A slamming door woke me from nightmares of shadowy figures. My eyes flew open, and a girl my age stood over my bed. She had light brown skin, thick dark hair that reached her shoulders in waves, and eyes like a guileless doe.

She didn't wear armor like the other people in the compound. Instead, she sported a white crop top and torn jeans with sandals.

"Oh good," she said. "You're awake."

"I am now," I groaned. "Who are you?"

"I'm Gayle," she twirled a dark purple highlight behind her ear. "You met my annoying big brother and his peppy fianceé. And you're the Oakeley girl. The big princess. I always hated it when I got assigned to do your guard duty. Figures Moreno had to interfere and make it interesting. He's always like that."

I hadn't expected to meet someone in this realm of giants who reminded me of all those preppy girls I hated in private school. They'd made my life miserable since all they could do was make fun of me.

Jilly said that girls like that were all the same. They were vapid and shallow but mostly insecure. Gayle kept babbling on and on, and it was like she was speaking in tongues. Either what she was saying wasn't clicking, or I was so sleep-deprived that my subconscious created the worst angel ever to continue my lucid nightmare.

"Slow down," I pushed half of my body out of bed. "Why did you wake me up?"

"You're missing breakfast, duh," Gayle said. "And Moreno said you needed to eat before the two of you hit the training gym. You're so lucky because Moreno is like the best. I mean, the highest training scores belong to Alana, but Moreno has such a form."

The only word that registered was breakfast. My stomach growled, reminding me that, technically, I'd missed a meal yesterday. I was still in my clothes, and my legs were stiff from sleeping in an odd position.

I rolled out of bed, and my feet hit the hard floor with a thud. At least I'd had enough sense to throw my shoes off before I fell into bed the night before.

"Can I change?" I asked.

"Well, you can't wear that to breakfast," Gayle looked at my jeans and flannel shirt with disgust and eyed my duffle bag. "Please tell me you brought other clothes."

She proceeded to open and rifle through my luggage, clicking her tongue. Gayle frowned but emerged with a white shirt and bootcut jeans I wore around the ranch.

"This has potential," she said. "But it needs a belt or some statement piece. Didn't you bring anything else? I mean, what are you trying to say with this much flannel?"

"There wasn't a lot of time," my face was hot.

Gayle looked up at me. "Oh, you poor thing. I'll dust off my patterns and make you something suitable. Halfants have atrocious fashion sense, but I'm working to make a difference."

With that, she shoved the clothes into my arms and pushed me into the bathroom. I changed quickly and washed my face. My hair was a mess, but I did my best to tame it with my fingers.

I pushed the front part out of my face to reveal my gold eye. It started back at me as if to remind me that the madness in my life was all real. I didn't think I'd ever get used to it.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Gayle took one look at my hair, pulled a neon scrunchie off her wrist, and pulled the top of my hair back. She was talking again about how she was an artist just as much as Petra, whatever that meant, and she took pride in her work.

She took a step back finally when she was done. "Lovely. You almost look like one of us."

It was better that I didn't look over my shoulder to see my hair in the mirror. I probably didn't want to know what Gayle had done.

She led me back up the hallway and into the kitchen area. There, the guy who had been watching anime the previous night was manning an omelet station. He wore leathery armor, and his hair was pushed under a net.

A little girl who couldn't have been older than nine sat on a bar stool, peeling an orange. She had a heart-shaped face and long dark hair, and she reminded me of Moreno.

"Gayle, tell me you didn't actually wake her up," the guy said.

"Chill out, cuz," Gayle said. "She needed someone to show her where to get breakfast, and I even helped her pick out an outfit."

"She's not a doll," the little girl said.

"But she is a princess," Gayle said.

The little girl rolled her eyes. "Who cares? Jojo says titles are overrated."

The guy snickered. "Your brother would say that."

"Tres," Gayle looked offended. "We owe her respect."

"Actually, I don't care about titles," I said. "I'd give it up in a heartbeat if it meant someone wasn't trying to kidnap me."

It was true. I didn't want to be a princess. Sure, my mother was apparently a psychopath in exile, but if I could convince this giant world I meant them no harm, maybe I could go home.

"Kidnap you?" The little girl said. "Is that why Jojo came home early?"

"That's enough," the guy, Tres, said. "You're too young to discuss this young lady. Besides, we don't even know if she's staying."

"Why can't anyone tell me anything?" The little girl pouted. "I live here too, you know. Even Jojo won't tell me about the war."

"You have to start school," Tres said. "You know what Alana said."

The girl stuck out her tongue and jumped down from her stool. She took her orange and left the room. Tres pulled an omelet from the flat top in front of him and passed it to Gayle.

"That girl is trouble," Tres said. "But she's still more tame than her brother at that age. Moreno was a nightmare at age nine."

"That's his sister?" I asked.

"Lady Carisma Ethesis," Tres poured the base of another omelet. "She's the youngest member of our clan for now. Moreno won't let them take her to the compound with the other kids. He's too afraid to let her out of his sight, but that's understandable."

"She calls him Jojo?" I almost laughed.

"Moreno is the closest thing she has to a parent," Gayle said. "He raised her. She may be the only person that he truly cares about. All of us know he's her fiercest protector."

"I thought Moreno didn't use his first name," I said. "But his sister calls him Jojo?"

"Names are important to halfants," Tres said. "It's respectful to use the names that someone wants. No one calls me Daleron Sims the Third. They just call me Tres."

I paused. "Sims?"

Alana said that my great aunt was the leader of the halfants. I almost didn't believe her, but here was another Sims.

"I think we're second cousins or something," Tres said. "My grandmother Alastra and your grandmother Clarissa are sisters."

"Cool," I said.

"Most half-giants that aren't a first generation are related," Tres flipped the omelet. "Gayle and Cullen are my cousins, too, on my mother's side of my family."

"It's hard to keep track," Gayle said. "Except with first generations like Moreno or Petra. Still don't know what my brother sees in her, but I guess she'll be family soon."

"She's sweet," Tres handed me the finished omelet. "Eat up, Miss Oakeley. When you're done, Moreno is waiting for you in the training gym."

"Where's that?" I asked as my stomach made an audible grumble.

"I'll take her," Gayle said.

Gayle skipped with her plate off to a booth. I added a piece of fruit and some bacon from the hot buffet to my plate.

"She's peppy," I said.

"She never volunteers for anything," Tres sighed. "But I suppose she's not one to miss a chance to catch Moreno shirtless. Don't know why she's so obsessed with him."

I knew Gayle's type, so I had a few ideas. Moreno was built, and I hadn't failed to notice his strength in that elevator. His eyes made me want to swim in bronze pools, and I really needed to get my head in the game.

Moreno was a soldier. He wasn't my type. Granted, my dating experience was mainly helping Jilly scout out guys at her school on Instagram, but Moreno was just a whole plane of don't even think about it.

I joined Gayle in the booth, and I found that I really didn't mind her chatter. It was mostly about herself, but without contact with other teens my age, most of the time, I found I didn't mind getting a deep dive into Gayle.

By the time we were done eating, I'd learned that she was the youngest sibling. She admired her brother but wished he wasn't exactly the child her parents wanted. She felt like an afterthought, and her parents didn't support her interests.

She was obsessed with fashion after her grandmother taught her how to sew when she was eight. She made the clothes for almost everyone at Redwood and sometimes made special orders for people outside the compound.

She'd been told by her parents the only way to pay for some fashion school was with the money she earned from working ten years at a compound. She didn't care much for weapons or hunting giants, and she wished her perfect brother hadn't found someone whom their parents deemed so perfect.

"Someday Cullen and Petra are going to have little halfant babies, and mother will be so proud," Gayle said. "She's always talking about grandbabies now that Petra and Cullen are engaged. It's exhausting."

"But he makes her happy, right," I said. "And that's what matters?"

Gayle sighed. "I've always thought being trapped in these compounds limits your options. I'm not crazy and trying to have a relationship with a giant. Kimmy's dad did that, and it was a disaster. Poor Kimmy paid the price."

"Did they break up?" I asked.

"Within a year," Gayle said. "Kimmy visited her giant mom from time to time. When she was eleven, her cousins played a prank on her with acid that got out of control. Gave her scars and destroyed her voice. She almost died. Giants don't mix well with us."

I remembered Kimmy's scars. If she'd had acid poured on her, she was truly lucky to be alive. That was dangerous and cruel.

"You could go in the human world," I said. "Like Emma or my family."

"I'm almost seven feet tall," Gayle said. "Without money, I'm a freak and can't hold out. Besides, maybe I could find a way to stay. There's always a chance."

I stared at my empty plate. What she said, at its core, bothered me. I didn't know how I was supposed to fit in here at this compound if someone born into it like Gayle didn't feel like she belonged.

Tres cleared his throat from behind us. "Moreno is waiting in the gym."

Gayle bounced up from her seat and smiled. "Well, let's not leave Lord Ethesis waiting."

I got to my feet, feeling my omelet give a slight lurch inside me. I pasted on a smile on my face and tried to look like a princess. With that, Gayle grabbed my arm like she was Dorothy on the yellow brick road and led me to the training gym.

Hey Friends!! We're back at Redwood Compound. Hope you're enjoying Terri's adventures. Let me know what you think. Until next time!