To Trust a Giant

Chapter 29

Jason wasn't beside Clair when she woke up this morning. She let out a huff of annoyance, of course he wasn't by her side. Why would he be when Stella is out there alone without a giant man to cuddle with. Throughout the entire dinner, he just kept looking back at the couch, hoping the little human would come out. He even wanted to go out and sleep on the couch just in case Stella “needed” him. It drove Clair insane!

Clair rolled out of bed and put on her silk green robe. She had to get ready for work soon anyways, but she needed to find out what Jason was doing first. Clair opened the door and wandered down the hall and into the living room. No surprise, Jason was in ther dressed in his work uniform, but her dad was present too.

“But are you sure she's still under there?”

“James and Charlie took a quick peak this morning. She's there.”
The men turned their heads when they noticed Clair walking in the room.

“Good morning, honey. Did you sleep well?”

“I slept fine, dad.”

“I was just going to try and get Stella out of the couch.”

“How is she?”

Jason shook his head. “She’s still not responding.”

“Oh… how sad.” Clair tried her best to act concerned.

Her father shook his head. “I don’t think she's going to come out with a bunch of people walking around the house.”

Jason shot him a confused look. “We can't all just leave her in a house alone. It could be dangerous here.”

“Glenda will be here if Stella wants to talk.” He looked back at the couch.

“I should be here too.”

“Jason, you have work.” Clair stated.

“I'll call out.”

“Jason you can't.”

“But Stella needs me.”

“No, she doesn't!” Clair snapped. Anger bubbled in the pit of her stomach, why did Jason have to be like this? Why is he choosing a little human over her?

Dad immediately noticed Clair's anger and stepped between them. “She's right, son. You can't stay here right now.”

“But-”

“If anyone can get through to her, it's Glenda.”

Jason’s brown eyes glossed over everyone before settling onto the couch. He wanted to argue still, but he took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. I'll go, but if Glenda can't get her out, I'm going to try tonight.”

“Fair enough.”

Jason glanced back at the couch. “I'll see you later, Stella.” He paused waiting for a response, but after an awkward moment of silence past, he sighed, kissed Clair and shuffled his way out the door.

Clair looked back at her dad, who had a concerned look on his face.

“Are you alright?”

“I'm fine, dad.”

He gave a skeptical look. “You sure?”

How could she be fine when she just witnessed her boyfriend doing the same things that her ex-husband did? The amount of anguish she was in was unbearable, but when giving the opportunity to speak her mind, Clair fell silent. She didn't want to go through the heartbreak again. She didn't want to lose the man she loved again. Could there be a way to stop it before it's too late?

“Yeah, I'm good.”

“Alright sweetie.” He said. “I'm going to take the boys out to see a movie and run a few errands just to get them out of the house. Your mom is still sleeping but she should get up soon. I'm hoping she can get through to her.”

Clair nodded. “Yeah, I'm about to get ready for work.”

He pulled Clair in for a hug. “Love you sweetheart.”

“I love you too, dad.”

They pulled away and her dad called for the boys. After they all left, Clair got ready for work, but the burning rage didn't die down. In fact, it seemed to grow.

Stella has to go now!

Clair marched over to the couch and squatted down. It was dark under there, but she could see the tiny figure sitting nearby; without moving a muscle. Her knees were tucked into her chest and she had her back turned to Clair.

Perfect!

Clair quietly inched her hand underneath the couch so she didn't alert the girl, when she got close enough, she swiftly grabbed Stella and plucked her out from her hiding place.

Stella immediately began kicking and punching and screaming her head off, trying to desperately claw her way out of Clair's hand.

“Be quiet!” Clair hissed as she roughly pressed her thumb against the human's lips. “I'm trying to help you!”
Stella’s screams came to a halt as she stared up at Clair with fearful green eyes. She could feel the tiny girl's heart beat out of her chest as well as the warmth of her rapid breaths tickling her thumb.

Clair glanced over to her mother's bedroom and listened for any movements. Thankfully, she heard nothing, before turning back to the girl in her hands. “If I set you down, will you scream?”

The frightened girl shook her head.

“Good.” Clair set Stella down on the couch and watched the her for a moment. Stella instantly scrambled back as far as she could away from Clair. Bags developed under her eyes, indicating that Stella probably didn't sleep well last night. When Clair glanced over at her arms and could see all the scars scattered about, Stella folded them behind her back in an attempt to hide them. A haunted look twisted on her face, whatever demons Stella was facing, was obviously winning.

“You said you wanted to leave? Well, I'm here to help you with that.”

“Wh… where are you g… going to take me?”

“I don’t know, where ever you wanna go.” Clair snapped. “You just can't stay here anymore.”

Stella looked skeptical. Which Clair couldn't really blame. She'd be skeptical too if a woman who hated her suddenly tried to help her out. But that still didn't make Stella's silence any less annoying.

“You either need to tell me where you'd like to go, or I'll just take you to the shelter.”

“The park!” Stella gasped.

“Good.” Clair turned towards the coffee table to see a tiny traveling pack that Stella had brought. It was going to be cold, there would be no way this girl would survive in just a black tank top and a pair of jeans. So she pinched the tiny bag between her fingers and shoved it towards Stella. “Here, I know you want to cover up more.”

“Th...thanks.” She pulled out an oversized sweater for herself. “Clair?”

“Yes?”

“Why c..can't I s...stay here?”

The scowl on Clair's face melted away for a moment. Even after the trauma this girl was dealing with, after all that talk about wanting to leave, Stella still considered staying? Could Clair really send a girl out in the world to wander on her own? Clair might as a well be killing Stella herself. Maybe she could find Stella a new home with a nice giant? No, that wouldn't work, Stella can barely deal with the current household she was in. Or maybe Stella could just stay with them? That's what everyone else in this house wants, including Jason…. Absolutely not! If Stella stays here, it'll only be a matter of time before Jason and her run off together. This had to be done.

“Because I'll be damned if I let another broken human girl ruin my relationship again!”

“Again?”

Clair glared at Stella and plucked her off the couch. “We’re done talking about this. Let's just release you back to the streets, where you belong.” She grabbed her coat and purse and walked out the door, without a single regret on  her mind.