My name is Ivan Braginski and I was born a giant. Wait a minute; this story isn't told in first person? How did I get here? Is this the recording room for the narrator? Wait since when am I aware of a narrator!? What's going on!?

Ivan sat in the back of his father's car and looked around. His younger sister was sleeping on his shoulder. Should he move? What if she wakes up? He let her stay there and looked out the window.

"Oh you're awake!"

"Father, what are we doing?"

"You don't remember? The school gave everyone a long weekend so I took off from work and we're going to your grandparent's place."

"That means…. We're going up into the mountains…"

"Look out the window."

Ivan looked out the window again. How did he not notice the huge trees and the fact that it was full of snow? Down at the base there is still a long while before winter but here Ivan was, in his least favorite season, far above the world he was growing accustomed to.

Ivan could never understand why his grandparents chose to live away from civilization in the tundra. His grandfather was known as General Winter back in the war for his love of the cold and his equally frozen personality. He was cruel and left a bad taste in your mouth and smelled of cigars. He didn't like being called grandpa, he preferred General.

They arrived at his grandparent's home. Ivan gulped and woke up his sister gently.

"S-sister, ummm we're here?"

"I know, just let me stay here a while longer…"

"YOU WEREN'T SLEEPING!?"

Ivan burst out of the car and smacked into a man 2 heads taller than Ivan. He fell back into the snow and trembled with fear and also in the cold.

"G-general!"

"Ivan, welcome to my home…"

The man held a large cigar and had a secretive and deep voice. His wrinkles each held a story of death and his long coat and tall furry hat reminded Ivan of the soviet age. This was his grandfather, this was General Winter. Ivan's father quickly picked the boy up and put him back on his feet.

"Ivan you aren't wearing a coat, at least put this blanket on."

Ivan's father handed him a blanket and Ivan continued to wrap it around him like a cloak and he made a hood out of it. General Winter's cigar fell out of his mouth and into the snow. He stared at Ivan for a minute.

"Hahahahahaaha! You look just like a nun! Hahahahahaahaha!"

His laugh was hearty like a pirate's. His words were just like his father's.

"Alright then, everyone come inside."

He led them into his home. He opened the thick wooden door and hot air greeted Ivan's pink nose. Then an older woman came out of another door. She was relatively cute and had her white hair back in a long braid slinging over her shoulder. Ivan's family has very thick hair, he was glad because he knew he would never be bald, just a note.

"Hello dears, dinner will be ready soon, I hope you're hungry."

They shuffled into the house where General told Natalia about a gift he had for her: a nice violent gift. Ivan cleared from the room and went into the kitchen.

"Thank you for letting us stay in your home this weekend Grandmamma."

"Oh Ivan we've missed you, and your father too. He's such a good-looking man, but of course he is, he has my genetics. Ohh hee hee I'm just teasing. How was the drive?"

Long and painful.

"It was fine, I was asleep for a lot of it."

"Oh I wish I had pictures of you sleeping. I know I have some from when you were younger, would you like to look? Oh wait! Do you remember that one Halloween, before Natalia was born, you walked around naked with a witch's hat? Oh I know I have that picture somewhere."

"Grandmamma!"

"Yes dear?"

"Your ummm food is burning?"

"Oh no deary this food is for you, I ate already. I sweetened it with arsenic, your favorite."

"Grandmamma no! The courts finally let you out of the hospital! You can't keep poisoning me!"

"Yes I can. Besides, by now I'm sure you're immune. I just don't want your future wife to try and poison you when you're all grown up and filthy rich and sending your Grandmamma bags of groceries."

"I know, you're only trying to kill me out of love. You're just like Natalia."

"No, no. She's just like me. I was born long before her. Oh I lucked out. I was born when the world was changing at a rapid speed. It was like everyday some new form of witchcraft was being discovered. Your world is at a slow point I'm afraid."

"Grandmamma, I love you, but I have no idea what you're talking about most of the time."

"Oh! Soups on!"

She shooed Ivan into the dining room and told him to collect everyone to the table while she set up the dishes. Ivan took his seat, between his father and General Winter. Natalia sat across the table and tired to play footsie. Then his Grandmamma came in and served the food. His father chowed down like nothing was wrong and so did his sister. Everything seemed alright so Ivan took a spoonful of his portion and moved it to his mouth.

"Oh Grandmamma! I see you sweetened it with arsenic! My favorite!"

Grandmamma nodded kindly thanking her granddaughter. Ivan was very afraid: Grandmamma wasn't kidding this time.

Two Hours of Throw Up Later…

"Ivan I can't believe you aren't immune yet, Natalia drank a whole bottle already and she's fine. Your father is in good condition too! You're the only one in our family that can't handle even a spoonful of arsenic."

Ivan just tuned her out. His grandfather was a mercenary and his grandmother was a murderer. It was fun at first but then they started to show their love in a more… affectionate way.

Ivan sat around locked in a bathroom listening to his music. Then he switched to the poetry playlist. He used to be ashamed to have recordings of poetry; it made him feel like that kid. He wasn't a poser or anything, he just liked it. He closed his eyes and listen to Allen Ginsberg talk about being "fucked in the ass with joy." Then it clicked and he turned his sounds off. He stared at the corner of the wall. His lips pursed together and his eyes were wide and his cheeks were red.

"Well then."

Then he thought about Feliciano and smacked his head on the corner of wall, drawing blood.

"Feli is my friend, I'm not going there."

Then he thought about what Matthew did and smacked his head on the wall again, this time he was sure a bruise would form.

"Matthew and I are friends, he's just a forward kid."

Then he thought about what Felix said about his transitions in emotion. Ivan flopped onto the floor of his grandparent's house's bathroom. He put his headphones back in and put it on to some random music.

"All I wanna do is BANG BANG BANG BANG and CLICK CHING and take your money."

Other than that Ivan had no idea what the singer was saying, which was good, he focused on her slurred speech and not on his own thoughts. He closed his eyes realizing just how much his head hurt. How was he going to explain this injury? He's a pervert and tried to bash the thoughts out of his head? He couldn't say that?

This felt sort of like when he was high, the lightheadedness and the lack of sound. Oh, he might have given himself a concussion. Wow. He was back with the sunflowers and Feli was sleeping on him again while Felix put lipstick on Ivan's face. Lipstick, that didn't happen in detention? Whatever, that doesn't really matter now does it.

Ivan's eyes opened when a loud thumping and yelling could be heard from the other side of the door. How long was he out?

"Ivan, are you okay?"

General Winter.

"I'm fine General."

"General… what happened?"

"When I was throwing up I smacked my head on the wall."

Way to go Ivan, good thinking.

"What? Okay get out here now, you probably have a concussion."

"Yeah I think I do."

After Ivan left the sanctuary of his bathroom his grandfather took him into the master bathroom where he pulled out a first aid kit from under the sink. General Winter began cleaning the gash.

"You might have to go to the hospital tomorrow. I can't believe your trip has to be cut short."

"Yeah, ow."

"So, word on the street is you've got some new friends."

"Oh! One of them hugged me! And on of them is a drag queen. And another one does things to get out of speeding tickets!"

General Winter laughed sort of like Santa, but in a more frightening way.

"You don't think they're weird?"

"Weird? They sound nice. Last I heard you didn't have any friends at all. Who cares if they're a little strange, they like you for you right?"

"Y-Yeah. Wow Grandpa, you always seem so heartless, but right now you don't seem like it at all."

His grandfather stared at Ivan dumb founded.

"What is it?"

"That's the first time you've ever called me Grandpa. I like it."

"That's because you prefer General Winter…"

"Hahaha! Now when did I tell you that?"

Ivan thought about it. That's right, Ivan had been making assumptions this whole time. His grandfather never once had Ivan call him that. After his war stories Ivan just assumed that's what he would prefer to be called. Ivan felt kind of stupid. That must have emotionally scarred his grandfather.

"I'm sorry Grandpa."

"Why? General Winter makes me sound like a bad ass. The only reason I didn't like it when you called me it was because you sounded afraid of me. I'm your old man's old man, you could probably beat the crap out of my and my bones of vodka."

Ivan stared at General Winter, who the hell? Why was he acting like this? Ivan had never seen him be so… vulnerable. Ivan looked into the first aid kit and saw most of it's contents consisted of different vodkas.

"Grandpa, let's get you to bed."

"Forward aren't cha! You're just like Romulus! Oh that gramps was a looker for his age!"

"Okay Grandpa…"

"All quiet on the western front, but on the eastern front you could hear quite the howling of wild wolves!"

Ivan sent his Grandfather to bed and Ivan stopped dead in his tracks. What did his Grandfather say? Whatever, he's just being himself a little too much. Ivan went into his father's room. His dad asked how he was after setting down his book. Ivan told him that he probably had a concussion and they made plans to leave back for town the next day.

And so the next day came and Ivan loaded himself into the car and waved goodbye to his grandparents.

Yay! Halfway pointless chapter! Just random details, I think for you to truly care about Ivan you should throw in lots of filler! Yay! So what do you guys think? Lol Grandmamma is awesome if you ask me. Well that's it for now!