For James, the summer seemed to drag on more than he could ever remember. He was throwing a football around with Todd every day, but it really didn't help the time pass quickly.

It was the first day of July when the parents of all the students got a letter in the mail from the Westmont School District stating that the new Westmont Regional School would be open for the upcoming year. It would encompass the elementary school on one side, and the high school on the other. Students would be receiving keycards with ID numbers outside the building on the first day of school.

James didn't think too much of the letter. A new school was the same as the old school. As long as he could play football with Todd, he was happy.

It wasn't until he and Todd were riding their bikes near the lake that James saw something that he would never have believed in a million years. As they were riding past the area that until recently had been under construction, they came across what appeared to be a really tall woman walking down the road towards the area that had been completed.

Except that they noticed that her face was much too young to be an adult. In fact, to James, it looked like she was around the age of 8. 

So they stopped their bikes and asked the girl if she was lost. The girl eyed them suspiciously at first. But they introduced themselves as James and Todd, and said that they were concerned, because nobody walks down this road by themselves. The girl said her name was Amanda. And when the boys got off their bikes, they were taken aback. James had grown to six foot five inches, yet the girl in front of him was basically eye level with him. And she was taller than Todd's five foot eleven inched frame by a good four inches. They asked her how old she was, and she replied that she had just turned 8. She said that her family, plus others, had moved into their new home last week, as she pointed to the new development. 

And then Amanda excused herself and headed towards her home. James and Todd got on their bikes and headed back towards his house, still not believing what they just saw.

If James and Todd were still in disbelief about what they saw that July day, it was nothing compared to what they saw the beginning of August. 

When they went to ride their bikes down the dirt road, it was closed for construction. It appeared that some trees on either side of the road were cleared. The dirt had been replaced with asphalt. But then they saw what appeared to be a sedan coming out of the development. But it wasn't an ordinary sedan. It was a tall as a Hummer, but longer. It had sedan sized tires, but they were wider. As the car drove by, they could see what appeared to be a mother and daughter in the front seat. But what James had trouble understanding was with the height of the car, the only way a person could drive it was by raising the seat and using things to reach the pedals. The lady driving looked like she wasn't using anything like that. 

He and Todd, turned their bikes around and headed back towards his house. His dad was home, which was early for him. He and Todd entered the door leading into the kitchen. James saw his parents sitting at the table talking. They said hi to Todd, and told him that his parents wanted him to come home. Todd said goodbye, and left.

James could see a strange expression on his dad's face. Usually he was a picture of calm, but something was different about him. James asked his dad what was wrong. His dad replied that 200 new employees that were hired by the mine went through orientation in the morning, followed by a tour of the mine right after. His dad couldn't believe what he saw. Men, real men, were of a size he couldn't comprehend. He said that he didn't even come up to their waistlines. He was six foot four inches tall, and he didn't even come up to their waistlines.

Tom said that when James had been born, the whole town had heard of a formula that would increase size and mass. But the people of Westmont never really paid attention to it. It was just assumed that their little town in the mountains wouldn't be worth the trouble if they had to move somewhere. But how they were wrong.

And their attitudes were something he didn't care for. They kept referring to him as the little Beta forman. He asked what they meant, but they just ignored him. He never lost his temper at any point in his life, but this was the one time he was getting angry. But he also looked at the size, and decided it would be best for him not to make a scene.

He told James that if the children were anything like they were, he should be very careful at school. He sensed that they weren't really concerned about getting in trouble. 

James recounted what he and Todd saw earlier, and about the huge car. His dad had a look of trepidation in his eyes. But he didn't know what kind of advice to give his son.