Across The Divide: Tales Of Giants & Tinies

A Fragile Balance 1

[ROWAN]

The assembly had dragged on far too long.

By the time the students were finally dismissed, Rowan was more than ready to leave. He had slouched in his seat near the back of the room, one leg stretched out and crossed over the other, arms folded. His gaze had wandered up to the ceiling tiles, tracing the jagged cracks that spidered across the surface.

The detectives on stage—one human, one Vareshian—speaking into a microphone, had spoken for what felt like an eternity, using calm but pointed phrases like "precautionary measures" and "working together" to describe the recent disappearance of a human student.

Rowan had barely paid attention. What was the point? It wasn't as if their words would change anything. Still, he had pretended to listen, flicking his eyes toward the stage every now and then.

The school always had an assembly whenever a human disappeared, humans going missing more frequently in the past six or so months, Rowan had lost count of the disappearances now.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Sam, his only real friend, shifting in his seat. Sam was hard to miss: loud, bright-eyed, and always fidgeting.

Sam's eyes flicked to the human students clustered at the front. Most of them were no taller than a Vareshian's hand. From this far back, they looked like toys—frail, breakable. Rowan could see the tension in their tiny shoulders, their wide-eyed expressions as they clutched notebooks and whispered to each other.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Their town prided itself on its integration, on the careful balance they'd struck between humans and Vareshians. It was a point of pride for both communities, a rare success story in a world full of divisions. Now, another missing human student was threatening to unravel it all.

"I don't like this," Sam muttered under his breath, leaning close to Rowan. "The way they're talking around it. Everyone knows they think it's a murder. Just say it already."

Rowan tilted his head,. "They're trying to keep it clean. No point spooking everyone, right?"

"I guess so~" Sam frowned, turning his attention back to the stage.  

/

Now as he walked beside Sam, who was chattering nonstop as usual. Sam always seemed to be buzzing with energy, even when the rest of the world was drained. His hands moved as he talked, gesturing wildly as if the force of his words needed a visual aid.

Rowan kept his hands in his pockets, hunched against the chill in the air. Sam had been his only real friend since middle school, ever since they'd sat next to each other in history class and bonded over a shared disdain for group projects. Sam had a quick wit, a bright smile, and a sharp tongue that he wielded without hesitation. He was also one of the few openly gay Vareshians at their school, a fact that made him an easy target for bullies.

But Sam never seemed to care. He laughed off the jabs, turned them into jokes, and kept moving forward as if nothing could touch him. Rowan admired that about him. Sam's confidence was a shield, one Rowan wished he could borrow from time to time.

"Did you see the look on Mr. Dunham's face when the human detective said 'possible foul play'? I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head," Sam said, laughing. "I mean, come on. They can't just tiptoe around it forever. Everyone knows that kid didn't just wander off."

Rowan shrugged, his gaze fixed on the sidewalk. The cracks in the pavement formed a web of lines that he followed with his eyes, one step at a time.
"Like I said, they're just trying to keep people calm," he looked toward Same beside him, his voice flat "They can't have the humans rebelling against us Vareshians the second they start realising it's definitely one of us."