Woke (Chapter 2) (Patreon)

By the conclusion of her last class period for the day, Kayla was getting antsy. As she’d learned from Erin, today’s meeting of the EquiSize movement, and her first in attendance, was being held at 3 p.m. sharp, just fifteen minutes from now. She really didn’t want to miss it. Rising gracefully from her seated position upon the South Quad field, one of several designated Omega-safe “spaces” from which Kayla could partake in lectures via retractable rooftops, the giantess scoped out the university sprawl. The meeting site was to be the football field outside the main campus, changed at the last minute after Kayla confirmed that she could come, which precluded the usual possibility of holding the meeting in a classroom smaller than the Omega’s hand. Since they’d gone to the trouble of accommodating her yet again, it was only right that she be there precisely on time. Kayla could see the stadium, technically a few miles away, but a quite-literal hop, skip, and jump away for her. Though, naturally, such an arrival method was unacceptable outside Omega lands, particularly on an Alpha campus, where even a single footfall of hers, let alone a full-body lunge, could quake the ground.

Kayla tucked her tablet away, pulled up her white knee-socks, dusted off her plaid skirt, and tied her sandy-reddish hair back in a ponytail to keep the wind from blowing it back in her eyes. Concentration and clear vision were the keys here. Though the Omega was practiced at walking among tinier civilizations, and her natural compassion made her constantly hyper-aware of the smaller life forms bustling around near her feet, the training she’d undergone before going abroad was different compared to the real thing of towering above so many insect-scaled beings. Fenced-off patches of ovular concrete had been constructed just for her to walk inside like stepping stones across a river, and Kayla found this an amusing feature, though it also made her anxious upon realizing that certain daredevils and dumb frat boys enjoyed testing fate by trying to climb the off-limits fences whenever they saw her walking their way, respectively to either show their bravery or attempt a peek up her billowing galleon-sail skirts.

With her belongings gathered, Kayla took a deep breath and marched deliberately along the campus “stones.” As she moved, she could see the busy speck-sized crowds below pausing in their tracks to look up in wonder at her. They quieted their conversations and put down their phones as well, all of which made Kayla meekly self-conscious, not used to having the attention zeroed to her in her faraway hometown. Back home, she was of roughly average height, if not a couple hundred feet below the median. But, the girl supposed she’d have to get over that feeling, if she was ever going to be successful at this doll-sized campus. Passing by the buildings any taller than ground level, the Omega had to imagine the view was a little unsettling for any individuals inside unaccustomed to spending so much time around mile-high creatures. One moment, they’d be zoning out of the lecture, gazing daydreamily through the window to the cloudy sky and treetops beyond, and the next moment, they’d see a flash of plaid eclipsing the sun, or the slender yet mighty freckly pillars of her legs swinging by like humongous pendulums.

Each time Kayla’s shoe was about to land in another stepping stone lot, she was cautious in her approach, setting her foot down heel-first before rolling the rest of the rubbery tread down to earth from back to toe, so as not to rattle the surrounding area too severely. There was still some reverberation, as even from this height, the Omega could spot nearby street lights and benches wobbling every time a slip-on flat shoe the size of an Alpha battleship made berth again. This was still to say nothing of the students who had to get their “sea legs” if they happened to be standing within spitting distance of those incoming soles. Like Kayla, though, everyone else was in for some adjustment this year as well.

Due to moving at such a glacial pace, inspecting each and every concrete slab to make sure it was empty of tiny dare-takers before completing her next ginger step, Kayla required an entire two minutes to reach the football field. She arrived feeling nervous that she’d missed the meeting due to her paranoid care in getting here, but was surprised to find she still had more than ten minutes to spare, and so hardly anyone had beat her. The giantess spotted the group right away, though. Probably thanks to Erin, a small cluster of Alphas had gathered in the highest balcony of the stadium, putting them as close as possible to the Omega’s eyes when she arrived. Of course, even while sitting pretzel-style in her delineated lot outside the football field, the loftiest seats only reached just below Kayla’s chest, but it was sufficient. She shuffled in closer until her knees touched the outer shell wall of the stadium; her fingers wrapped gently around the cusp of the rounded arena, and at last her face loomed large and amiable over the top balcony, until all present were radiated in the comforting heat of her smile, kind eyes, and steady warm breath.

Kayla saw about half the assembled group flinch upon looking up to see her for the first time, even though they knew she was coming, which the girl was resignedly content with. This, too, was something she’d have to get used to. Her mother had reassured her that smaller classes having physical reactions to her presence wasn’t a sign of disdain or even necessarily real fear, but simply a visceral response to seeing something so utterly astronomic and alive. Hoping to get past the awkward meeting stage as soon as possible, Kayla slowly waggled her curled fingers in an approximation of a wave to them, then broadened her smile.

“Hello, everyone,” she whispered low and sweet, despite the volume still coming out louder than the stadium’s industrial speakers would at full blast.

Happily, this group proved Kayla’s mother correct by waving and greeting her back, some reservedly, but most with enthusiasm. A few even jumped up and down. The Omega couldn’t help but giggle with relief. From her closed-in perspective, she could now distinguish that there were ten Alphas present, and a more were trickling in all the time as the minutes passed. Eventually Erin appeared too, and aggressively made her way to the railing closest to Kayla’s side of the wall.

“Hi!” Erin cheered. “I’m so glad you could make it!”

“Well, I said I’d be here. And this is important,” Kayla affirmed. She nervously eyed her new friendly-acquaintance once again almost-dangling over a high drop just to speak to her. “You… um, don’t have to lean over so far if you don’t want to. I can hear you, honest.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine. C’mon, don’t be shy, introduce yourself to everyone!” Erin invited. Just as the distant campus clock tower chimed on the hour, Kayla smiled down at the gathered crowd of three-dozen Alpha student peers. It was a meager-sized group, individually and as a unit, but they looked like go-getters to the mile-tall recruit; there was an even mix of men and women with various body types and cultural backgrounds. The Omega was only disappointed not to find every single person who’d attended that first lecture here as well, considering that they too had heard about the disturbing state of the world.

“My name is Kayla,” she said. “I’m… new here.”

The group tittered with appreciative laughter, which made the Omega uncomfortable for a second, though she relaxed again upon realizing they were likely reacting in much the way Erin had this morning. Obviously she was new here.