Author’s note. The Beginning was the second story I ever wrote. It was a total re-write of my original GH-X2 side story. I haven't touched it in a year, and wasn't planning on doing anything else with it. But then I had an idea for a chapter, and so here it is. It has a much different tone than the original story, but I hope that you find it enjoyable and entertaining.

Greg was about to start is sophomore year of high school in a rapidly changing world. He had applied to several stores that were looking for people to stock shelves, or help unload trucks after his freshman year ended. But every one of those positions were filled by students who had received the shot, or formula as it became known as.

Even grass cutting was affected. New developments set up for the new sized families had much larger areas of grass. It would take a normal sized person with a normal sized mower almost the entire day to finish the lawn. The larger sized teens with much bigger mowers could have the job done in about an hour.

So, Greg and AJ were only able to mow the lawns of a rapidly dwindling number of small properties. Such was life. 

But there was a benefit to all of that. He and Sophia got to spend more time together. Of course, without a steady summer job, they had to spend time at each other's houses. That was nice, but with parents around, Greg had to always be the perfect gentleman. 

As the new school year was just a couple of days away from starting, Greg thought back to his freshman year. By and large, it was a good year. Football, or any other sport he and AJ wanted to play had become off limits due to their smaller size compared to his classmates who took the formula.

Greg felt an equal mixture of humor and anger. Here he was, 6’7” and 230lbs, and was considered too small for sports. He just shook his head. Just thinking about it made his blood boil. He thought about calling Sophia, but realized that his mood would ruin the conversation. So he just went out for a walk.

Greg walked for hours. He had gotten so upset just thinking about not being able to play real sports, that he had lost track of where he was. He came to the edge of a wooded area, which he didn't recognize. Looking around, he spotted a playground off to one side. 

He made his way towards it, thinking that if he could get a street name, he could reorient himself, and head back home. 

As he got closer and closer, he realized that everything about the playground was large. He immediately knew he had wandered into a newer development. He turned to go back the way he came, but was blocked. 

Blocked by three girls, who looked much younger than Greg. Looking at the three of them, he guessed that they were going into 5th grade. But they were still over a foot and a half taller than he was. 

He tried to be polite and excuse himself and leave, but the girls never moved. One of them asked what he was doing in their playground. Greg patiently explained that he was actually lost, and was looking for a street name. 

The girls looked at each other, and laughed. Another one mockingly told him that ‘little boys’ shouldn't be walking around alone. It was too dangerous. 

Those words sent a negative shiver down Greg's spine. He was in serious trouble, and he knew it. He could handle himself rather well under normal circumstances due to his size and strength. But here, he was outclassed. Any of the girls could handle him without much effort by themselves. But they were together, and fear came across his face.

The girls noticed, and started laughing among themselves. Then they turned their attention back to Greg, and one took a step in his direction, which caused him to take two steps back. 

The girls laughed even louder, and then all three stepped towards him. Greg thought about running, but the size of the girls meant that they could catch up to him before he had a chance to get far away. 

As the girls got closer, Greg was about to beg them to let him by so he could go home, when he heard a voice from behind him, asking what was going on? The voice sounded so familiar to him. He was trying to place the voice to images running through his head, when the question was repeated.

The girls looked up at the figure coming towards them, and suddenly stopped dead in their tracks. And a look of concern overcame their faces. Greg turned around and saw the 11’ figure of Candance right next to him. 

The girls told her that nothing was going on, but Candace wasn't buying it. She told the girls that Greg was her friend, and if they did anything to him, they would have to deal with her.

Greg had not had any dealings with Candace since that day in 8th grade when Mr Franks had a talk with her. But boy, was he as happy to see her as anyone in his life. 

Candace could see the look of tremendous relief on Greg's face. She put two and two together and knew what the three girls were about to do to him. She looked at them, with a seriousness that caught the girls off guard. She told them to apologize to Greg. 

The girls were about to object when they saw Candace step towards them. Then they couldn't apologize enough to Greg, and the three of them turned and walked quickly away. 

Candace looked down at Greg and asked him if he was ok. Greg said that he was doing better than five minutes ago. She asked him how he ended up in her development. Greg explained that he went for a walk to clear his mind, then lost his bearings, and ended up there.

Candace smiled at him, and suggested that he avoid her development, explaining that the girls he just met were developing a reputation for bad behavior and aggressiveness towards smaller boys, especially those older than them.

Greg looked up at her. It was the first time in his life that he was glad a 7th grader was around, and he was so happy it was Candace. All he could say was thank you to the girl that saved him from harm. 

Candace said it was no problem, and gave him the directions to exit her development and get back to his house. He again said thank you and quickly went on his way. Candace watched for several minutes, making sure that the girls weren't waiting for Greg, and once she was satisfied, turned and went back to the playground.

Greg made it back to his house just as dinner was going on the table. He said hi to his parents and went to the bathroom to wash up. He made no mention of his “near death” experience, as there was no reason to upset his mom and dad. But he also felt a little embarrassed that he, a 6’7” 230lb male had to be rescued by a girl going into 7th grade. He was beginning to truly understand how life would be in the future.