Page 4 of Sweet Giant

If she’d harbored suspicions, she’d never breathed a word. She’d let me grow up believing I was the orphaned daughter of human explorers who’d perished on an outpost in the distant reaches of the Milky Way. At six months old, I’d been shipped back to Earth.

Sadly, my healing abilities hadn’t emerged until after Nana’s death. A fact that made my heartache deepen. If only I could’ve saved her…

As I neared Conrad Street, I pushed thoughts of the past aside. Nana was gone and she wasn’t coming back. But if she were here, she would want me to escape the wretchedness of my current circumstances. She would want me to leave Seattle and never look back.

I glanced at the sky, hoping for a glimpse of the stars and the moon. But there was nothing but blackness. The layer of pollution that hovered over the city—smoke from the factories as well as the near-constant battles—usually prevented a glimpse of blue sky or starry night.

But I was leaving. With General Remington’s help, of all people. I could scarcely believe my good fortune. Maybe once I departed the city, I would be able to see blue skies and starry nights more often.

With my heart in my throat, I approached 1529 Conrad Street, a small brick house that had plywood covering the windows. I sucked in a deep breath, then tapped on the door.

Chapter2

Four months later…

LIV

There werethree men in the small but well-stocked general store. One was the clerk, an elderly man who stood behind the checkout counter. The other two appeared to be friends of the clerk, middle-aged men wearing camouflage from head to toe. All three of them had long, thick beards.

My grocery cart was filled with the items I needed. I’d long finished shopping. But I lingered in the second aisle, too afraid to approach the counter. Too scared to walk near the men. They were all rather tall. Not as tall as Mountain, but their deep voices kept reminding me of him.

I wanted to abandon my cart and run out of the store. But I needed this food. I’d ventured into town to replenish my supplies.

Deep breaths, Liv. In and out. Again. One more time…

Would this be my life forever? Would I remain unable to perform the most basic of social functions? I was just trying to buy groceries and toothpaste, for goodness’ sake.

Why did every little reminder of Mountain send me into panic mode? He wasn’t here, I’d been away from him for four full months, but it felt as though he were haunting me. He might as well be a ghost from Nana’s witching hour.

To my great relief, the two middle-aged men said good-bye to the clerk and departed the store. The bell above the door clanged as they exited and hopped into a truck.

I swallowed hard. Just me and the clerk. Logically, I realized he wasn’t a threat. I could do this. Just pay for my stuff and be on my way back to the isolated cabin that had become my refuge. I closed my eyes and pictured the cozy cabin that rested deep in the Cascade Mountains, a summer home that General Remington said he no longer used. My new safe haven.

“Can I help you find anything, miss?” The clerk appeared to my left, a few feet away. So close. I felt my eyes go wide, and I had to force myself not to back away.

“Um, no thanks. I’m ready to check out.” I swallowed past the dryness in my throat and prayed I could get through this encounter without freaking the heck out. My hands trembled so hard, I nearly lost my grip on the cart.

“Great!” The clerk smiled, turned toward the counter, and gestured for me to follow. “Come on up, miss. You’d best get on the road before the snow starts. They say it’s gonna be a big storm.”

Snow? I hadn’t paid attention to the weather or the news for a while. I’d immersed myself in books and movies and music, anything to distract me from real life.

As I made my way to the counter, I grabbed a few more items. Cookies. Popcorn. Chocolate. Wine. More wine. You know, the essentials one needs to survive being snowed in.

Finally, I pushed the cart toward the counter… where the first thing I noticed was a framed photo of a tall, hairy beast.Bigfoot. The photo was positioned in front of the old-fashioned cash register.

I glanced at a nearby rack and noticed more Bigfoot paraphernalia. Hats. Mugs. T-shirts. Keychains. Magnets. Clear bottles filled with brown and black hair that supposedly belonged to one of the mythical beasts.

“You ever see one?” the clerk asked as he began ringing up my items. He nodded at the rack, his expression serious, not joking in the least. “A Sasquatch, I mean.”

I pressed my lips together and shook my head.

“You live up in the mountains, miss?”

I opened my mouth but hesitated to reply. It was none of his business where I lived. I tried not to panic and fumbled with my purse as I searched for the credit card General Remington had given me.

“Well, saying you do live in the mountains,” he continued, nonplussed by my refusal to answer, “you best be careful of the ’squatches. They’re more likely to approach a woman than a man. If you live alone, that might prove problematic for you.”

His words sent a chill to my bones. I looked at him, checking to see if his eyes were twinkling with any hints of laughter. But he honestly wasn’t teasing. He was actuallywarningme to be careful of Bigfoot.

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