The helicopter landed, as it usually did, on the small pad just behind Susie’s cabin. She sat on the grass next to it and waited for her father to emerge. On any other day she would be looking forward to seeing him, but right then she almost wished he would just leave. Susie loved her dad, and she knew he loved her too, but she never felt entirely comfortable around him. Maybe it was because he was so strict, and because he was always demanding more from her. She’d always tried to follow his rules and live as he wanted her to, which was never easy.

Joseph Adams got out of the co-pilot’s seat and stepped onto the landing pad. He was followed by Dr. Sheridan and Dr. McCarthy, two men whom he trusted fully, and whom he knew he could depend on. They’d been monitoring Susie’s abnormal growth for the past ten years, trying to discover a way to stop it, without alerting the wider medical community of her existence. If news of her reached the outside world it could have severe consequences, which he wasn’t ready to face.

At the edge of the pad Joseph saw his daughter waiting for them. He knew her better than anyone, but every time he saw her, her vast size still overwhelmed him. She could easily pick up the helicopter behind him, as if it were a toy. Of course she’d never actually done so; he’d taught her too well to behave so recklessly. He ran up to her waiting hand, and she lifted him into an embrace.

“It’s great to see you, Susie,” he said, as she gave him a little kiss on the face. “You don’t know how much I’d love to stay with you, to spend more time with you…”

“I’m glad to see you too, Daddy,” she said, for once not entirely truthfully. “I’m missing you more and more every time you leave. It gets so lonely here.”

“I know, sweetie, I know. I’m working as hard as I can to find a solution. It won’t be long, I promise you. With technology improving every day, I’m positive we’ll find a cure for you soon.”

“But it’s already taken so long!” she said indignantly. “I’m fifteen years old, Daddy! My childhood will be over soon, and I’ve already missed so much in life! I could spend my whole life like this, alone! You’re the only one who loves me, and when you’re gone…”

Joseph looked down at the two doctors, waiting uncomfortably on the ground below. He could feel his resolve slipping away. Every time he saw Susie she became more and more saddened, and it was breaking his heart. What she said was true, but there was nothing he could do to help her. He was a powerful man, but when it came to making his daughter happy he was at a loss.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m just a little upset, that’s all. There’s something I have to tell you, if that’s okay?”

“Of course,” he said immediately. “Take us inside and we’ll talk.”

She greeted the doctors and let them step into her right hand. Unlike her father they still found it unnerving to be carried by her, and it secretly amused her to watch them, shifting around in her palm uncomfortably. She went inside and set them down on her bedside table, before lying down on the bed. Outside the helicopter took off. The pilot would always fly around the perimeter, making sure everything was still in order.

“So, baby, what is it you’re so upset about?” Joseph asked, trying to sound relaxed. “Nothing serious, I hope?”

Susie didn’t answer for a while. When she did, her voice sounded heavy with emotion.

“I…Daddy, I’m really sorry! I’ve done something awful, and now I don’t know what’ll happen! I want to tell you, but I’m afraid…I’m afraid you’ll be angry with me, that you won’t love me anymore!”

“No!” Joseph cried. “Susie, don’t talk like that! I’m your father, for God’s sake, not some…some monster to be afraid of! There’s nothing you can do that’ll stop me from loving you, you know that! Now tell me, what happened? What did you do?”

She told him. And he couldn’t believe what he heard. If she had been a little younger his first reaction would have been anger. But Susie was no longer an irresponsible child. She was on the verge of adulthood he would no longer be able to make decisions for her. He looked at her, her full length stretched out on the bed, and saw, for the first time, a young woman instead of a little girl. In a way it was as if she no longer needed him.

But what she did, at least as far as hurting those three boys was concerned, was still wrong. There would be all sorts of repercussions. A potential nightmare lay ahead for him. It was only a matter of time before the whole world would know about her, and he was not looking forward to explaining his actions. As he wondered what to tell his crying daughter, the radio on his belt crackled. The helicopter pilot was trying to contact him, so he picked up the radio.

“What is it, Dick?” he asked.

“Uh, we’ve got a problem, sir,” the pilot’s voice answered. “I’ve just flown past the south perimeter and…well, there’s a girl here, and she’s calling your daughter’s name.”

“What? A girl?” Joseph said in disbelief. Then he remembered what Susie had told him: something about a girl who was here with those boys. He wasn’t the only one who was shocked, though. Susie had heard the little conversation and had sat upright in surprise.

“Linda!” she said. “Daddy, that’s Linda, the girl I told you about! I have to go see her!”

“You’ll stay right here!” her dad said, before she’d even completed her sentence. “Susie, I’m not angry at you, but you’ve done enough harm already. I’ll handle this situation. You’ll stay here with the doctors while they do the check-up, is that understood?”

But she wasn’t listening to him. She stood up and lifted him and the doctors off the table.

“You’ve done so much for me, Daddy,” she said, bringing them close to her face. “But I’m old enough now to make my own decisions. I’m the one who started all this, and I’m going to take care of it myself.”

Her father sat helplessly as she carried him and the doctors outside and set them down on the ground. Joseph was used to being the one in charge, but now the situation has reversed. Susie stood up, dwarfing them like a colossus, and he felt insignificant beside her. He stood next to her shoe and noticed that he was barely taller than her ankle.

“Susie!” he called up to her. “Susie, please listen to me! Don’t do this! It’s too dangerous!”

She gave him a smile.

“I’ll be fine, Daddy! You’ve taught me to be careful, and besides, there isn’t really anything that can hurt me, at least not here. I’ll make you proud, I promise!”

Joseph stood powerless as she strode off. He’d never seen her this confident and resolute before. But there was something comforting about the way she told him she’d handle the situation. Perhaps his ‘little girl’ was finally discovering that she possessed enormous strength within her.

Linda watched in awe as the giantess approached her. It just seemed so unreal. Clad in denim jeans and a plain black T-shirt, Susie looked just like any other girl, but she was freaking huge! No wonder she lived by herself in the forest; there was no house in town she could even fit into, let alone live in. She stepped over the fence and slowly laid herself down on the ground, being careful not to crush Linda beneath her. The diminutive blonde stood back and wondered whether it had been a good idea to come here. But the giantess smiled at her, a warm and caring smile, and she felt a tiny bit safer.

“Hi there,” Susie said in her most gentle voice.

“H-h-h-hi,” Linda managed to say. Her heart was thumping violently and she was sweating everywhere. How was she supposed to talk to this mountain of a girl? Susie held her open hand behind Linda and lightly tipped her over, letting her fall backwards into her hand.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Don’t be afraid of me. I know I wasn’t very nice to you, and I’m truly sorry. You see, I’ve never been friends with other girls before, so I don’t know how I’m supposed to treat them. In fact,” she added, “it’d be wonderful if we could be friends. You know, start over and all that?”

“I…I don’t know…”

“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you’d rather stay with…with that…”

“No!” Linda cried. “No, it’s over between me and Billy! I never want to see him again, ever!” She calmed down a little, and Susie waited patiently for her to continue.

“I came…I came to talk to you about Jake.”

“Yes? What is it?” Susie urged her on impatiently.

“He’s, well, I think he’s in trouble,” Linda began to talk quickly now. “You see, Billy’s in hospital, and he’s in pretty bad shape, and he knew no-one would believe what had happened, so…so he blamed it all on Jake. And Frank and Arthur, they backed him up. They said Jake had attacked him and beaten him, and Billy’s dad believed them. He’s the Chief of Police, Billy’s dad. I was there when he told his men to go and arrest Jake. I wanted to say something, but who’d believe me? Now they’re going to put him in jail, I think. I don’t know, I don’t know what to do, so I came looking for you.”

“Why?” Susie asked, not believing what she was hearing.

“Because I thought you could do something! I mean, you’re so big and…and you’re in love with him!”

“What?” Susie cried. “I’m not…in love with him. I…I’m just his friend.”

“No, you’re not,” Linda said. She didn’t know if it was safe to talk to Susie like this, but she felt she had to. “I saw how you looked at him, when you said goodbye. The same way I once looked at Billy, before I knew him, how he really was. You’ve shown me the truth, Susie. I’ve been really nasty to Jake, and you were right to be so mad at me. I was once like him, you know: the new kid at school, without friends. Everyone made fun of me back then, and I felt I had to get back at them somehow. Billy never loved me, he just used me to show off to everyone, and I went along with him because there was nothing else I could do.”

She looked up at Susie’s giant green eyes and saw only compassion in them. Then she was lifted and held against Susie’s cheek, and caressed by her fingers. Linda had never, ever imagined herself in such a situation. She felt bewildered and afraid, but also safe and secure. Right then she knew she wanted to be friends with Susie. Who wouldn’t want a giant friend, looking after you, protecting you from all dangers?

“I need your help, Linda,” Susie said. “If Jake’s in trouble, I have to go and help him. If the police see me with their own eyes, they’ll no longer think he’s guilty. Will you help me, please?”

She held the tiny girl in front of her face, close enough to see the fear in her eyes. There was no doubt that going after Jake would be dangerous. Susie wanted to leave Linda out of it, but she didn’t know the way and needed someone to guide her. Linda hesitated a moment before nodding and agreeing to help.

“I’m really scared,” she said. “Promise you won’t let anything happen to me?”

“I promise,” Susie said. “Just show me which way to go, and leave the rest to me.”

She stood up, holding Linda securely in her cupped hands. Then she set off down the path towards Barton as quickly as she could, hoping that they weren’t too late.