text: (WP) Between a Rock and a Hard Place After all these years of wondering, it was time to go find her people. The humans had been quite kind, and had raised her as their own. But all her life, she’d known that something was wrong. Not wrong, per se, but something was... different. Even as a child she’d known. She was taller than all the rest of the kids in her classes, she was absurdly, impossibly strong, could run long distances in just a few strides, and she loved to garden and be around plants and flowers. One night at dinner, she and her parents were mostly quiet, until, at last, she couldn’t take it anymore. She dropped her silverware on the plate, and the loud clang made her mother jump. “Rose, what is it?” Her mother asked, her brow furrowing with worry. “Is something on your mind?” “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, Mom,” Rose said, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. “And... I have some questions.” Her dad frowned silently, sitting up straighter in his seat. “We’ve always known this day would come, since we adopted you.” He murmured quietly. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought that his eyes were glimmering with tears; it jolted her. Was she somehow violating everything that her parents had done for her, by being curious about her biological parents? The last thing Rose wanted to do was offend them, or make them think that she was ungrateful. She was happy with her life, despite her differences between herself and the humans. She had a loving family, had good grades, had won a full ride to one of the best colleges in the country on a track scholarship. She had friends, and she was even harboring a crush on a girl in her class. But there was a distinct void in her heart, the dark part that wondered where she had come from. From who she had come. She had wrestled with these questions, late into the night, since they’d told her that she was adopted. And it had felt like she was running in circles, endlessly. “I mean... Is this okay? Is this... Normal?” Rose asked, staring at her plate, wishing that she could push away from the table and flee to her room. But she’d started this conversation, and it was too late to turn back now. Besides, didn’t she deserve some answers? “Of course, it is, honey!” Her mother said, her voice thick with unshed tears. Her father, for his part, looked as though he was holding something back, like if he didn’t speak, he would explode. “Rose, you’re a giant. Well. A half giant? Your dad was a giant and his wife was human. And the giants demanded that you live with the humans, because you weren’t full human or giant.” \*\* Rose stared at her parents in shock. Of all things she’d thought they’d say, that was the furthest thing from her mind. Mom was staring at her, holding her hand and rubbing her back as if she was frightened her daughter would start screaming. “I’m a giant? A giant? Those don’t even exist! This isn’t a fairy tale!” Rose spluttered. “Sweetheart, you came from a fairy tale and your mother gave us to you to make sure you’d have a happy ending, even if she couldn’t.” Her father said sadly.