**Author's Note** Hello, world of fanfiction! I hope you enjoy this Epic story. Any constructive criticisms are quite appreciated but please no ignorant slander. Thank you! -Lisette

*I do not own Epic or any other its characters.

Almost a year has passed since M.K. became a little person and helped temporarily defeat the Boggans and their leader, Mandrake. A year has passed since M.K. saw life through the eyes of Moonhaven's leafmen. A year has passed since she had ventured out of her comfort zone and courageously protected the pod chosen by the queen, Tara. And it has been a year since M.K. had the most adventurous, exciting time of her life with a boy named Nod. Unfortunately, she was regrown to her normal size by the new queen, and although she has been speaking with Nod through her father's cameras- and, occasionally, in person when a jealous slug named Mub put Nod's head in his mouth- she can never speak to him face to face without the help of her dad's technology.

What hurts her most is that Nod can no longer hold her in his strong arms, or kiss her with his soft lips, or run his hands through her ginger hair. Mary Katherine longs to look into his eyes and to hold him close. She wants to hold him and never let go. Being a "stomper," all she can do is hope that one day she can run into his arms and kiss him passionately.

During the school year, M.K. had hardly any time to speak with her forest friend; being a senior was rough, especially because of the three AP classes she took. She hardly had any time to breathe, let alone communicate with someone two inches tall. The only time she really had to talk with Nod had been during winter break, but even then she had multiple assignments due, including: projects, essays, and book readings. She had hoped to have a bit more time to spend with him during spring break, but a close friend of hers had invited her to spend the week at her cabin for some peace and quiet. Although M.K. wanted to spend time with Nod, she also knew that spring time was particularly hectic for the leafmen, what with protecting the queen while she worked on newly budding plants and keeping the Boggans in check. As a result, M.K. agreed to her friend's offer, hoping for some peace from her studies.

Sadly, her friend invited three other girls as well, and it soon became a high-spirited get-together filled with doing one another's hair and nails, gossiping, and talking about boys. One night, when the girls asked M.K. is she had any crushes, she spoke of a sweet yet slightly cocky boy she had met the previous summer who delivered mail near her father's house. The girls immediately gathered around M.K., asking question after question:

What does he look like?

Is he handsome? I bet he's handsome.

What did you guys talk about?

Did you get really close?

Did you kiss?

That last question hung in the air around them like a balloon so highly inflated that it could burst at any moment. Although she tried to hide it, M.K.'s lips turned up ever so slightly, and it did not go unnoticed. The girls pounced on this newborn knowledge, once again erupting in questions. They wanted to know:

Oh my God, how was it?

Was he a good kisser? I bet he was.

Did you guys French kiss?

Was it passionate? Was it sweet?

Did you go "all the way?"

A blush rose on M.K.'s face, and by the last inquiry, she could feel her whole face and ears burning. A gasp emitted from one of the girls, "Oh my God, did you?"

"Most certainly not!" M.K. replied, shaking her head in embarrassment. I can't even think about having sex with Nod. That would be so… An even deeper blush washed over her face. She had never thought of Nod in such a way. Well, perhaps not ever, being a teenage girl. And she had to admit that she would not mind being that close to his lean, muscular body… What am I thinking?! Get it together, M.K.!

Snapping out of her reverie, she answered the girls' endless interrogation the best she could without giving anything away about Nod's true identity- for she knew they would pester her if she completely ignored them- and then tried to change the subject. Needless to say, it had been an interesting evening for all of them.

Now that it is summer again, M.K. is determined to speak with Nod and possibly tell him about her feelings, her future, and whether or not he could be a part of it. She told herself that after a year, the new queen must have enhanced her powers, and she hoped that the queen would do her a favor. Said favor could ultimately ruin her life or save her from a life of regret.