How can I describe what happened next? It was like...it was like it was almost choreographed. A waltz between allegiances. A pirouette in her gestures and a glissando in mine. I could see something tugging at the strings in her mind. Strauss’ Blue Danube drummed in my hears as she shifted her position. Yet, even with her constant effort she could not seem to make herself comfortable. After some time though, I felt compelled to give a follow up question.

“So you were never part of a troop?”

As I expected her gaze snapped in my direction. She gave me a quick warning glare. I wasn’t going to press my luck interrupting her a third time. However, her expression quickly faded as she lifted herself off the floor. Seeing her rear her upper body up was a tremendous sight. Never had I felt so small and exposed. It was like staring up at a mountain. With a few yawns she began to stretch out her arms. Then, whilst rolling her neck, she responded.

“Maybe for a little while, I tagged along with a couple others when I first got here…”

“When was that?”

Suddenly her hand slammed down in front of me. The shockwave sent out by the impact flung me off the ground a couple feet. I landed hard on my shoulder. A horrendous shooting pain rushed down my arm. My eyes remained closed. I was too afraid to look up at her.

The intercom’s echoing interference boomed down from overhead. But no message came with it. Instead, I heard Vera’s thunderous voice.

“Oh for fuck’s sake! Will you people ever leave me alone it was an accident! I didn’t touch him!”

That was a relief. I opened my eyes and sat back up. The ache in my shoulder didn’t go away however, and the pain in my torso started to return. With hopeful gaze I looked back up at Vera who stared menacingly at the ceiling. The intercom cut off shortly thereafter. I expected her to look back down, still wrapped up in her fury. However, when she finally did, her expression more akin to mischief than truculence.

There she went again, keeping me in line by scaring the hell out of me. Like a snake, she coiled back down onto the floor with her arms on either side of me. She wanted me to feel trapped, and it was working.

“So sorry about that…”

Nervously, I peered at my surroundings in an attempt to avoid eye contact.

“Its ok…”

“Oh come on, that wasn’t very fair of me.”

Her eyes grew a bit softer. Locks of her hair splashed down in front of her chest as she leaned down against the pallid tile.

“Sorry for interrupting you...again.”

“You do have a bad habit of that…”

“I know its just-”

“But!”

I froze. This time, I patiently waited for her to finish.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be so abrasive with you.”

“I-I..I mean. Is that so?”

She gave me a half smile and tilted her face a bit closer

“Hmph, don’t get so full of yourself just yet. You’re cute...but not that cute.”

In reply I gave a swift, awkward nod. She withdrew a bit and opened her arms, allowing my claustrophobia to dissipate.

“So, about this troop. Did you know anyone else in it?”

“Oh I suppose I got to know them.”

“And?”

“And...nothing. Two males and a female. Gurn and Amora, I don’t remember the other male’s name, he didn’t speak much.”

“How long were you with them?”

She scrunched up her nose as she thought back. Just as before her eyes danced about as she dug through her memory.

“A month...maybe. That was back in the beginning.”
“Why’d you leave them…”

“Same reason most of us aren’t in troops. We just don’t get along, we didn’t...share the same interests if you catch my meaning…”

“No...I...I don’t.”

Again she let out a sleepy groan. Meanwhile I was attentive; things were finally getting interesting. I was actually pretty excited. So much so that when she let her head flop back onto the ground I didn’t even flinch from the tremors.

A blanket of her hair lay over her mouth, muffling her words as she said: “They just weren’t...into the same things.”

“What sorts of things?”

With a puff of air she blew the hair from her face and continued speaking.

“Look all I can say is that Gurn was a slug and Amora...well...she was just a mean bitch.”

Despite her vagueness I understood exactly what she meant. Quite frankly I was a bit surprised. Given our interactions I would have thought Vera enjoyed such...pastimes.

“So you didn’t go for all the...what exactly?”

Slowly, she turned to face me. Our eyes locked and I saw a faint glimmer of guilt in a twitch of her eyebrow.

“They just did some pretty horrible things...that’s all I’m willing to tell. Got it?”

“I understand. So you just one day left?”

“One night actually, they were sleeping.”

“What have you been doing since then?”

The severity in her face melted. Now she looked at me like a hungry wolf. The inhuman stare made me want to curl up into a ball.

“Oh you know, whatever I want. I like it better that way…”

I was about to follow up with another question when abruptly pushed herself back up of the floor. She began to roll her neck around again, grimacing with each rotation.

“Ugh! This is killing my neck. Hold on…”

With a graceful twist she turned off her side. She then planted both hands on the ground beside her, again nearly flattening me. With little effort, she pushed herself back against the right wall. She leaned back and set her feet flat on the ground with her knees level with her chest. In awe, I peered up at the two enormous arches set in front of me. They were impossibly high, impossibly broad. It was terrifying and exhilarating. A rush of blood, hormones, and thoughts kept me transfixed on her looming limbs. It was then I noticed the few bruises running up along her calf and back down her thigh. What were they from?

All of a sudden, my focus was broken by another violent thud. Vera had placed her hand down in front of me.

How’d she expect me to climb up? Her fingers were nearly as thick as I was tall. When I spun to face her I saw that she wasn’t even looking down at me. She just...waited. I let out a long, obnoxious groan in an attempt to draw her eyes. But, try as I might, her gaze did not sway.

Oh well, looks like I’d have to make the ascent on my own. Making my way down to the ends of her fingers I began to calculate my best approach. With some effort, I managed to hoist myself up onto her index finger. A quick glance up told me Vera still wasn’t looking. Finally, once situated securely on her palm she lifted me up.

This time the ascent was more steady. For once her handling didn’t make me want to puke. Still my head spun a bit from the vertigo. A couple seconds later I found myself face to face with a mahogany curtain. From out of it four more titanic fingers emerged, brushing it out of my field of view. What was left was an the even slope of her shoulder. Turning to the left I saw her sweep the rest of her hair over the opposite shoulder. Stupidly, I waited for further instructions.

“Well?”

“W-what?”

“Get on!”

“Oh right...sorry”

Of course I didn’t quite know how I was to go about making my way up. The climb itself wasn’t far or steep but there was nothing to hold onto! Whatever, I’d have to at least try. First I tried jumping up and grabbing onto her skin. However, after sliding back down several times, I found that would not work. Above me I could hear her snicker. Just after my fourth attempt I felt some enormous force on either side of me. At first I was certain my entire mid-section was about to implode. Ribs creaked, my spine jerked. All the while my arms and legs flailed in a maddened frenzy.

Next thing I knew I was lying prone on her shoulder. I pushed myself and tried to breath. It was a steady, painful wheeze that came out. Each time I inhaled my innards shriveled with wretched affliction. I don’t think Vera knew her own strength. What she thought to be a gentle touch nearly crushed my chest.

“Better, see?”

“Ye-ah…” I managed to let out between coughs.

“Ughh you’re so dramatic!”

Perhaps she was right. Nonetheless, it felt like my stomach had ruptured. Whilst struggling to regain my breath I kept my eyes on Vera’s head. She now rested it against the wall, with her eyes fixed wistfully ahead. The more I sat there, the more questions I thought to ask. But, of course, Vera beat me to it.

“Ellis, why do you-? I mean when did...no.”

“W-what *cough* is it?”

“Why do you want to do this?”

“Do...what?”

“You’re little psychology thing. What do you get out of it?”

“Its just...something I’ve always wanted to do. I don’t really know. Why?”

“Hmph…”

“What?
“Its just kind of odd, you wanting to know why I do everything I do, but you don’t know why you...nevermind”

“No I get it.”

Then we were silent. I kept fiddling with my position. No one ever told me the proper way to sit on a shoulder! Here I was, precariously perched on someone who, to the best of my knowledge, was completely oblivious to my own immediate danger. Balance was key, that’s what I originally determined. She must of felt me shuffling about because about that time she peeled her eyes off the wall opposite her and stared down at me with a look of confusion.

“Ughhh, sit still would you?”

“Sorry I just. I don’t know what I’m doing…”

“Clearly”

Again we fell into silence. Damn! I needed to keep some kind of momentum going! Then I remembered the bruises.

“Vera, there is actually something else I’ve been wondering.”

“Hmm?”

Well I noticed you had some...marks on your arms and legs… I was just wondering what-”

“Oh...those…” she moaned in a slightly deeper, more solemn voice.

That was concerning.

“Yeah what happened?”

“Well, lets just say just before you go here I was used for...other purposes.”

That didn’t sound good at all. Suddenly I found myself getting angry.

“Like what?”

“They wanted to test more of their little weapons on me. That’s all. Couple of days in a row some weird little devices appeared up there…” she gestured up to the walkway a few hundred feet off the ground. “And they just shot at me. It wasn’t that big a deal. I didn’t feel much...they should’ve known better. Fucking little bugs…” the contempt in words grew exponentially. The same angry twitch in her eyebrow returned.

“Wow...I’m sorry that’s...awful”

“It wasn’t so bad. They told me they’d gas me if I did anything to them. So I just sat there. Where do they get off...attacking me like that! Trapped in here for weeks!”

Now I was starting to get scared. Fury welled up in her voice like lava in a volcano. I seemed to have a knack for opening fresh wounds.

“Alright, well forget that let's talk about-” but she wasn’t listening to me.

“I’d like to see any of them come in here and tell me off like they did then! We’ll see how fucking smart they think they are without a head!”

“Vera I-”

“You and all your other little pests. Who are you to oppose ME!? I should-”

“VERA!” I finally screamed. Again, I may have jumped the gun.

A cold glare was directed down at me. I really needed to learn.

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry I just...I don’t want to see-”

“Are you trying to make me mad? Is that what this is? Prove I’m some kind of violent monster that should be executed as soon as possible...huh?”

“No! I swear I just…”

“You fucking liar”

I felt her whole body begin to shake.

“Look I’m sorry what happened. But I promise I’m here to help you. I don’t think you’re a monster! Even if the others might-”

It was too late though. She pitched forward and I helplessly tumbled off my perch. I screamed and screamed and screamed. But, instead of plummeting several feet to my death, I landed, painfully I might add, back in Vera’s palm. When I finally picked myself back up I found myself staring back into a pair of hateful blue eyes. Shit.

“WHY DO YOU WANT TO HELP ME?”

“I….I”

Come on Ellis! Now was the time for words not fearful stuttering. It felt like no matter what direction I looked I was surrounded by her. An enormous face, two walls of hair, and a barrier of fingers at my back.  

“B-b-because I think this is a mistake…”

Vera didn’t flinch. I tried to stand but something blocked all communication between my legs and brain.

“Ok maybe that’s not the right term. I...just don’t think you’re...you’re different from the the others!”

“I can prove otherwise.”

“Ok, again not what I meant...what I mean to say is…”

The surface of her skin began to heat up as more blood coursed through her veins. Combined with the humid warmth of her furious breath, I was starting to sweat a bit. Of course, that could’ve just as likely come from all the adrenaline my heart was pumping through my system.

“You shouldn’t be here…”

Vera’s eyes narrowed.

“You didn’t attack anyone. You were just minding your own business...weren’t you?”

Still nothing. There was a point where I thought she was starting to soften. The waves of air pouring from her nostrils began to grow more rhythmic. Shielding face with my arms, I finally managed to rise to my feet.

“I have spent a long time watching your kind. Seeing what they do, analyzing, observing, sometimes firsthand. You don’t act like most of them. Ok, well you do but...you don’t seem as...I don’t know...aggressive?”

“Of course I’m not like them!” she roared. Despite the horrible force of her voice I managed to remain standing.

“You see that’s...that’s good. I can help you then. I know they came looking for you. I know they started it. What I need to know now is why! Then, maybe this can all be over.”

There was a brief shiver that ran down my limbs. I could feel the hand beneath me start to lower, and I with it. Slowly she withdrew her stern face. The sneer lingered though, casting its bitterness down on me.

“I’m tired…”

“Tired?” I squeaked.

“Yes, tired. Tired of this room, of you little people, tired of this wretched world. I cannot die and I cannot live. I just want to sleep. You come in here, waking me, asking me why they decided to drug me. Why they slapped that damn mask on my face.”

“I know...what they did. What they’ve been doing... it's been awful but you have to understand…”

“I understand just fine, Ellis” she said my name in a hiss. It was like she was sticking fish hooks through my stomach. “Its war after all. I just can’t stand the thought of you weak, idiotic, little fuckers keeping me here. But more than that...I’m surprised…”

“Surprised?”

“Surprised they told you all this…I thought they were kicking you around too. Prying at your little mind with their metal fingers. Thought that maybe that was some kind of common ground between us.”

“They didn’t tell me anything.”

“No?”

“No, I sort of...pieced it together. From various sources. Its what I do after all.”

The sneer was gone now. In its place was a satisfied grin.

“Hmph...maybe I haven’t been giving you enough credit. Aren’t you scared of them?”

“Well, I’ve always been scared. Ever since the first day I got here. Ever since...well...since this all began. We all have been scared.”

Her wicked smile grew larger, and the slight comfort I felt from it disappeared.

“Hmm, well that’s a nice thought. I guess we’ve done well for ourselves.”

I hated that. That horrible sense of pleasure she got from the fear of others. It was an almost universal trait amongst the giants. Even if she wasn’t a rampaging, barbaric, murdering fiend, she still derived some satisfaction from our pain. That was something I could not ignore. Even if I felt like killing her was wrong, I sure as hell didn’t feel comfortable just letting her walk away. Not yet at least.

We regarded each other calmly for a few moments. In my mind I liked to think she was starting to feel a little bad about earlier. For some reason, it had me start thinking about certain aspects of her life that I had not considered investigating. With that in mind I suddenly realized that I had been approaching her the wrong way. In theory I kept trying to treat her like a human, but in application I simply didn’t think of her as one. I’d considered surface level behavior, origins, intentions, etc. But there were many other things I needed to know. What was her upbringing like? Did she have any...friends, family, romantic relationships? It sounded irrelevant in my head but I secretly knew that it was key.

However, as I went about formulating my next approach, a deep, ominous rumbling resonated out to my left. I looked out to the creaky metal walkway and saw a two metal doors slide open to reveal a tall, rectangular recess in the wall. Inside was a towering metal canister that stood at least fifty feet tall.

“What the hell is that?” I asked Vera in a soft voice. She didn’t respond. Just as the doors’ motion halted, Vera shot her left hand out and seized the metal cylinder. A myriad of motions followed. Her eyes darted back and forth between me and the container. Her shoulders rotated around a couple times and an unexpected shudder ran across her legs.

“Hold on just a second…” she said. Her words flowed out so rapidly that I almost didn’t understand them. I was about to say something else when I suddenly face planted onto her palm. She began moving her hand away from her torso. I tried once more to get up but the ground beneath me gave way. I tumbled down twenty feet onto another, much harder, surface.

At last, I was able to lift myself into an unstable squat. I was upon an island, surrounded on all sides but nothing but air. No! It was a peak. Looking out over the valley to my front I saw that Vera had deposited me on her knee. God, this may be the death of me yet.

Eagerly she unscrewed the metal cap off and sniffed the tube’s contents. A disgusted frown followed . Vera was about to tilt it up when she noticed my prying eyes staring curiously at her.

“Just a moment…They haven’t fed me in a while”

Ahhh, that explains it. Odd though, what exactly were they giving her? I hadn’t thought to ask that either. Whatever it was, they dished it out in meager servings. There was no way that bottle held enough sustenance to maintain her metabolism.

Vera held the cannister against her lips and lifted the other end up, taking a large swill before setting it aside. She wiped the residual matter off her lips and shuddered.

“Ugh, its even worse today.”

Well, I suppose I should probably find out what the mysterious fare was.

“What...exactly are they giving you?”

Without looking at me she reached over and picked the jar back up. I drew slightly closer to the dropoff before me. Vera held the open end of the bottle and I, foolishly, peered inside. Although I couldn’t see far, I could see traces of a sticky syrup-like substance clinging to the edges. It had a sickly sweet smell to it. Not unlike vinegar and honey. After taking a huge whiff I nearly lurched.

“Its not awful, but after a month I’ve had my fair  share of it. At this point I’m so hungry I don’t even care anymore…” Vera lamented. Eventually she pulled it away and took another swig. The same tortured expression returned.

After a few more dredges she returned the metal canister to the alcove in the wall. Then she turned back to me. Her tongue wiped the last bits of the treacle from her lips. It brought her pre-prison eating habits to mind. One of the largest problems the giants had faced since their arrival here was finding ample amounts of food. Since human society had pretty much collapsed, very few farmers, producers, and ranchers were around to restock all the fields and herds consumed by them. Of course, they did turn to humans as a food source once the famine started. It fit right in with their other sadistic tendencies so I honestly wasn’t surprised. A fog of apprehension fell down around me as I considered Vera’s own...preferences. Would it be insensitive to ask? She was already on edge, I didn’t need to upset her anymore.

It wasn’t long before Vera grew restless from the silence. My staring wasn’t helping either. Although, by now, I think she was starting to realize how easily I drifted off.  With a snap of her fingers I spun back into reality.

“And what do you have swimming around in that tiny little head of yours?”

“I was just thinking about you…”

“Me? I suppose you think about me a lot…” she whispered in a deceptively coy tone. “All good I hope?”

“Just something I was...wondering, nothing you need to worry about…”

“Ooooh, I’m curious. You have to tell me now!” she chirped amusedly.

“Just, if you had-”

“What?”

“Nothing, I don’t think I want to know…”

There was a flash of intrigue in her eyes. Her lashes fluttered and mouth hung open ever so slightly. Between her lips I could see the tip of her tongue slide back and forth across the edge of her her two front teeth. She knew what I exactly what I was curious about. Somehow she always knew these things. Call it her...predatory intuition. Constantly guessing at my next decision. She was good at it.

“You want to know if I’ve ever eaten anyone?”

“Well I-”

“Of course you do...That’s probably reaaally important for you little evaluation. Whatever you call it.” she droned on facetiously.

Those wolfish eyes! My god they would not stray of me! For a while she let me simmer in my anxiety.

“Perhaps you don’t want to know. It may be best…”

“Its just that, well...it would be...an important bit of information.”

Why couldn’t I just keep together for just one second? What more could I do though? It may be an important factor to consider later on.

“Hmmm, there you go again...opening doors you don’t want to look inside. Do you think its worth it?”

Vera’s hands drifted up to her legs.

“I...yes”

She leaned in. Perhaps I had spoke too softly. Both hands slid up until they rested just at the base of her kneecaps. I tried my best to remain where I was, though I could feel both the physical pull of gravity and the urge to flee tugging at my center.

“Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t...sample.”

I don’t know why I was dreading her answer so much, I had already assumed as much. Yet, hearing the words come out of her own mouth felt like a punch in the throat.

“I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it, but like you said I wasn’t one to go looking for trouble...so it was only rare occasions.”

I edged back. Old Memories  of people I knew being lifted into the air and never coming back down resurfaced. The attack during the Mississippi crossing was especially bad. I still remember people jumping into the water, desperately trying to flee that horrid grasp. Vera caught my daydreaming again.

“Ellis?”

“Sorry, I...thinking again…”

She gave me a pouty look and slammed back against the wall.

“Oh don’t worry little one, I don’t like my food to have names, I wouldn’t eat you now if I could…”