The sun's rays dissipated into the horizon allowing the air to cool down the compound after a long warm day, preparing for the evening's serene arrival. The stillness of the dusky twilight was contentedly stirred by a child's mirth and laughter from inside the dwellings' gray walls.
"Again!" Isabel demanded when patters of little footsteps stopped abruptly to seize a thick rope and began pulling with all her might.
"Mommy!" She yelled and looked over her shoulder, "You didn't pull hard enough! Keep pulling!"
Rachel didn't even have enough time to fix her disheveled hair after losing the last four or five times, planting both her feet as firmly as she could and tugging as hard as she was able to manage. Their rubber soles squeaked underneath them, working hard to stay in sync to desperately pull the rope and ensure victory. Meanwhile at the other end of the rope, or rather shoelace, Micah sat cross-legged with a triumphant-amused look on his face with his hand resting on his lap, barely holding the lace between his massive thumb and index finger.
It was Isabel's idea to play tug of war after a few games of regular jump rope, and with Micah's input, he modified it to make it "fair". In this game, all the girls needed to do to win was to pull the rope out of his fingertips. The rule was that he was not to firmly hold on to it or wrap it around his fingers but was allowed to sway it around or pull it back slightly if he felt it was slipping.
"Daddy's cheating!" Isabel strained a complaint, pulling harder, shoving into her mother behind her.
At the accusation, Micah chuckled and teasingly began to swing and twirl the rope, forcing the girls to lose their grip on the oncoming force.
"Oh...c'mon...!" Rachel put in, unable to control the momentum, "at least...let her have one win!"
"All you guys need to do is pull harder," He told them, grinning at them, "Give me one good tug and you'll win."
Isabel spared no expense and pulled the rope as hard as she could. Against her mother's better judgment, Rachel followed suit, but suddenly her expression switched to realization the moment she noticed the amusement in his mischievous blue eyes, shifting her gaze to look at his large hand when he released the rope. The tension snapped forcing girlish yelps to fly from their lips as they lost their footing and were sent stumbling backwards. Deep chuckles reverberated around them and a warm wall of flesh quickly scooped them up before they ended up on the floor.
The girls were raised to meet Micah up close, but of course, out of fear, Rachel grabbed Isabel and immediately latched onto his large index finger, holding on for dear life.
Micah's chuckles stopped. He brought his other hand to cup them, gave her a knowing look, and stated, "Rachel, I'm being really careful here. I would never drop you two."
"Accidents happen y'know!" She barked, squishing her eyes shut, refraining from seeing the ground below.
"Did we win?" It was now Isabel's turn to speak up, looking up at both of her parents.
Micah looked over at her and smiled, "I think you did. Good job, girls."
His daughter's face lit up like a bright sunny day, and Micah enjoyed seeing her expression morph into excitement.
"Again?" she asked, eagerly.
"I think we're done for today," Rachel replied, eyeing her massive husband, warningly. "Daddy's tired and he is gonna put us down now, right Hun?"
It didn't take him long to get her message and with both hands, carefully placed them back on the floor. Rachel found her footing and helped Isabel get off safely from her father's palm. With a burst of new energy, the little girl begged to play a new game with them. Earlier, before settling with a game of tug of war, she made plenty of suggestions like playing hide and seek or her favorite, tag. Like a good parent, Micah had to remind her that they had to keep playtime limited and explained that there were certain games he couldn't play with her such as tag. Hide and seek wasn't possible either because it would be difficult for both the hider and seeker. Thus, several rounds of jump rope started and then tug of war afterward seemed safe for the three of them to play.
As things began to wind down, Rachel suggested that they had dinner. If there was still time, Isabel could sing new songs she learned in class and share stories of what she did in school. At the mention of dinner, Micah alerted his family that he was getting ready to stand so he could call ''room service" and bring them their meals.
"It's good, just don't expect Michelin star quality here." He told her, as he finished placing the order.
Rachel further studied her towering husband as he continued to interact with their daughter, taking note of how he continuously remained careful around her. It also seemed that Isabel had overcome her fears, sharing her excitement as she spent her time with him. Rachel had vocalized about holding their daughter in his hand for long periods and staying on the floor as much as possible, to which he gladly obliged.
A few more words were exchanged between husband and wife when suddenly the human-sized doors swung open, and a woman Rachel hadn't met yet stepped in. Without addressing the family, the scientists' eyes only met the giant man in the room.
"Mr. Solís, apologies, but it's time for another injection sir." Her monotone voice announced, gesturing to his larger doors.
Micah became confused, throwing a look her way. "Wait today? I didn't know I needed another one so soon."
"Yes sir, as per Dr. Beason's orders. Please come with me."
He could've sworn that he wasn't scheduled to undergo any testing or receive any injections. Keith was usually nice about that and explained that during his time off, he could do what he wanted and not worry about the usual testing schedule.
Maybe this one time, he must've forgotten about it.
Before Micah stood up, he made sure to check his surroundings to see that his family had kept a distance from him. Rachel stiffened as her eyes scanned up when he finally stood up at his full height, keeping Isabel pressed against her leg. She swallowed a lump in her throat noting the obvious growth spurt compared to the last time she saw him standing tall. His shadow alone easily encased them.
Last week over the phone, Keith had told her that Micah had got bigger but wasn't told an approximate height. By the looks of it, she estimated that he stood over fifty feet tall now. Her office building was about seven stories tall, and she tried imagining him side by side; he might be tall enough to reach the top with ease. Before concluding the call, she asked if they were close to finding a cure for him. However, with Keith giving her the runaround, she presumed that nothing was found, and she left it at that.
It left her wondering what if Micah stayed that way for the rest of his life and what would it mean for their family. Isabel can't continue living a normal life nor being raised with a father who's taller than a building and certainly uprooting their lives to live in a depressing compound was not a way to live. Her husband hasn't mentioned anything himself, but it won't be long before he starts entertaining the idea.
When Micah has his moments, especially if it's something he wants, he can be quite insistent, almost bratty despite being mild-mannered most of the time. Now, with his current size, it raised another concern about any personality changes. Rachel didn't see anything as they spent time together, however, she did get a taste of his anger not long ago over the phone.
The next time she runs into Keith and has a moment alone with him, she'd have to bring up her concerns about his mannerisms and how much it has amplified at his new size.
And if he continues to grow...
His size alone was unfathomable, no matter how much she tried to get it out of her mind. It was too much to just get used to. The thoughts and hypotheticals sent constant shivers down her spine, delivering a nauseating weight to her core, still unsure if she could ever get used to this change, she never asked for.
Where she stood compared to his stature, her discomfort hadn't gone unnoticed, and winced when her husband caught onto her nervous expression.
"Are you alright honey?" he asked her, tilting his head.
His ice-blue spotlights narrowed on her, exposing her like a convict trying to escape this prison, and the weight of his gaze alone sent a continued sense of dread. Meekly, her neck craned up as high as she could go, and the moment her gaze locked into his, pink flushed her paled cheeks.
She nodded immediately, bashfully smiling, "Y-yeah, I'm okay..."
A powerful torso bound by weak fabric, supported by a toned physique released a sigh that nearly made Rachel's knees collapse. Hoping he didn't catch her ogling at him, she just couldn't believe that the accident graced him with the body of a god. He'd always been a skinny guy with barely any muscle, and now seeing his new body...
Rachel swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to cool herself down.
What stood out, however, was Micah's small frown displayed beautifully like a vivid portrait, accentuating all his handsome features for the world to see. He had read her like an open book when he noticed that she had taken their daughter and retreated a few steps away from him when he stood up a few moments ago.
"Are you sure?" Micah asked, running a hand around his face. "Did I have something on my face? Please tell me, Keith is notorious for not letting me know that I haven't wiped my mouth or nose. I think he does it on purpose."
Rachel exhaled and slowly shook her head in disbelief, and said, "Not that I can see from where I'm standing."
He smiled. "Thank you, honey. Also, just know that I'll always be careful around you, I promise."
"I-I know you will. It's just, umm, I'm still trying to get used to all this." She gestured at him, relaxing the hold she had on Isabel who at this point was getting fussy at the closeness to her mother. A small pause lingered within the family, with only the low hum and groan from the busy facility resonating around them.
"Sorry, that... it's taking a long time." Rachel's free hand clenched at her chest, directing her confession up to her husband.
Micah's heart skipped a beat and almost couldn't believe what he heard. While he understood how his overall size was intimidating for everyone else, it pained him to see his family, and more so his wife, keep away from him. In the day leading up to now, he had used the time to himself to concentrate and practice walking lightly, controlling the pitch of his voice, and being more vigilant when it came to doing everyday tasks. He exercised his patience and leaned towards being more empathetic because he knew if he were in their shoes, he'd behave the same.
"Rachel...I..." He began but trailed off.
He made a note to speak to Rachel in private at some point before they left to come to an understanding. Much still needed to be spoken about and today would be the perfect opportunity, especially over dinner.
Letting out a small huff, Micah slowly crouched down again and stretched an index finger, this time reaching for Isabel, and gingerly patted her head, "Izzy?" He spoke kindly, softening his gaze, "Can you do me a favor?"
The little girl gave him a questioning look but nodded at him so that she understood.
"Wait for me right here and make sure Mommy doesn't go anywhere. Can you do that for me?"
Isabel's little brown eyes expanded, swallowing a lump in her throat. It seemed her dad was giving her a big job and of course, she didn't want to disappoint him.
"Okie dokie, don't let Mommy go nowhere!" Isabel responded with determination, triggering a deep chuckle from her father. His eyes swept over to Rachel and winked at her before rising back to his full height.
Rachel had to roll her eyes at his request, holding back a scoff. Both girls looked up at the giant figure in awe as he took long, careful strides and made his way out of his dwelling to follow the small scientist. Just the way he moved seemed monumental if Isabel knew the word. It was both frightening and amazing to see him stand up suddenly and do a simple gesture like walking looks phenomenal.
"Daddy's coming back soon Mommy." The little girl declared, enthusiastically. "We can't go nowhere."
With that said Rachel forced a tender smile and humored the small child, staying put as she was instructed to until Micah returned.