Kristy proved her worth.  The kids became attached to their caregiver and Keith was happy for it.  Amber was becoming more and more accepting of her ‘little’ brother as Kristy helped her work through her pain.

“Now Amber, Ethan doesn’t know what happened.  You at least got to know your mother whereas Ethan will only know of her through stories and pictures.  She got to hold you and love you.  Why don’t you share some of that love with Ethan,” Kristy said as she stood near the giant baby boy.  Ethan stood taller than the two humans he sat down next to.

“He’s big and slobbery.  Sometimes he even smells bad but he isn’t so bad I guess,” Amber said as she stood in front of her brother.  Little Ethan Black was last measured a little above ten feet long.  He had the girth of an average human child which made his weight close to five hundred pounds.  Ethan was also much stronger than an average man.  He could easily pick up a compact car but Ethan was extremely gentle and smart.  At three months, he could already form words and sentences.

“Love Amber,” Ethan cooed to his sister.  Ethan sensed his ‘big’ sister’s feeling towards him and did his best to win her love.  “Ethan love Kristy,” he cooed again and Kristy smiled at the giant baby with the black curly hair and clear blue eyes.

“I love Ethan too,” Kristy said as she hugged him.  Ethan giggled.

“Why Ethan big?” the baby asked.  That was another thing Ethan started doing, asking questions.

“You are a giant Ethan and we are humans,” Kristy tells the baby.

“Ethan forget,” said the baby.  “Why Ethan giant and you human?”

Amber glared up at her brother.  The innocent question brought up painful memories for Amber and reignited her hatred for her baby brother.  If Ethan was born normal, her mother would still be here or better yet, if Ethan was never born.  Ethan pursed his lips.  The baby giant sensed his sister’s heartache.  Ethan instincts already knew of telepathy and bonding.  Tears filled his eyes before Amber even said it.

“Because you’re a freak!” Amber shouted and went off crying to her room.  Despite his intelligence, Ethan began to cry too.  Keith heard all this from the other room and went to his son first.

“What happened?” Keith asked, looking down at Kristy.

“I make Amber sad,” Ethan cried.  “Amber not like Ethan.”

“Keith, I think you need to talk to her.  I can take care of Ethan.  Amber needs her dad right now,” Kristy tells the giant.

“But Kristy…” Keith tells the nanny.

“No buts Keith.  I am capable of damage control here.  Amber needs you, she feels neglected because you always have to take care of Ethan.  I think I can dry his tears.  You go talk to your daughter,” Kristy orders the giant.  The five foot two woman at that moment could have been fifty feet to Keith.  Kristy can be a little firecracker when she is adamant about something.  Keith thought it best to listen to her as he headed for his daughter’s room.

The human sized rooms looked like a big giant box inside the spacious house.  Keith designed them himself for his family’s privacy in mind and they were giant accessible too with a flap ceiling that can be lifted open from the outside.  Keith came up with the idea after watching Amber play with her doll house.  The box rooms were painted in multiple colors so that Keith and Ethan would know which rooms were which.  Keith gently tapped on the ceiling flap to the pink room.

“Amber sweetie, it’s Dad,” Keith tells his daughter that he hears sobbing.  “Can I come in,” Keith said out of an old human habit.  Keith wanted his kids to know that he may be big but he is still their father.

Amber didn’t answer so Keith gently lifted the flap to his daughter’s bedroom.  Amber sat on her bed sniffling into her favorite stuffed frog.  When Keith and Kathleen came up with the floor plans for the new house, they wanted the kids’ rooms to look as close to their old bedrooms as possible but still able to leave enough room for a giant’s hand to fit inside.  Keith touched his daughter’s back with his index finger.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Keith asked the little girl.  Amber stiffened under Keith’s gentle touch.  Amber kept crying.  “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

“Ethan, he is reading my mind again,” Amber sobbed.  Keith sat down with his kids a month ago and explained to them what telepathy was and how it worked.  He thought it was best they knew before Ethan started talking clearly.  It didn’t surprise Keith when Ethan started exhibiting some small version of telepathic powers.  Unlike the Titan Project children, the born titans seem to have instincts that didn’t need taught.  Ethan fit the mold of the first generation of true giants as they were being called.  Keith knew the eventually he was going to have to enforce the no telepathy house rule on Ethan soon.

“You mind if I pick you up sweetie?” Keith asked his daughter.  That was a rule that all the giants created and abided by.  No human shall be handled against their will unless they cause harm to themselves or others.  This ensured that all the giants will be in good standing with humans.  Mixed families like the Blacks followed this rule especially in the privacy of their homes.  Keith always wanted his children to feel they had a choice.

Amber looked up at her father and nodded.  Keith gently wiped the tears from her cheek with his index finger and then held his hand in front of her, palm up.  Amber climbed onto the gigantic hand.  Amber loved it whenever Keith would pick her up.  She knew that when Keith held her it was their bonding time.  Amber had a cherub’s face with Keith brown hair and eyes.  Amber was a Daddy’s girl and she knew it but after Ethan was born that started to change.  Keith spent most of his time taking care of the baby and not enough time with Amber; this made the little girl upset.

“You mind telling me what’s wrong?” Keith asked her as he held her to eye level.

“Why do you always have to take care of Ethan?  You still have two other kids you know.  Ethan is a big slobbering smelly mess and he keeps getting bigger and messier.  Don’t you love Kyle and me anymore?” Amber sobbed.  Her words broke Keith’s heart.

“If I don’t take care of your little brother, Ethan can be a bigger mess.  I don’t mean to spend so much time with him kitten.  I still love you,” Keith tells his daughter, thinking that Amber is roughly the size of a newborn kitten.

“He shouldn’t be reading my mind, it isn’t right,” Amber tells her gigantic dad.

“No, he shouldn’t be reading your mind but he can’t help it.  It’s like walking; Ethan needs to learn how to control it.  Right now he can’t sweetheart because he’s still a baby.  Ethan doesn’t mean to,” Keith said kindly.

“It isn’t right Dad.  Ethan is my little brother but there is nothing little about him.  He doesn’t act like a baby either.  Babies as old as him don’t talk.  The babies at daycare never talked like Ethan.  He grows fast too.  Why are giants like that?” Amber’s sobs turned to curiosity.

Keith noticed that Ethan developed differently from his first two children.  Like all the born giants, Ethan seemed to be growing faster than an average human baby.  His infant son was as smart as a three year old despite the fact he couldn’t walk yet.  His speech was unbelievable and he recently began teething.  Sven told Keith not to worry about his son’s growth.  The giants suspect that as the generations come along, each one will be bigger and taller than the last as the giants advance much like with human civilization did before them.  The giants are still learning more about themselves.

“You will find out someday honey.  Ethan’s brain is bigger, that is why he can talk.  Giants grow just like you do.  You just notice it because you are so small,” Keith tried his best to answer.

“Will me and Kyle ever become giants?  I don’t know if I’m ready to be big,” Amber said.  The little girl leaned against her father’s fingers.  Keith never thought he would ever be able to hold his kids in the palm of his hand.

“Someday but till then, I’ll protect you and take care of you.  I will always love you and Kyle no matter what,” Keith said as he realized between taking care of Ethan and rumble room training, he had neglected his two older kids.  “Maybe I’ll see if Melinda or one of the other giantesses can come over and take care of Ethan.  How’s about you, Kyle and I spend a day together?  No baby brother, I promise,” Keith then said and Amber’s eye got real big as a smile formed on her face.

“That would be wonderful!” Amber exclaimed as she hugged Keith’s thumb.  “What’re we going to do? You can’t take us to the zoo or the park.  People don’t like giants much.”

“Where did you hear such a thing?” Keith asked, wondering how Amber knew this.

“Ethan told me one day when he was upset.  Why are people so afraid of giants?  I’m not afraid.  Ethan gets on my nerves and I say I don’t like him but I really don’t mean it.  I’m mad that mom can’t be here with us,” Amber tells her father.  Keith broke his own house rule momentarily to see that Amber has come to accept Ethan but she still blames him for Kathleen’s death.  Ethan sometimes had the bad habit of repeating thoughts he hears.  Keith made a mental note to talk to Kristy about this so that she may be more careful in the future.

Keith knew fatherhood wasn’t easy but for a giant over thirty feet tall, it was tough but well worth the rewards as he felt his daughter hug his thumb and kiss it.  Keith’s only wish is that his kids will turn out okay when they grow up and that they have long and fruitful lives.  Keith knew that soon the subject of Titan will come up and he hoped in his heart that his children will make the right decision.