, you mean,” Kellie said.  “Mom, I’ll be fine.”

“But what if --”

“Mom, how can I not do this?”  Kellie said.  “I have to do it, for Kota, and for Dad.”

Gemma looked down sadly, then smiled back at her daughter.  “You’re right, of course,” she said. “You know, these were prom-only outfits in my day.”

“Homecoming’s a lot like prom these days,” Kellie said.

Gemma nodded.  “Well, have fun -- but not too much fun.”

“We will, and we won’t,” Kellie said, smiling.  “Well, it’s time for me to go.  See you!”

Gemma waved as her daughter left the room.  “Be careful,” the mom whispered.

Kellie arrived at Dakota’s as she often traveled as Elevator Girl, as a giantess.  She reduced from 50 feet to 7, seeing the TV cameras there.  She smiled and went up to the door.  She almost knocked, knowing the doorbell hadn’t worked in years, but realized Elevator Girl wouldn’t have a way of knowing that.  She pushed the bell and, to her surprise, it worked.

In less than a minute, Dakota’s twin sister, Lakota, arrived at the door, wearing a simple blue sheath dress that looked elegant on her long frame.  She looked up at the giantess.  “Oh, hi,” she said.  Over her shoulder, she hollered back, “Dakota!  Your date’s here!”  Then, to Elevator Girl,” she said offered her hand.  “I’m Lakota Greene, Dakota’s twin sister.”

“Hi,” Kellie, taking Lakota’s hand.  She was surprised at how small it felt; she hadn’t shaken a lot of hands as Elevator Girl.  “I’m --”

Lakota laughed, a sound Kellie remembered fondly.  “It’s kind of obvious who you are, Elevator Girl,” she said.  “There aren’t a lot of 7-foot-tall girls out there, after all.”

Kellie’s laugh was slightly nervous.  There was a sentence in what Lakota had said that had scared her for her identity’s security for a few seconds.

Lakota gestured to the sofa, and Kellie sat down.  It was strange, being in the house she had played in so often while in elementary school.  It seemed so big then, and was so tiny to her now.

Lakota smiled.  “So, how does it feel to be the crush of every teenage male in town?” she asked.

Kellie smiled.  This was the same old Lakota, as direct as ever.  “Really?” she said.

“Oh, come on,” Lakota said.  “With those outfits you wear?  And you’ve got to know how great that body is.”

Kellie blushed.  “I just wore what I could piece together for uniforms,” she said.  “I’m kinda new at this.”

“Well, I’m jealous, and so are a lot of other girls,” said Lakota.

“I’m jealous of you,” Kellie said.  “You’ve got a better body than me, and a social life, from the looks of things.  Heroing doesn’t lend itself to much dating.”

In fact, Kellie, as herself, had been asked by three different guys to the dance tonight, but had passed; all had asked after she’d agreed to this date.

“Really?” said Lakota.

Just then, Dakota entered.  He stopped on the stair landing, looking down at Elevator Girl.  He smiled, looking in awe.  “Hi,” he said, waving tentatively.

Kellie stood up.  Dakota was a little thinner than he’d been, and his skin was pale, but he otherwise looked healthy.  He still had his hair, she realized; the chemo hadn’t taken it away.  He was wearing a simple blue suit with a red tie, and was perhaps the best-looking male she had ever seen.

“Hi,” she said, smiling.  “You must be Dakota.”

He nodded.  “And you’re really Elevator Girl.”

“The one and only,” Kellie said.  “Are you ready to go?”

“He will be once he says goodbye to us,” said Dakota’s dad, who was entering the room with Kota’s mom.  He offered Kellie his hand.  “Pleased to meet you, Elevator Girl.”

“The pleasure’s mine,” she said, shaking both parents’ hands.

“Take care of our boy,” said Dakota’s mom.

“He’ll be in good hands,” Kellie said.  “Well, actually, for part of the time, just one hand.”

The twins and Dakota’s dad all laughed.  Dakota’s mom didn’t.

“Well, the TV crew is waiting outside,” Kellie said.  “We’d better go before they get too antsy.”  She looked at Dakota.  “You ready?”

Kellie and Dakota exited, posed for the cameras and answered a few softball questions.  Then Kellie had a space cleared, grew to about 20 feet tall, and lowered her hand for Dakota.  Next she swelled to 50 feet and strode away.

Dakota peeked over the edge of his date’s hand.  “Wow!” he said.  “The view from up here is incredible!”

“Yeah,” Kellie said.  “That’s one of the perks of this heroing gig.  You get to see all sorts of things from a new perspective.”

Dakota looked up at her.  “Is it hard sometimes?” he asked.

“I’m fighting for my life, and other people’s lives,” Kellie said.  “That’s never easy.  But someone has to do it.”

Dakota nodded.  “I appreciate it,” he said.  “When you saved Jackson High, you saved a bunch of my friends.   I was out then, for treatment, but I’m sure glad you fight that fight.”

“Well, your classmates fought for me against the Planner and his robot,” Kellie said.  “That means a lot to me, too.”

Soon they arrived at the school.  Kiera was there with a different cameraman.  They shot footage of the pair entering, and the reaction of surprised students as they realized who Dakota’s date was.

For awhile, Dakota and Elevator Girl made small talk.  Then they went out on the floor to dance.  After a few dances, including a slow dance, during which Dakota just beamed up at her.  Kellie suspected she was beaming right back, despite her efforts to hide her feelings.

Then they sat down again.  Kellie realized Dakota seemed a little wobbly.  “You OK?” she asked.

“I’m still a little sick from the chemo,” Dakota said.  “Sorry.”

“You talked about my fights being hard,” she said.  “You’re fighting for your life, too.  That’s got to be hard.”

“Sometimes,” Dakota said.  “But I … Oh, you’re gonna think this is stupid.”

Kellie put her hand on his.  “Dakota, someone I love died of cancer.  I know the pain from that side, and I saw what that person went through.  There’s nothing you can say about this that I think is stupid.”

Dakota looked up at her.  “I take hope from you,” he said.

Kellie pulled back slightly.  “Me?” she said in a surprisingly small voice for one so big.

Dakota nodded.  “I’ve seen and heard about how hard you work at what you do, how you do things like running Mammoth into the harbor to get him away from people, and how you use every weapon you’ve got against them, including your wits.  I’m fighting my cancer that way, giving it everything I’ve got, because of you.”

Kellie couldn’t help but have tears moistening her mask at that point.  “I’m … honored,” she said.

Dakota looked at her.  “Do you mind if I ask you a kind of a personal question?”

Kellie smiled, still feeling the wet spots on her mask.  “Shoot,” she said.

“Why do you wear that leather outfir?” he asked.

Kellie chuckled.  “That’s probably the question I’m asked the most,” she said.  “It’s armor.  Leather was used as armor in ancient times, and it gets really thick when I grow while I’m wearing it.”

“Then why do you wear the pink outfit sometimes?”

“I can’t hide the leather gear under my street clothes,” Kellie said.  “That’s my quick-change uniform.”

“If you don’t mind my saying so, it suits you better,” he said.  “You’re more of a girly girl than a dominatrix type.”

Kellie laughed.  “That’s probably true,” she said.  “But options for buying leather clothes for women  are … limited.”

They both laughed.  Then they heard a slow dance announced.

While the announcer was still talking, Dakota said, “I’ve got what may be a strange request, but you’re the only one who can fill it.  Could you dance with me, and shrink while we’re dancing -- slowly shrink?”

Kellie smiled quizzically.  “Sure, but why?”

“I’ve always wanted to feel a girl melting in my arms,”  Dakota said.  “This may be my only chance, even if it’s in kind of a weird way.”

Kellie stood up.  “You’re pretty close to that in the traditional way,” she said.  “Let’s go dance.  It’ll be fun to feel you getting taller.”

Kellie set the bracelet so she started shrinking slowly once they were on the dance floor.  Soon she was only a few inches taller than Dakota, and then the same height.

As they danced and reached the same height, their eyes locked.  Suddenly, Dakota was staring into Elevator Girl’s sky-blue eyes, and she was staring into his hazel eyes.  Her lip started to quiver.

Fearful she would give too much away, Kellie, now several inches shorter than Dakota, laid her head on his shoulder and snuggled in.  From her perspective, she could feel him getting bigger and stronger with each passing second.  She found herself enjoying the feeling of melting in his arms.

The dance ended, and Kellie stopped the shrinking.  She looked up at the towering figure of her date.  She calculated her current height at about 3-foot-6, about half her normal height as Elevator Girl.

Playfully, she reached up to Dakota.  “I carried you,” she said.  “Carry me back to our seats, please.”

Dakota looked embarrassed.  Kellie realized it was a side effect of the chemo; she would be too heavy at this size.

“Let me help,” she said.  She dropped herself down to only about four inches tall.

Dakota smiled and gingerly scooped up his date.  Carefully he carried her back to their table.

All too soon, it was time to go.  Kellie knew she needed to take Dakota home pretty directly.  While they both were enjoying themselves, he was clearly tiring.  They went to the parking lot, where she grew to 50 feet and had him climb back on her hand.

Dakota gazed up at her.  “You know, you remind me a lot of someone,” he said.  “An old friend of mine.  She’s hot like you, and she’s wicked smart like you.”

Kellie smiled.  “Well, thank you for the compliments.”

“I haven’t talked to her much in a while,” Dakota said.

“Why not?”

“I dunno,” Dakota said.  “We just kind of … grew apart, I guess.

“Just a suggestion, as someone who’s lost someone?” Kellie said.  “Don’t leave any gaps in your life you don’t have to.  You never know what’ll happen -- to anyone.  If this girl matters to you, let her know.”

“I will,” said Dakota.

Soon they were at his house.  Kellie carefully placed Dakota on the ground and dropped back to 7 feet tall.

“Thanks,” Dakota said.  “This has been everything I could have hoped for -- and more.”

Kellie realized she was blushing, and didn’t care.  “Actually, it’s meant a lot to me, too,” she said.  “You’ll inspire me in every fight, in everything I do.  You’re a great guy, Dakota Greene.”

Before he could say anything else, Kellie leaned down and kissed Dakota -- hard.  Suddenly each was enfolded in the other’s arms, locked in an ardent embrace.

Just as swiftly, Kellie slipped free.  Then she waved as he grew.  “I’ll see you,” she said, striding away.

“I hope so!” Dakota called.

That night, Kellie couldn’t sleep.  All she could think of was Dakota.

The following Monday, Kellie saw Dakota in the hallway at school.  When he saw her, he waved.  “Hey, Kel!” he said.

She approached, smiling.  “Hey, Kota,” she said.  “You’re looking good.”

“I was surprised I didn’t see you at the homecoming dance,” Dakota said.

“I was busy,” she said.  “I’m surprised you were looking for me, from what I’ve heard about your date.”

“Yeah, Elevator Girl was great,” he said.  “But she reminded me to make sure I stay in touch with my friends -- all of them.  And that includes you.”

Kellie blushed.  “You, too,” she said.  “Um, actually, Kota, I was wondering … see, there’s this big Halloween party in a couple of weeks and, well, … um …”

Inwardly, Kellie was kicking herself for tripping over her own tongue.  She had defeated supervillains, for crying out loud.  How could she be having so much trouble asking a simple question.

“Yeah, about that,” Dakota said.  “I was going to ask one of the hottest girls in the school to that party.”

“Oh,” said Kellie in a small voice, looking down.

“So, will you go with me?” Dakota asked.

Kellie looked up.  After a flash of surprise, she grinned broadly.  “That’s what I was going to ask you to do,” she said.

“I asked you first,” he said.

“Yes,” she said, nodding.

“Good,” said Dakota. He looked into Kellie’s eyes and said, “Kel, I --”

Then their eyes locked.  Kellie saw a look of realization cross Dakota’s face, followed by one of delight.

Suddenly she was engulfed in a large hug.  “Oh, I’m so glad I asked you before I put that together!” he whispered.  “Don’t worry; it’s safe with me.”

Then Dakota stood up.  “Well. I’ve got to get to class,” he said.  He turned and waved, saying, “See you soon.”

Realizing what he was really saying, Kellie said, “I hope so!”

Dakota grinned broadly as he strode down the hall. Meanwhile, Kellie stood, frozen, overwhelmed by what had just happened.  Then she smiled and actually skipped down the hall to her class.