FSE

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Chapter 1

"Did you do your math homework?"

"Yes, mom."

"Did you finish that essay that's due next week? I want to review it this weekend so we can figure out ways to improve on it."

A sigh, "Of course, mom."

"How're your grades going in history...?"

"Mom, I'm doing fine! Geez...I'm going to go."

"Okay, hun, don't forget your lunch money! I love you lots, kisses, mwah mwah!"

He grabbed the bills off the kitchen counter, slung his backpack, and walked out the door. Life sucked. Well, that wasn't true. Life for other kids seemed like a blast, but his life sucked. Brian was 16 years old and didn't know what it meant to have a life. At least, not a social one where kids hang out with other kids, do crazy things, and just enjoy everything. His parents were both brilliant people and so he was expected to be a brilliant kid. When other kids were getting Playstations for Christmas, he got a real glass beaker set and a book of chemical reactions. When birthdays rolled around, he asked for money or socks or anything normal, but his parents bought him trivia games and brain teasers.

The worst was that when other kids tried to reach out to him, invite him over, or just ask him to a party? Brian had to say 'no'. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. After school, he was expected to meet with a college tutor every day to increase his overall proficiency at a wide-range of subjects. After that, he was expected home in a timely manner. And timely manner with his parents meant that they had actually timed how long it would take him to get home from his tutor's place. Weekends, his parents tried to have 'fun-filled' family activity days. Average kids looked forward to their weekends, Brian dreaded them.

They went to science exhibits, museums, and landmarks. The coolest place he had ever convinced them to take him to? The zoo. And he had to study the digestive system of a reptile pretty extensively to make his case. Bleah.

All-in-all, Brian's life just sucked. He had things planned out for him until he was 18, which was when he planned to bail. If he could do it sooner, he would. The funny thing was that he was really quite smart. The problem was that he was too smart sometimes. He understood things right off the bad that other kids struggled with. Physics seemed intuitive to him. Rather than let his parents make him into a monster, he finished most of his schoolwork quickly and neatly, then turned to help other kids. His teachers loved him and sang his praises. His parents loved hearing them sing his praises. And the cycle continued. He sometimes wondered if his parents were robots disguised as humans, which could explain how they were so boring sometimes.

So he was just seen as a 'nice guy' by his classmates, but a strange character. He wondered if he could have been good at sports if he had ever been given the chance, but his mother had paled when he even suggested it and said that damaging his beautiful mind would not happen while he lived in their home. At least if he had done sports, he might not get beat up by the...

"Hey, look! It's the brain!" ...the bullies. He hadn't been paying attention to where he was going on his walk and had stepped into their field of vision, which he had discovered was a narrow viewpoint of whatever was easiest to pick-on. Sadly, this made him a high-visibility target since no one else ever stood up for him.

There were three of them. He called them Larry, Moe, and Curly, because they were all stooges in his book. He didn't have many options on the sidewalk so he decided to go with non-aggression on this one.

"Hey guys..."

They walked up to him and towered over him. They were all in his class and so full of their newfound size and strength, all part of the biological process of puberty, that they were always out to prove to other boys that they could beat them up. "It's the fucking big brain. What'cha doing brain? You know the rules, right?" The other two snickered, like the first had said something funny. Whatever it was, Brian wasn't aware of it.

"Uh...no. What rules?"

The biggest of them, 'Curly', stuck an arm out and pushed against Brian's shoulder. "You got to pay a toll fee to get past us if you want to make it to school on time. So pay up, mother fucker." He held his hand out and motioned with it.

Well, another day without lunch wasn't that big of a deal. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the eight dollars his mother gave him every day. 'Curly' swiped it before he could put it in his hand and started counting it. "What the fuck is this, brain? You're short 2 dollars! Can't let ya pass."

"Uh...that's all I got guys?"

"Is that so," 'Moe' leaned in with a snaggle-tooth grin. "Well ain't that a fucking crying shame? Guess you're gonna have to pay the penalty."

Suddenly, Brian was thinking that non-aggression had proven to be the inferior plan of action. He wasn't sure why they were out to get physical today, but he wasn't going to stick around and find out. He pointed over Curly's right shoulder and let his eyes get big, "Is that Principal McAllister?"

All three turned and straightened up. By the time they turned back around, Brian was already sprinting. "You little fucker! We're going to fuck you up this time, little brain!"

The outlook did not look good. Brian wasn't out-of-shape per say, but he also wasn't in shape. He was one of those lean guys naturally, but it wasn't like he did anything outside of his physical education class. Ever. And these three were the quintessential muscle-bound simpletons who focused on their immediate needs and wants instead of anything long-term. Right now, their immediate want was to beat him up, something that he wasn't too keen on participating in at the moment. He ran past house after house. While he could try and stop at any of them to knock on the door and hope that someone was home, it was not a guarantee and if incorrect, would lead to the bruises he was trying to avoid. That left trying to get into the busier part of the city, where traffic actually was.

He quickly planned out three routes. He looked around for any vehicles that might be driving by, but the streets were empty save for a few kids. Some were older, some were younger, some his age, but they all stood by and just watched. Damn it. This was why having a friend was so vital in high school; there was strength in numbers. He cut around the corner of one house and put on a burst of speed, adrenaline pushing him harder than he normally could. His only hope was to get out of sight of the bullies for a few moments, slowing them down and hopefully giving him some more distance. Especially since their yells were getting closer.

Once he knew he was out of their line-of-sight, he passed the corner lot's fence and pulled himself up and over into the other neighbors backyard. It was a momentary slowdown, but he hoped that it might give the bullies pause or perhaps misdirect them entirely. Once in the yard, he moved to the other end of the yard, waiting.

They were yelling insulting words, but there was a hint of confusion in their voices. Brian gave a quick sigh of relief as he bent over and caught his breath. Then he heard the scrabbling sound of sneakers on fence. He looked up and saw 'Curly' climbing over the fence with a sneer on his face, "Smart brain, smart brain, we're gonna smash you up until you can't think anymore!"

Brian turned and leapt onto the fence, pulling himself up. He got one foot over before something grabbed his foot from behind and pulled hard. He yelled in pain as another voice sneered, "You're not going anywhere you little fucking piece of shit."

Brian lashed out instinctively with his other foot and felt it connect with something solid. The grip on his foot was suddenly released. The quick change in weight caused him to waver on the fence, his balance entirely gone. He wheeled his arms for a moment, trying to regain what had been lost. He felt himself fall forward and flip, his arms trying to grab anything at all. His head hit the ground hard, causing the entire world to start spinning and making his teeth vibrate like a tuning fork. Despite the pain, one thought dominated his entire being. There was no way he could just lay there, he had to keep going. Just because he had slowed down 'Curly' didn't mean that he was home free. He tried to stand, but found the world was moving on its own. Either his brain had been shaken by his fall and he had a concussion or the fall had messed his inner ear's balance. Despite the landscape tilting left and right, he noticed that the yard he was in had a big blue spot in the middle. It was a pool. He couldn't make out the dimensions clearly, but as he crawled to the edge of the pool and looked down, it seemed much deeper than it should be. In fact, the water itself seemed to be swirling. Odd, some small part of his brain noted.

He got to his knees and the world wobbled even more. There was something in the distance, near and far at the same time. Yelling. The bullies. They suddenly seemed less important. The pool looked so enticing... Some part of his rational mind tried to figure out why the water seemed to form some kind of whirlpool. That couldn't be possible. Shouldn't be. He leaned forward, looking into the depths and tried to look down to see what could be causing this phenomenon. Except his balance hadn't returned yet. He swayed for a moment and felt himself start to fall forward in slow motion. There was a flash of light. Then the waters were still once more.

---

Brian hit the pool bottom. No, that wasn't right. The upper levels of reasoning quickly began to reassert themselves. First, he wasn't wet at all. That didn't quite add up, he thought. The world was still shaky, so he closed his eyes and took a few breaths, trying to rely on his other senses. The floor was hard, but warm. There was a distinct lack of chlorine smell in the air. He wasn't by the pool anymore. The air smelled of some kind of disinfectant. His brain grasped at this thought. He must've passed out and then been taken to a local hospital. He hoped they had notified his parents. Then again, maybe he shouldn't hope that. He didn't need them worrying over him.

His reassurance was short-lived. His mind didn't stop at the smell. His hands explored and found no sheets or pillows. The surface was solid, no seams. Concrete or some kind of metal sheet? He couldn't find an edge, so he wasn't on a hospital bed. He slowly cracked open one eye and found the world still tilting, but not as badly as before.

There was an odd sound not too far away, then the floor began to tremble. Brian swallowed, his one open eye darting around. He didn't see what could be causing the vibrations, but it was steady and consistent. It was...it was...right behind him. His brain finally got its act together to place the sound and the directionality of the vibrations. It stopped and he could almost feel something rustling mere inches behind his back. His ears strained for information of any sort.

"Are you alright, young one," a surprising quiet, but resonating voice inquired from above him.

Brian tilted his head backwards and looked up. Towering over him was something impossible. Improbable. It...it shouldn't be. A figure was standing over him, but not just in the way that a concerned adult would. It was high, so very high away. Maybe twenty or twenty-five feet over him was a single brown eye. It was attached to a headpiece that looked like some kind of eagle, with its head turned to one side. It had feathers and everything. Then the head turned a complete one-hundred and eighty degrees and the other side of the head looked at him. This eye blinked. It blinked...! Both of Brian's eyes opened in shock and surprise.

"Oh dear," the voice crinkled. "I hope you weren't injured in the transit... Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?" The head seemed to shift back and a giant hand appeared in Brian's vision. It was yellow and each finger ended in a claw of some kind. No, his brain corrected. A talon. Birds have talons. Three of them were held up in a very human gesture.

He found his voice and answered automatically, "Uh, three...fingers..."

"Ah, thank the Maker," the voice clacked.

"You're not real...are you," Brian hesitantly asked. His brain tried to rationalize away this towering figure as nothing more than blunt force trauma to the brain.

The giant stepped past him and took three steps forward before turning around. Brian noticed that each step was like a tree trunk shifting forward. The feet were covered in some kind of shoe and the figure wore a robe, but the head and arms were clearly visible. There was pride in his bearing, but a soft smile at the corners of its...its...beak. That's a beak, his brain told him. The giant took two breaths, slow and soft, "Why don't you tell me. Do I look real?"

"Well," Brian considered. "The senses can be misled or I could be hallucinating. I mean, someone of your size couldn't possibly exist. Your own body weight would cause your body to collapse on itself... I think?"

The feathers around the bird's neck ruffled up, "And how do you know..." There was a pause as he took a breath. Brian found the way he spoke through his beak to be fascinating. "That my body composition is nothing like yours?"

"I suppose that's a good point. It's an assumption..."

"And a prideful one, if I may add." If Brian didn't know better, he could've sworn this...eagle. It was an eagle of some kind, with deep brown feathers on his crest and lighter brown on his head and neck. There were silver tips on many of them. Anyways, he could've sworn that the eagle was amused.

"Then I suppose I should ask the next logical question, sir," Brian began respectfully. "How did I get here?" After all, he reasoned, an illogical apparition would not be able to give a cause-and-effect answer sufficiently, thereby solving the problem. It was all a dream. It had to be.

The amusement in the eyes and beak disappeared, "Young one, I'm so sorry. I regret to inform you that we pulled you from the space in-between realities."

Brian's mind balked at this unsubstantial description, but he was trying to be polite, "And...why was I there?"

"Most likely, you fell through an anomaly. A hole in space and time. We saved you from an existence of no time and no awareness. You might've been floating there for days, months, years, or longer."

"So...where is here?"

The bird swept his arms open, "Welcome to our planet, Tor. A world of nature and peace. In fact, we even have a little educational session for you to teach you about our world before we start immigration."

Thoughts whirled around Brian's head, some coming and going so fast that he could barely grasp them. "Imm...immigration?"

"Of course. You're going to need to learn to live with us if you hope to stay here."

"Can't you just...send me back to my reality? To home?"

The eagle shook his head slowly and coughed, "We would if we had any clue where or when you came from, young one. For all we know, the existence you once called home may not even exist anymore." The eagle turned his head, "We will take care of you, never fear."

"We," Brian whispered, in awe of just one giant and uncertain if he wanted to meet others, no matter how pleasant they seemed.

"Of course. The people of Tor are all like me!" His beak clacked once, "Similar size, in a manner of speaking, although a myriad of races. And you will be welcome among us. Now come, we have much work to do if we're going to make you a citizen in your own right. Can you stand?"

Brian nodded and slowly got up. Everyone and everything he knew was gone and he was left all alone. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. There was a weight on his shoulders as the gravity of the situation took hold. Then an epiphany hit him. He was free...

There were no parents in this world to run his life. No rules of waking up at this time and being there at that time and knowing exactly how long it would take to arrive. He was sure this planet had its own 'rules', or laws, but he doubted they could ever be as constricting as his parents.

He was free on this world of giants. A smile split his face, "Lead on, sir."

---

The giant eagle walked slowly, but Brian still had to jog to keep up. From the room he had arrived in, they had stepped into a corridor of beautiful images showing rolling hills, lakes, and forests. The larger figure explained that these were all images of scenery from Tor. There were no animal figures in any of them though, Brian noted, on land, air, or sea. In fact, he felt like he was looking at some very large travel brochures about "nature" vacation spots on Earth.

After a short distance, the corridor ended at four different doors. Three of them were blue and clearly meant for figures of varying sizes. The smallest was just slightly larger than he was. The last door was a red hue and seemed to match the eagle's size perfectly. None of them seemed to have any knob, only a frame around them that showed their outline.

"Go through that one and you'll get an introduction to our world and culture. Then Immigration Services will be waiting to receive you and match you with your sponsor."

"Sponsor," Brian repeated, feeling a slightly cold chill of uncertainty. "You mean you won't be the one to show me around?"

The corner of his beak turned upwards in a way that was somehow comforting, "I'm afraid not, young one. Your journey with me ends here. I must stay here to keep watch over the in-between and welcome any who we may catch adrift."

"Then...thank you. How does one show thanks in this world?"

The titan clacked his beak and chuckled, "To one so small as you? We bow our heads and place a hand over our heart. It is a sign of sincere thanks."

Brian took a step back, placed his right hand over his heart, and inclined his head, "Then thank you for welcoming me."

There was a pause and then the giant responded in kind, "Be safe in the world, young one." He took a slow breath, and then turned to walk back down the corridor. Brian watched him go, thinking that perhaps this world was not so different from his own. He couldn't begin to fathom the chance that the creatures of this world spoke the same language as he did. He reached for the small blue door and pushed. It slid open for him soundlessly. The room beyond was dark and all he could make out were the outlines of shapes. He took a slow breath of his own and stepped through.