The lobby of the building was simple. A plain black rug covered the hardwood floor. The walls were painted a pale cream. There was a couch, and a man no older than twenty-two sat at a desk monitoring a dual screen set up.

 He had dark, messy hair and yellow-green eyes. A pattern of runic tattoos covered his light brown neck, and there was a ring through his eyebrow.

The man looked up from the monitors. He grinned, revealing a bright smile and one silver tooth in the front of his mouth.

Moreno smiled back, but not as big. "Cullen Bruno, meet Terri Oakeley."

Cullen's voice was unnaturally deep for someone so young, and he had a slight drawl. "Well, this is a sight. Commanders approved this?"

Moreno's smile widened. "They will."

"Oh, you're going to burn," Cullen's laugh caught me off guard. "Well, if you weren't so well.... You're lucky, Moreno. Being an Ethesis is going to save your butt again."

Cullen tapped his wrist, and the big screen attached to his arm like Moreno's lit up with a hologram. Moreno smirked as he read what Cullen showed him. 

"I didn't make the wrong call," Moreno said.

"Oh, I've been chatting with Kimmy over the server for a few hours, and if Kimmy is agreeing with you, I bet things were dire," Cullen said. "But it's your name going on the chopping board before Doc. We all know Doc's been looking for an opportunity to hang you."

"Except Doc can't," Moreno said. "I'm Doc's best connection with the future queen of Jontun."

He'd mentioned that one of his Ethesis cousins was engaged to the future king of Jontun. I needed to remember to ask more about that later. Maybe some of my mother's relatives weren't crazy. It was possible that I could get some sort of protection from them as well. 

The main door opened, and Petra walked through. Her wings were gone, and she cleared something on the screen on her arm. 

Then she walked straight past me and over to Cullen. The fiery redhead grinned and hung her arms around his neck. I could see a lovely engagement band around her finger made of swirling gold filigree studded with a large, deep purple stone.

"Terri, this is Petra Watkins," Moreno said. "She and Cullen are engaged."

"If things ever get less crazy, we'll tie the knot," Petra said. "But I suppose since you're here, that means things are gearing up."

"Don't postpone your wedding on my account," I said. 

"She doesn't mean anything bad," Cullen said. "We like it busy. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a long engagement. We're happy and together, and that's what matters."

I believed them. There was genuine joy on Petra's face as she looked into Cullen's eyes. He whispered something in her ear, but they broke apart as the door behind Cullen's desk opened, revealing a new figure. 

Another young woman walked into the lobby. If someone were about to tell me vampires were real, too, I would have believed them just looking at her. Her skin was milky white like it had never seen sunlight. Her short, bleach-colored hair barely touched her ears and was spiked about her head with gel. Her eyes were a violent shade of violet lined with piercing white liner, making the only bit of color on her face pop.

"Terri, this is our illustrious temporary commander, Alana McDonald," Moreno said. 

The pale girl glared at Moreno. If I had to guess, I would have clocked her as no more than a year my senior. She was tall and as thin as a rake. Her dark, leathery uniform showed off her almost flat chest. Petra, in comparison, was all curves under her uniform and nothing but smiles.

"Your shift is over, Cullen," Alana's voice was cool and commanding. "Get some rest. Petra has computer duty now. You can see her when she gets off in three hours."

"Alana, you're doing it again," Petra said.

"Doing what?" Alana frowned.

"Being a bossy bore," Petra threw back her braids. "And robotically sucking the fun from everything with your schedule."

Alana's frown deepened. "I'm afraid I don't understand why a schedule makes me a bore. This place needs a schedule. I'm running this place just like other commanders."

"Yeah," Moreno said. "You won't win this one, Pet. Start your shift and let Cullen get his rest. He's got the early shift tomorrow."

Petra pouted her lip, but Cullen kissed her. She melted in his arms for a moment before they broke apart. Cullen stood and walked through the door and out of sight. Petra took Cullen's seat and blew a strand of hair out of her face as she looked at the monitors.

"Kimmy and Moreno will be added back on tomorrow's active duty schedule," Alana said. "I'm afraid we cannot offer any rest time. This place is understaffed as is. Now that you're back, I'll likely have to send two troops to the front at Snowdon."

"But first, you're going to write a report, and if Doc reads it and sends orders, you'll worry about that," Moreno said. "Or I can write the report..."

"No," Alana cut him off. "I can take care of that. They left me in charge. Your report is why you made the call to bring Miss Oakeley here after the king left very explicit orders that Theresa Oakeley was not to enter Jontun."

"I'll take care of it," Moreno said. "I'll call Hellene. She'll get Victor on our side. That's enough protection from Tytan."

"What if her mother comes here?" Alana demanded.

Moreno laughed. "Ellenora has a standing warrant by Tytan for her arrest. She'd have to be a moron to enter a half-giant compound to see her daughter and not realize we'd have the right to arrest her on sight."

"We both know Ellenora Nikone has become increasingly more daring in the past few years," Alana said. "Her people could attack us as easily as they've laid siege to Snowdon."

"Then we train her," Moreno said. 

Alana nodded. "Then you're overseeing the mess."

"Agreed," Moreno said. "Now, we should get Terri to her room and probably let the poor girl rest. She's had a rough day."

Alana nodded. Petra looked between Moreno and Alana as if disappointed the fight had reached an amicable agreement. 

Alana looked me up and down. Even though she was a few inches shorter than me, I felt small under her scrutiny. 

"It's good to meet you, princess," Alana said. "Even if this is a spectacularly bad idea."

"Don't call me a princess," I said. "I'm just a half-giant like you."

"Moreno, clean up," Alana said. "I'll take Miss Oakeley to her room."

"You sure?" Moreno asked. "You're not exactly a people person."

Alana gave a tight-lipped smile. "I think I can handle this."

He shrugged and headed through the door that Alana had entered, leaving me alone with Alana and Petra. 

"Try not to eat her alive," Petra smiled and turned to her monitors. 

Alana looked me up and down like an appraiser at an auction. Under her microscope, I felt small even though this girl was three inches shorter than me. 

"We'll put you down in guest room two," Alana said. "Follow me."

Alana led me through the door and into a hallway. I could see a large lounge that looked like the room where the children played in my vision. The couches were a different color, but the movie screen was there with the other television screen on another wall, displaying various corners of the complex and the outside. 

A young man my age sat on one of the couches. He had messy dark blue-black hair streaked with purple. He had on some anime cartoon I didn't recognize. 

On the other side of the hallway was an industrial kitchen and half a dozen booths like might be at a fast food restaurant. A little spider robot skittered across the counter and carried a spice to a big pot on the counter. 

Beyond the lounge and the kitchen were more than two dozen closed doors. Each one had a nameplate on the door decorated with various stickers. The first two doors also had a second plate with a military title. 

"Commander quarters," Alana said as I paused to read. 

The door said: Lord Bryan Station Phillipus, Commander of Redwood Compound. 

"He's a noble too?" I asked. 

My heart swelled with hope. There was a small chance I wasn't the only one besides Moreno. If there were others, there was a chance that I wasn't so different. 

"One of the few," Alana said. "He was allowed, and the Phillipus family has significant influence since they guard and police the giant prison Gorgon's Deep. Bryan isn't particularly close with his family and doesn't often use the Phillipus name."

"How many half-giants are technically giant nobility?" I asked. 

Alana sighed. "There aren't any direct heirs. Bryan, Moreno, his sister, Zane, and I suppose the hoarfrosts are distant but not close enough to claim a title. You're a rarity just having noble blood. I'm not sure there's ever been a half-giant in the Nikone royal family."

"So I'm still an anomaly," I said. 

Alana nodded. "You are different, and you aren't trained. Moreno thinks we can remedy that, but we'll likely have to ensure you have a guard if you leave the compound. I still have to confer with Doc and get approval."

We passed more rooms going further down the hallway. Tres Sims-Jones. Lord Jordan Moreno Ethesis. Lady Esperanza Carisma Ethesis. There were several doors with Bruno names, and we passed Petra, Abel, and Kimmy's rooms. 

"Who is Doc?" I asked. 

"The Chief Commander of all the half-giants," Alana said. "I'm surprised you've never met her."

"They were trying to keep me from this world," I said. "Why would I have met her?"

Alana stopped and frowned. "Doctiana Sims is your grandmother's sister. You've never met your great-aunt?"

I shook my head. "I knew my grandmother had twin sisters, but she doesn't talk about them."

"I'll be interested to see what she wants to do with you," Alana said. "She has a reputation for fairness, but she takes rules seriously. She and our resident lord rebel don't get along well."

That almost made me smile. Moreno did seem to like to break the rules. He insisted that I come here even with everyone else saying it was a bad idea. 

Finally, we reached a room labeled guest near the end of the hall. Alana opened the door, revealing a small bedroom. 

It was more like a hotel room than a military barrack with a double bed and dresser. The room was painted a cozy white and yellow with a pile of warm blankets on a chair in the corner. An open closet showed a few hanging uniforms and some equipment I was unfamiliar with. 

I set my bag beside the bed. Alana opened a closed door on the right wall that led inside a bathroom that looked like it adjoined the next room. 

"Hope it suits your needs," Alana said. "We can have someone bring you dinner."

I looked at the clock beside the bed. It was almost six in the evening. There must have been some sort of time change when I'd come into the giant world. 

My entire body ached as I looked at the bed. Maybe if I closed my eyes, I could wake up, and this would all be over. 

"I think I just need to rest," I said. "It's been a long day."

"I'll send someone to bring you to breakfast in the morning," Alana nodded and walked towards the door. "Get some rest, Terri. And welcome to Redwood Compound."

She closed the door behind her, and with it, all the walls around me closed in. Here I was, far from home, trapped in a military compound for the foreseeable future. 

I fell into the bed in my clothes and hoped for sleep. Instead, I ended up staring at the ceiling until, finally, my eyes faded to black.

Hey Friends!!! Welcome to Redwood Compound! Hope you enjoyed meeting most of Terri's new crew. Let me know which of the new characters you want to learn more about. I'll have art for each one soon. Until next time!