Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Infestation, Part 3 of 4
   Occult Horror
   Summary: Zaira has lost her home, her parents, and is a strange girl in
a world that knows nothing about her nature or her needs.
   <->
   -_ Shifting _-
   Guardian Vincent sighed at the name on the caller ID: Gordon.  He
answered the phone and waited.
   "Vincent."
   "Sir?"
   "I'm looking at a report on the House of Garai dated over a year ago. 
Do you have eyes on the place?  If so, send me whatever you have.  I'm
hoping this is a paperwork problem."
   "No, I've put all of our resources on the girl."
   "The," Papers shuffled, a metal drawer rolled open.  "Zaira girl."
   "Yes, sir."
   "I don't see a current report for even longer.  How do you know she's
alive?"
   "Her body hasn't been found.  I'm trying to establish a connection to
have her declared missing.  I think I can hire--"
   "Waste more resources you mean?  What are the Houses' current
membership? Who is the leader?  Are they having more abominations?  This is
what we need to focus on, not some girl who, if what I read is accurate, is
healthy, smart, and not our problem.  I doubt she was conceived in the
manner the others had been."
   "But if she's alive, then we have a major problem."
   "The girl isn't within the group, or hell, maybe she is, but we don't
have anyone on the inside.  If she's not, then she's safe, away from them,
which is our stated goal.  What's the problem here, Vincent?"
   "The problem is that we do know the rituals were performed regarding her
birth.  We do know that despite these things, she did not have physical
deformities or mental retardation.  We do know that every place this child
has been has left no one alive in her absence."
   "The child could not have committed those murders.  The other woman died
in an accident.  Most importantly, no further incidents have been reported.
Drop the case.  Our calling is to guard the purity and natural state of the
human race, the untainted evolution of the human genetic code."
   "And you honestly want me to drop the search from the one healthy female
this group has produced?"
   "As opposed to finding the male?" A loud snap, pages flipping.  "There
was a male born to the group 17 years ago.  No one knows his name.  I need
someone to get in there and get me some intel.  A seventeen year old male
or an eleven year old girl.  Tell me who is the bigger threat to humanity?
Focus on the current known members instead of an unknown child of
indeterminate peril.  Immediately.  Understood?"
   "Yes, sir.  I'll do it myself."
   "See that you do."
   ***
   Zaira heard the footsteps, the crush of leaves under a heavy foot, but
she kept her eyes closed, focused on the flow of her breath.
   "Hey there," a male voice.  "Are you all right?"
   "Yes." She kept her eyes closed, hoping he would just walk away.
   "What are you doing?"
   "Meditating."
   "Can I join you?"
   She nodded.
   He sat down in front of her.  The man's breath sounded heavy, a little
shaky.
   The voices she had worked so hard at quieting grew in volume.  Whispers.
Giggles.  Scratching sounds.  Leaves rustling.  Clicking.
   "Whatever you're thinking," said Zaira, "it's a bad idea."
   "Is it now?"
   Zaira was only a few feet from the playground, within view of others,
but on the other side of a tree.  She opened her eyes and stood,
unimpressed by his open pants.  She walked further into the woods.
   "Hey now?  Where are you headed?"
   "Away from others."
   He chuckled and caught up with her, pants still unfastened.  "See this?"
   "I see it."
   "You want to touch it?"
   "I don't want anyone to see."
   "Good idea.  I want to see what you've got under those pretty panties of
yours.  How about that?"
   Zaira turned to face him.  The man tripped backwards onto his ass.  He
opened his mouth to scream, but only a choked sound left him.  The world
around him rippled and shimmered as the things around her pounced on him,
laughing, sinking into his skin, tearing him open.
   'Play.  Come play.  Taste it.'
   Small steps backward, away from the man.  He looked so sad now, full of
so much pain.  The look of fear in his face had nothing to do with the
creatures crawling over and through him.  He was looking at her, afraid of
her.
   Zaira touched her face, the muscles were tensed, pulled, her lips tight.
   ***
   Zaira blinked her eyes open.  A black ant crawled over a fuzzy leaf,
followed by another, carrying something twice its size.  She pushed herself
upright.
   Scraps of dark clothing over what was left of a mangled pool of flesh
and bone.
   Beside that, a mountain lion, two.  One bit down on the body and drug it
further into the woods.  The other took a few steps closer, as if trying to
sneak up on her.
   Zaira didn't know what to do or say.  She couldn't take her eyes off it
for even a second to look around.  It kept coming until she could feel it
breathing on her face.  Its rough tongue licked her cheek, her neck.
   Blood, she was covered in it, her face, neck, hands, but she let the big
cat lick her clean, afraid that if she resisted, it would bite her or try
to eat her.
   It pushed her with its head.
   Zaira got to her feet, and then it pushed her again, back toward the
park.
   She ran, but not back to the park.  Zaira didn't remember how to get
back there, where she was going, where she had gotten to.
   "Where are you?" Zaira sniffled and looked around.  Trees, a street she
didn't recognize, a parking lot.
   Her shadow friend took her hand and they walked toward the parking lot.
   "Zaira!" Brian, Olivia's father, drove toward her.  He got out, ran
over. "Are you hurt?"
   "No, sir."
   "Here." He took off his jacket and put it on her.  "I was worried about
you.  You weren't at the park." He kneeled down and put his hands on her
shoulders.  "Zaira, look at me, sweetheart.  Did someone hurt you?"
   "Somebody tried," she whispered, "but they didn't get very far."
   "Did somebody stop them?"
   She nodded.  Brian worked a lot.  He wasn't home all the time like her
previous daddies, but he was always very kind to her.  He liked to smile a
lot, and his body was very soft and round.  Zaira enjoyed hugging him, but
she tried not to do it too much.
   She rubbed her nose and a few flakes of blood came off on the back of
her hand.
   "Keep the jacket on." He zipped it closed.  "Let's get you home."
   They didn't say much on the way.  Zaira expected him to be worried,
upset, to lecture her about going too far from the house, but he didn't say
anything.  Occasionally he reached over to hold her hand, to rub his thumb
over the back of her palm.
   "When you get inside, go straight to the shower.  Take off everything
and ball it up in my jacket, even your shoes."
   "Yes, sir."
   They got inside and Zaira headed for the stairs.
   "Did you find her?" Sheila said from the kitchen.
   "Yes, our little spider was exactly where you said she'd be, at the
park. She just lost track of time, that's all.  She's getting washed up
now." Brian pointed up the stairs and mouthed the word, 'go.'
   Sheila stood in the hallway and frowned at her husband.  "That's the
third time you've said that.  Why do you call her a spider?  That's not
very nice."
   "She doesn't mind it."
   "But why?  It's not even cute."
   Brian waited to hear the shower going before he walked over to Sheila.
"That's my point.  She's a creature in the house that you initially take a
step back from, or you're afraid of.  Then you remember that she's the only
thing between you and the things that are worse than her.  A spider,
keeping the bad insects at bay."
   "I'm sorry.  Did you just call Zaira a creature?"
   "If you spent more time around her, I wouldn't have to explain it. 
Zaira is a good girl; she's got a great heart.  Just keep your eyes open
around her and you'll see what I mean one day, but don't worry."
   "I think you dropped one too many tabs in college.  Dinner will be ready
in a few."
   "You didn't do enough.  I've got some things to do upstairs and I'll be
right back down."
   ***
   Brian always had a hard time sleeping through the night.  When Olivia
was born, he used her as an excuse to go walking through the house.  Before
her, he claimed to be checking the locks on the doors and windows, but that
made him seem paranoid when he was merely awake with nothing better to do.
   Zaira's arrival meant checking on her as well.  His heart always beat a
little faster when he peeked into her room.  It didn't happen every night,
but sometimes, maybe once a month, he saw something that made him catch his
breath.  He could never describe it, but he felt things around Zaira,
especially at night.
   Quite by accident or instinct, the first time this happened he
whispered, "Just checking up on Zaira.  I don't mean her any harm," and
promptly left the room.
   Zaira, more than pretending to check the locks, made him feel like he
was potentially going crazy.  When he found her soaked in blood, bits of
dark in her hair, and staining her clothes, Brian thought about his words,
'don't mean her any harm.'
   Olivia was fine, as usual.  He moved on down the hallway and looked in
on Zaira.
   There was something in front of the window.  Something that could not
have been his little spider.  At first he thought a tall piece of furniture
had been pushed in front of the window, a coat rack, but they didn't have
one of those.  His brain rushed through all kinds of possibilities, but
then the thing moved.  A long thin-limbed thing turned and looked at him.
   It was the face of the thing that broke him.  Large slanted eyes, a wide
mouth, long legs and arms.  Not anyone he knew, not anything he knew.  A
monster.
   He turned and ran.  He ran before he was conscious of where he was
headed or why.  He ran blind, in the dark.  He wasn't sure of where he was
in the house.  He'd only registered hitting the railing after he'd done it.
Too late to correct his path, too late to stop the forward fall down the
stairs.  The step met his face faster than his hand reached out to brace
his fall.
   A pinch, the lightning rod of cold pain, then nothing.  Something wet on
his cheek.  Light from the kitchen.
   Brian thought Sheila's name, but nothing moved to vocalize his cry for
help.
   Zaira heard the fall.  She got out of bed and walked over to the
railing. He looked all jumbled up on the steps.  She took a few steps
toward him but was halted by a hand on her shoulder.
   She looked up to her friend.  She took Zaira's hand and led her back to
bed, pulled the covers up to her chin and then put a finger to the girl's
lips.
   Zaira wanted to get someone to help him, but she understood.  She might
get blamed.  She'd heard stories from other children.  Don't be anywhere
near the site of a problem.  The foster child is always blamed first.
   "Don't let him lay there all night.  Please?"
   Her friend nodded and walked outside the room.
   Zaira lay in her bed for a long time, waiting to hear a cry for help,
something that would let her know his body had been found.  Her friend
walked back into the room, pulled the covers back and took her hand.  This
time she shadow took her to Sheila's room.
   Zaira rushed over and pat Sheila on the shoulder.
   "What is it?"
   "Daddy Brian needs help.  I think he fell."
   Sheila rolled out of bed, annoyed but concerned.  It was nearly 3am.  He
should have been back asleep by this hour.
   Think he fell was an understatement.  She called 911, but by the time
she got down the stairs to him she knew it was too late.
   ***
   Olivia loved taking Zaira with her to the mall, the movies, out to the
park - anywhere.  She was like a puppy, her cuteness attracting boys and
girls of all walks of life.  At first Olivia felt guilty, using Zaira to
make friends, to make herself more popular.  After her father's death,
going out was the only way to escape her mother's depression.
   It got so that Olivia didn't even have to ask, Zaira woke in the morning
dressed and ready to go, eager to be surrounded by people as much as
Olivia, anxious to get out the house.
   "Liv!"
   Olivia squealed and schooled her features before turning away from the
store front.  Jason, the object of her crush for several months now,
crossed the courtyard.
   "Hey, how have you been?"
   "Great." She put her arm around Zaira's shoulders.  "This is my foster
sister, Zaira."
   "Hi!" Zaira put on her best smile and offered her tiny hand.
   "What are you two up to?"
   Olivia shrugged slightly.  "Nothing much, just window shopping."
   "Mind if I join you?"
   "Um, yeah, I mean, no.  I don't mind.  Do you?" Olivia looked down.
   Zaira said, "Can we go get ice cream?"
   "Sure.  My treat, cutie."
   ***
   Sheila paused in her pacing to stare up at the balcony.  This had been
their first house.  Olivia had been no more than a glimmer in their
imagination.  Brian had been an insomniac since she met him, but never a
clumsy one.  He didn't go around banging against furniture, stubbing his
toe.  He could find his way through a dark room like he had it memorized.
   That girl refused to talk about what happened that night.  She opened
her mouth to tell the lame story once and never again.  When the grief
counselor pressed her, all she got were tears.
   Sheila didn't buy it.  How long did she know he was hurt?  What
happened? When did she wake up?
   She poured another drink to calm her nerves.
   Other questions surfaced the longer Zaira refused to discuss that night.
   Was Brian doing something inappropriate to Zaira?  Is that why the girls
were getting closer?  Had he done something to the both of them?  Had she
been a bad mother for not suspecting this sooner?
   These terrible thoughts about the man she loved and lost fueled her
anger.  Her family had been destroyed, broken.
   When she closed her eyes at night, his face rose from the depths. 
Twisted, pale, eyes stuck open.  His expression frozen as if he'd been
terrified in those last moments.
   Her dreams were worse.  She dreamed of her house covered in thick, gray
webbing.  A massive black widow spider dropped from the ceiling, spinning
Brian into a cocoon.  Her daughter, struggling in the strands, screaming
for Sheila to help.
   The front door opened and laughter filled the house.
   Sheila wiped the tears from her cheeks.  Blinked her weary eyes dry. 
How could they laugh?  What was so fucking funny?  Their laughter rose up
the stairs as if her only love had not died there only a month ago.
   ***
   Sheila pulled her daughter aside and whispered.  "I think I need to call
the foster home about taking Zaira back.  Now that your father is gone, we
need to--"
   "The system isn't a dog pound, and just because you don't love her any
more doesn't mean she's not family."
   "How could you say that?  I'm trying to think of you, of us."
   "No, you're thinking of yourself.  You need to get your act together. 
Dad is gone, and Zaira isn't the only one who could use a loving mother."
She snatched away from her and went up to her room.
   -_ Control _-
   "I saw Jasper again." Olivia rubbed the facial mask into Zaira's face.
They were playing spa.  Both of them wore robes with hot towels on their
oiled hair.  "He stopped by my class after the fourth bell.  We talked all
the way to my next class."
   When it came Zaira's turn, her tiny fingers worked in small circles,
evenly applying the mask.  Zaira had a way of making Olivia feel completely
relaxed, almost sleepy.  She called Zaira's hands pure magic and often
asked her for back rubs.  Zaira never complained when Olivia asked her to
give back rubs to her friends.  She seemed to genuinely like being around
other people.
   "Did you invite him over?"
   Olivia's cheeks stiffened, but she held in her smile.  "Almost.  I don't
want to seem desperate.  I'm not sure mom will let a boy come over."
   "Ask him out on a date, without me.  Let him know you're serious."
   "I wish.  He's two years older than me.  I can't even keep a straight
face when I think about him.  Trying to ask permission to date him would
give everything away.  I just know it."
   "If..."
   Olivia cracked one eye open.
   "Emily is having a sleep over, and I know you didn't want to go, but, if
you say we're going to the movies, and drop me off, then go out with
Jasper..."
   Olivia made a mock gasp.  "You little schemer!"
   Zaira giggled and rolled her head from side to side.
   "Maybe," Olivia lay back on the tile floor.  "If he says yes."
   ***
   Little black spider.
   The walls of the house covered in webbing.  Strands hang from the
ceiling, waving in the draft.
   Brian's husk hangs from the railing of the stairs.  Gray, emaciated,
skeletal, tiny spiders crawl from the openings in his skull.
   "Mommy!" Olivia's cry, some place in the house.
   Sheila bats strands from her face and arms, searching the rooms for her
daughter.  Her feet stick, gathering webbing, making it harder to move.
   She finds Olivia being rolled in thick white strands.  The spider wraps
her daughter, preparing to feed.
   ***
   Sheila opened her eyes in the darkness.  The same dream, worse every
night.  Constant terror and fear.
   Her friends think she's taken the death of Brian too hard, others
encouraged her to take the million dollar windfall he left to them and go
on vacation.  Sheila didn't need a vacation, she needed that poisonous
child out of her house, away from her daughter.
   Wood creaked.
   Sheila sat up and tossed the blankets back.  She hurried into the
hallway.
   Her daughter, her natural daughter, tipped up the stairs, dressed in a
shiny mini skirt and a black shirt with holes all through it.
   "Where have you been?"
   Olivia jumped, stumbled.  Sheila's heart stopped for that second as her
daughter's balance faltered.  Olivia recovered and finished climbing the
steps.  "Party," she slurred.
   Sheila walked over and framed her daughter's chin.  "Hey, look at me."
   Olivia snatched her chin away.  "What do you want?"
   "Didn't I tell you no?"
   "Told you I wanted to go." Olivia burped and a bouquet of liquor and
fruit filled Sheila's nose.  "Didn't think you'd notice."
   "How long has this been going on, Olivia?  Drinking?  Sneaking out?" She
took a slow breath for patience.  "Answer me."
   Olivia shrugged.  "Few months?"
   "Go to your room and take that shit off.  We'll talk about this in the
morning."
   Zaira's door opened.
   Olivia hurried toward the girl.
   Sheila stormed after Olivia.  She wasn't going to let her own flesh and
blood run to that child.  She snatched Olivia back into the hallway.  "You
go back to bed."
   "Let me go!" Olivia screamed.  "Stop!" The hard edge of her heel came
down on Sheila's foot.
   Sheila had never lay a hand on her child, any child, but something took
hold of her.  The anger was so potent that she could taste it: rich,
savory, and hot.  She pinned Olivia to the wall and brought her hand down
on the girl's shiny backside repeatedly.
   Olivia screamed.  "Mom!  Stop!  Ow!" She struggled, but Sheila had her
caught.  She rained blows down until Olivia could only cry and plea
incoherently for forgiveness.
   Sheila stepped back from her daughter in a daze.  Her hand stung, arm
burned with the exertion.  She had just beaten her child, the one who tried
to warn her that very first day.  Zaira wasn't the girl she was supposed to
bring home.  She wasn't even the girl described in the paperwork.
   Zaira stood in the doorway of her room, arms folded over her chest.  She
didn't seem concerned by the violence that took place in front of her.
   "Baby, I'm sorry," Sheila breathed.  "Please, I'm so sorry."
   Olivia crawled across the hallway into Zaira's room.
   Day after day, Sheila attempted to speak with Olivia, to apologize, to
have that talk she promised, but Olivia stubbornly resisted.  She turned to
a twelve your old girl for comfort rather than her mother.  Sheila's hatred
of Zaira festered.
   Olivia stopped sneaking out, she just left.  When she didn't leave the
house, she brought her friends, male and female, including that damned boy
who looked like he should be in college rather than high school.
   Life, her family, everything spiraled out of Sheila's control.  No
matter how hard she tried, she only lost her temper, entered screaming
matches, engaged in physical confrontation, which led to more crying,
depression, and violence.
   "Stop."
   Olivia and Sheila turned to Zaira.
   Her interruption was a first in these several weeks of fighting.
   "Don't touch her again."
   "Excuse me?" Sheila voice rose with the question.
   "Go in your room, now."
   As if she wasn't in control of her body or impulses, Sheila marched
toward Zaira.  Sheila fell flat on her ass as if someone pushed her on her
chest.  Olivia stood behind her, Zaira, a few paces away.
   "You want this?" Zaira directed her question to Olivia.
   Sheila turned toward her daughter just in time to see her nod.  "What
are you talking about?"
   "You're not going to hurt her anymore," said Zaira
   The air rushed out of Sheila's lungs.  She tried to get back up but
neither her arms or legs would listen.  It wasn't as if she couldn't move
them.  She wasn't strong enough, like there was something weighing them
down, keeping her fastened to the floor.
   Olivia didn't know what to expect.  She thought Zaira would talk to her,
maybe threaten to call someone, even blackmail her.  When Olivia saw her
mother helpless on the floor for no apparent reason, it confused her.  Had
Zaira drugged her mother?  What was Olivia supposed to do?
   "Wait.  What's going on?  What's happened to her?!  Zaira?"
   Her foster sister's eyes appeared brighter than normal, and yet darker.
The little girl's expression belonged to a cold hearted killer, not the
bubbly girl Olivia considered her best friend.
   "We ...  you ...  make sure that we don't get blamed ...  whatever
happens."
   Her mother screamed.  Her sad eyes pled for Olivia to help her, then
they bulged and her face turned red.
   Something was choking her, keeping her quiet.
   "No one but us will know." Zaira walked over to Sheila and kneeled
beside her.  She pulled Sheila's shirt up and pinched the skin of her
belly. Her mother squealed, but she couldn't move very far to evade the
pinches to her flesh.
   Zaira originally wanted to scare the woman and make her behave.  Each
time she squirmed and squealed, Zaira forgot about that goal.  She giggled
and pinched her harder.  She made the skin turn red and then she caused a
bleed.
   She stared at the blood welling up on the woman's body.  There was that
feeling again.  It had been a while, but now it was back with a vengeance.
Welling up like that the blood, darkening.  She wanted to rip the woman
open.  She wanted to feel the warmth on her hands.  She wanted to punish
her the way she made Olivia suffer.
   Zaira lost her mind, her memory, her sense of time and place.  She took
out all her frustrations on that simple act of torture.  She brought knives
up from the kitchen to press into her body.  She let the others guide her
hands, the shadow creatures.  Her own friend, the tall, thin girl sat
beside her watching, looking on with an approving smile.
   Olivia didn't say anything.  The girl barely moved as she watched the
horror unfold before her.  In the course of a few months she'd lost her
father and then her mother.  Now it would be the two of them alone.
   Life was short and fragile.
   Olivia needed to learn this lesson the same way Zaira had.  She needed
to learn that if she didn't do what Zaira wanted, she wouldn't be alive any
longer.
   ***
   Jasper was named well.  He had gorgeous deep, dark green eyes.  The
curls of his brown hair turned golden in the sunlight.  Every time Zaira
thought of him, she smiled.  She didn't know why, or what it was about him,
but she really liked when he came over to see Olivia.
   She liked it even better when he came over to see her.  Jasper
introduced her to science fiction novels, and Zaira ate them up, reading
two or three a week, eager to discuss the plot development and characters
with him.
   Jasper stretched out on her rug, drawing Zaira's attention to the
ripples of his athletic build.  Her fingers itched to lift his jersey and
trace one of those muscles.
   Zaira was beginning to understand the nuances of fiction and fantasy and
what it meant for a story to be built on a theme or an alternate world.  "I
know some things are real and some things aren't, but ...  do you know
anything about the Celegons?  I mean, could they be based off something
real?"
   "That's what makes any science fiction novel good.  It has to work off
something the readers knows to be real, but twists that foundation to read
in a new way.  Why do you ask though?"
   "Just something," Zaira shrugged.  She couldn't talk about them, the
things around her.  The creatures she alone could see, hear, and feel.  She
couldn't remember why anymore, but she knew that only family could know the
secrets.
   Zaira was an orphan, without a family, and a foster family, a foster
sister, wasn't the same thing.  Jasper had taught her a foster family was
different from a real family because they didn't share the same blood.
   That made sense to Zaira.  A family was bonded by blood.  A family was a
pact, a pact held together by blood.
   Jasper sat up and put his finger under her chin, lifted her face until
they were looking at each other.  Zaira felt her heart beat speed up and
she smiled slightly.
   "You keeping a secret from me little girl?"
   She nodded.
   "A lady is entitled to her secrets, so I understand, but you shouldn't
worry about trusting me.  I won't tell anyone your secrets."
   "I think ...  I think I know what ...  the truth the Celegons are based
on."
   "Like what?"
   Her eyes darted to the corner behind him.  She shook her head. 
"Things," she shrugged.
   "Hey, maybe another day.  What are we going to read next?"
   "I'm finished with these." Zaira pushed the stack over to him.
   "Wow.  You read fast."
   "Don't you?"
   "I could.  I just don't have the kind of time you have.  My classes
start next week, and I just got moved into my apartment.  Adult stuff,"
Jasper made an exaggerated expression of disgust.
   Zaira giggled.  "You could stay over and we could read together."
   "I'd--" His phone chimed.  He pulled his phone over and looked at the
text.  "Your sister beckons.  I'll be right back, okay?"
   Zaira nodded.
   ***
   Jasper went into Olivia's room.
   She got up from her chair and closed her room door.
   "What's with the secrecy?  I'm right down the hall, you know."
   "I need to talk to you about Zaira."
   "Yeah, what's the word on your mother?  Is she coming back soon?  It's
odd for her to be gone for so long.  Are you going to make arrangements for
Zaira?"
   Olivia worried her bottom lip.  "I think she ran away or something. 
Don't worry about her.  This is about Zaira."
   "Then what is it?"
   "Stay away from her.  I mean, don't get so close to her.  She might be
leaving soon, and--"
   "And so I should pretend like she doesn't exist?  That's hardly fair to
Zaira.  Shame she's going to have to go back into a home.  Don't you have
any other relatives?  I'm sure they'd take the both of you."
   "She's not normal."
   Jasper smiled.  "Anyone can see that.  I think she's pretty brilliant
given her history.  Actually, she's smarter than any girl that age I've
known."
   "What history?  Do you know where she's from?  What happened to her? 
Who she really is?"
   Jasper frowned at Olivia.  "I don't know what you're talking about. 
She's just a girl who has lost her parents twice over now.  You should be
in there with her like you used to be."
   "She makes me," Olivia shook her head and paced the room, biting the
tips of her nails.  "I feel like I'm melting around her."
   "I thought it was just me.  She has a way of making me feel better. 
Just talking to her, especially about books.  She's more insightful than
some of my teachers." Jasper grinned and sighed softly.
   Olivia scrunched her nose in disgust.  "Not like that you pervert.  Get
out.  Go home.  Okay?  She's going to be gone soon."
   "What the hell?  I've never touched her."
   "Just go.  I need to talk to her about my mom."
   "That's all you had to say.  Just give me a call, all right?  I'll tell
Zaira--"
   "I'll talk to her.  Go home." She opened her door and followed him all
the way to the front door.
   Zaira stood on the balcony.  "Where did he go?"
   "He had an emergency." Olivia hurried up the stairs toward her bedroom.
   "He's going to come back soon." Zaira followed her.
   "No, I don't think so."
   "I said he could stay over.  We're going to read together."
   "Listen, I am his girlfriend, and I told him to go home."
   Zaira balled her fists and looked on the verge of starting to cry.
   Olivia scrambled for the right thing to say.  "I need to report Mom
missing and we can't talk about that with him here."
   It was like taking the lid off a pot of pasta about to boil over.  Zaira
seemed to calm down.  "There's nothing to talk about.  Just say she left
one day and never came back."
   "Why didn't I call her?  Why haven't I reported it sooner?"
   "Say you didn't care.  Pretend to be a sociopath or a rebellious
adolescent."
   "I'll get in trouble for not saying anything.  There's another child
here."
   Zaira shrugged.  "I'll just go stay with Jasper.  He has a new apartment
now."
   "No." Olivia sighed.  "I need to create some posts on my blog first. 
Okay?  That way, it'll show that I've been concerned, but that I thought
she was just trying to get out of the house and away from dad's memory."
   "When you're finished, call Jasper." Zaira went back to her room.
   Olivia planned to post to her blog, but not about her mother or father.
She needed help, and she had come to realize that her own boyfriend didn't
care.  He seemed to be swept up in Zaira's spell.  It was the same spell
Olivia found herself under until she watched her mother's body ripped apart
by the inhumane creature Olivia understood Zaira to be.
   She opened the video recording saved to her computer.  Small things had
been happening around the house.  Easy to discount when her mother and
father were around, harder when it was late at night and she was all alone.
   Olivia couldn't prove the footage hadn't been faked or set up, but she
wasn't trying to prove the existence of ghosts.  She made it clear in her
post that she didn't care if anyone thought the footage was real or fake.
   "What's real is the girl who I think is causing it.  What's real are the
things I can't tell tell you, that can't be caught with a cheap web cam.  I
can't tell you how scared I am, how sick with dread I get at night.  I
can't record the fear for my life when I disagree with her.  She hasn't
been here for two years, and I've already lost both my parents.  I'm alone.
I'm scared.  I'm isolated, and I don't know where to turn for help.
   "I don't want to put her name out there, but if she has been in other
homes, then I know this happened to someone else.  People dying
mysteriously, things moving around, weird sounds at night.  If you know
her, just tell me her name.  Please, send help.  This is nothing like
possession or poltergeists, or any other movie trope.  This is real."
   ***
   Two bells rang out through the computer speakers.  Nick set that
particular sound to play whenever his query found a result about the girl
Aiden like to call his 'wife.'
   She'd been gone for six years, but Aiden didn't let anyone forget about
her, not even while keeping the company of two women.  One grotesquely
deformed and the whore recruited into the family.
   Aiden enjoyed stressing that it did not matter who shared his bed or his
company.  Zaira was their daughter, their sibling, and she deserved to be
with her family.
   Two bells, and Nick ran over to the computer, wiggled the mouse to wake
the monitor.  He followed the link to the web result and read the post. 
Paranormal activity, an adopted girl.  It had all the parameters of his
search.  Nick kept reading.  No names, no location, but she did issue a
challenge - provide the girl's name.
   A gamble, but one Nick had to take.  He sent her an email response. 
"First letter Z, three vowels."
   Nick paced the small room.  He ate, slept, and lived in this electronic
cell.  His only duty being to search for Zaira.
   How long should he wait for a reply?  Did it warrant telling anyone yet?
Should he ask to speak to her?  Nick had come to learn far more than he
wanted about missing girls and families who complained about foster
children.  So many children, but none of them had turned out to be Zaira.
He wasn't going to go to Aiden with information that didn't check out.
   Twenty minutes later, the computer signaled a new mail message.
   "How do you know Zaira?"
   Nick ran to the door, snapped his fingers.
   The aide looked up from his magazine.
   "Go get him," Nick whispered.
   Victor set his magazine aside, along the way, he placed a phone call. 
"The researcher I told you about thinks he found something.  More to
follow. No, this is about the girl.  I'm going to tell the male now.  We
will know for sure if he's the one.  Later."
   ***
   Olivia heard the rustling sounds coming from her room.  Not knowing
whether it was a thing or a child churned acid in her stomach.  She eased
up to the door and noted with little relief that it was Zaira.  "What are
you looking for?"
   "Your phone.  I want to call Jasper."
   Olivia turned to avoid showing the spike of fresh fear on her face.  If
she'd gotten a hold of her phone she would have seen the message she
received about her.  She didn't know how much to tell.  She certainly
wasn't going to give away her own name or location until they told her how
they know this little girl and how they'd found her blog.
   "Why do you want to call him?"
   "I haven't seen him.  I want to know why."
   "He's my boyfriend.  Well, he was my boyfriend.  He doesn't have a
reason to be here anymore."
   "He is my friend.  Who cares about you?"
   "Who cares?  I care.  The only reason he's your friend is because he was
over here seeing me.  He's gone now and I don't want to see him anymore."
   "What am I supposed to do now?" Zaira pouted.  Tears welled in her eyes
and this rolled down her cheek.  "He was the only one comes over anymore."
   He was the last person Olivia had to convince to stay away.  "Listen. 
We can spend more time together now.  We haven't done anything lately. 
Maybe I want to be around you more?  Did you ever think of that?"
   "No." Zaira whispered.  She sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheek.
"I didn't.  Can we go to a party?  or the mall?  How about the park?"
   "Well," Olivia scrambled.  She couldn't imagine going anywhere or doing
anything with her, especially in public.  "We should just hang out here for
now."
   "Okay!  How about I make you lunch?  I don't want us to fight, not the
way you did with Sheila."
   Olivia's voice went flat.  "Sure.  Lunch sounds great."
   Zaira made good on her offer.  She fixed a bowl of macaroni and cheese.
   Zaira sat across from her, on top of the table, but Olivia was well past
trying to discipline Zaira or tell her how to behave.  She felt something
move on her tongue and blanched, but inexplicably, she brought another
spoonful of noodles to her mouth again.
   One of the small things fell to the table.  Small, beige white in color,
wriggling, tiny legs.
   The bowl squirmed with cheese covered maggots, not a single noodle to be
found.  Olivia whined in horror, but her mouth kept chewing, her hand
shook, but she put more of the squishing larvae on her spoon.
   She couldn't make her legs move to run from the table.
   "When you're done with your lunch." Zaria lay across the table and
braced her head on her hands.  "Call Jasper." She picked up one of the
maggots and sucked it into her mouth.  "You don't tell Jasper what to do.
You don't tell anyone what to do.  You do what I tell you and nothing else.
Do we understand each other?"
   Olivia opened her mouth to say yes and ate more.
   "Finish eating." Zaira grinned.  "Don't look so sad.  There's plenty of
protein in that.  Very good for you." She reached into the bowl and picked
another one out.  "I raised them myself.  It's really easy."
   Tears streamed down Olivia's cheek as she recalled the containers of
meal in the fridge.  They had dates on them, but Zaira's handwriting.  She
never bothered to ask or inspect the containers.
   ***
   Vincent looked around before stepping into the pantry closet.  "Did you
visit the site?"
   "Yes, I saw it.  About Aiden, our best policy is to get more people on
the inside.  Extraction doesn't seem possible at this juncture, but with
your say we could get more members accepted."
   Vincent groaned.
   "Is there a problem?"
   "You need to get to the girl."
   "You know my opinion on her.  The girl is distressed, but she is not a
concern to us unless that deviant gets to her.  If they discover her
address, I will send a team ahead.  You should encourage the boy himself to
get her.  That way, we have both these children on the outside, and you can
strike a significant blow to the organization."
   "A blow?"
   "Yes, on some things we do agree, Vincent, if not everything.  Our
policy of simply reeducating the former members needs to change, some of
them are working on being there for over 20 years.  There may not be a
light to show them."
   Vincent nodded gravely.  "Do you have the people necessary for that?"
   "That's the team that I'm going to send in.  Young males, fresh faces.
They won't be suspected."
   "I don't agree.  This is not the time for fresh anything.  I need an
advanced team in here."
   "I can send a small group as soon as we know where the girl is located,
but we aren't going to move until the house leads us there.  We don't want
to give up our advantage."
   "All right sir.  I'll continue my work on this end.  Don't lose the lead
on the girl."
   -_ Unmoored _-
   There were moments of clarity wherein Jasper realized that his
'friendship' with Zaira could be called into question.  Her corkscrew
curls, coffee cake complexion, short stature, and tiny frame drew attention
no matter where she went.
   There were only friends, only that.  He fingered one of her golden honey
highlights in the morning sun.  Zaira was still asleep, her head on his
chest, arm around his body.  She had fallen asleep while listening to him
read to her.
   Jasper had set the book aside and drifted off.
   Anyone walking into the room would see a nineteen year old in gym shorts
and a little girl in her panties and a tee.  They would see that, and
Jasper would understand the conjecture.
   He hadn't been inappropriate with her, but part of him realized that he
already had.  Zaira had a crush on him, and he had been only too happy to
feed it.
   Making her happy, making her smile made him feel invincible, important.
   Zaira stretched, yawned.  "I fell asleep."
   Jasper stirred and smiled down at her.  "I did too.  Did you sleep
well?"
   She hummed in answer.  Instead of getting out the bed, she stretched out
over his chest.
   "Hey, Zaira, we need to get up."
   "This feels good." Her hips wriggled down on his morning wood.
   "Zaira, I need to go to the bathroom.  Get up."
   She rolled off him and plopped onto her back.
   The excuse only bought him a few minutes.  The moment he lay back down
she was back on top of him.
   He lay as stiff as a board, waiting to hear Olivia walking down the
hallway.  Olivia didn't talk to him anymore.  She was like a stranger in
her own house.  She made it clear that they weren't together anymore, not
even friends.  He didn't know what her problem was, but Zaira needed
looking after.  He had scant few weeks to do so before he had to start his
classes.
   He'd leave during the day, trying to put some healthy distance between
him and Zaira, but he found himself thinking of her constantly.  He was
always back of a day or two, basking in her presence like some illicit
substance.
   She was illicit all right.
   He took her out to get away from Olivia's moping and depressed affect.
When he had the apartment to himself, he'd take her there.  It was just
easier than continuously bringing his things to her room.  He needed to be
near her, if just for a few more hours.
   Zaira kissed his chest.  "Rub my back."
   "Okay." Jasper closed his eyes and massaged her back, up and down her
spine.  When she moaned, it was like a flow of warm water through his soul.
   ***
   Aiden wrote a name on a slip of paper.  "Find this person and bring him
here." He wrote on another piece of paper and handed it to another member.
"Go find these people.  Take them to the annex of the meeting hall.  Say
whatever you need to, but don't mention that I'm going to be there.  Both
of you, go." When the two members were gone, he turned to Violet.  "Have
you memorized my instructions?"
   Violet read his written instructions again, checking her memory.  The
address, the phone number, who to take with her.  "Yes."
   "Don't tell anyone what you're doing.  I want you to lead."
   "I will, I--" She stopped short as Aiden made a fist in her hair.
   "If there's any problem, I will blame you and only you."
   "I have no desire to betray you.  I want what is best for our family,
every member of it.  Especially her."
   Aiden pulled Violet close and kissed her, long and deep.  He allowed the
grip on her hair relax.  "Go on."
   Heidi rolled her good eye at Violet's departure.  "What do you want me
to do?"
   Aiden grinned.  "I want you to help me exterminate some traitors. 
Interested?"
   "Yes please."
   "You'll torture them, but I want to make the killing blow."
   She drooled a little but quickly wiped the spittle away.  "Only I will
torture them?"
   "There's enough for us both."
   ***
   Jasper looked more pale than usual.  He slept longer hours.  He seemed
incapable of doing anything unless he was with her.  It was happening to
him slower than the others, but that didn't matter.  He was wasting away.
   His was a strange state, different from the way she remembered the
others.  Instead of trying to get away from her to feel better, being away
from her made him feel terrible.  He did anything she wanted, immediately,
without question.
   It amused her at first.  Jasper's unquestioning compliance made Zaira
feel like a princess.  She had someone older than her doing what she
wanted. The fun and amusement didn't last.
   Jasper was supposed to be getting ready for college, but he never
mentioned the place anymore.  He only talked about things she wanted,
liked, or could do.  He took care of her, entertained her, doted on her.
   While it was great fun at the start, Zaira truly adored Jasper.  His
inability to do anything without her made her sad.  He was smart, healthy,
handsome, and she was killing him by being around him.
   She killed everyone just by being alive.
   She hopped down from the chair and kissed him.  His face lit up and he
smiled at her.  She made him happy, and she made him sick.
   "Do you want me to do something?"
   Zaira nodded.
   Jasper rolled onto his knees, picked her up and set her in his lap. 
"What can I do for you?"
   How could she make him snap out of it?  To bring him back to his senses?
To make him furious enough for him to go back to his apartment?  How could
she make him hate her?
   "I want you to kill Olivia."
   He set Zaira down and stood.  "All right."
   Just like that.  Zaira watched him go with a look of shock.
   Olivia's voice, "Fuck off!" The same thing Olivia always said when
Jasper attempted to speak to her.
   Zaira shook her head and sat on the bed.  He'd come to his senses.  He
wouldn't do it.
   ***
   Olivia stopped thinking of Jasper as a person a long time ago.  He had
become an extension of Zaira's arm, a zombie lacking independent thought or
will.  She had been trying to hide, keep herself invisible until help
arrived.
   People were coming to help her, people who knew how dangerous Zaira was.
A few more days and this hell would be over.  All she had to do was make it
until then.
   "Didn't you hear me?  Fuck off!"
   Jasper closed the door behind him.  He barely said anything to her.  Why
was he coming in here now?
   Olivia searched her room for some place to hide, for something to hit
him with.
   "I have something I need to tell you."
   "Sorry?" Olivia huffed.  "It's too late for that."
   "No." His grin didn't look anything like the cute and charming boy she'd
met a year ago.  An extension of Zaira, a monster.  "Good bye."
   Olivia sprinted for the tennis racket in the corner, but never made it.
   ***
   Zaira debated waiting to be found by the police or running away.  She
went with the decision most familiar to her.  She packed a bag, some snacks
and water, and left the house before Olivia took her last breath.
   Pictures of her face went on the television.  Jasper was arrested for
Olivia's death, the death of her mother, and Zaira's disappearance.  The
investigation was at a dead end, Jasper refused to speak, not even giving
his name or his reasons.
   She cut her hair, as close as the scissors would allow, donned a black
cap over her head, and put on the white rimmed shades she lifted from the
gas station.  All she needed to do was get out of the city, find some place
quiet to stay for a while.
   Zaira's journey led her across state lines and into another home with
four other children and two women: Shanice and Nicole.  They ran a work
farm designed to teach runaways occupational skills as opposed to trying to
put them in a family or an overcrowded foster home.
   Shanice was the one that invited her to the home, drove her to the ranch
in her car.  "It's not safe for a girl your age on the streets.  You know
that, don't you?"
   Zaira wasn't sure about that one.  People seemed to know better than to
mess with her.  She could go into any encampment and sleep peacefully.  One
man woke and scrambled away from her, looking over Zaira's head instead of
at her.  She wanted to talk to the man, ask him what he saw, if he could
see her friend, but he ran away and never returned.
   "Up front!" Shanice yelled as she walked Zaira into the house.
   A screen door slammed, footfalls came down the hallway.  A large,
beautiful woman came round the corner.  Her long pink sundress was cut low
enough to reveal the tattoos on her chest.  "Hey there..."
   Shanice looked down at Zaira, but she didn't say a word, not yet.  What
if they knew she was missing?  What if they didn't want her?
   Shanice said.  "Sarah?"
   "Zaira," she said.  "Z-A-I-R-A." She had spelled her name automatically,
by reflex, forgetting all about keeping her name secret.
   "Lovely name," the woman in the pink sundress whispered.  "My name is
Nicole, and this is Cosma, Darcy, Hunter, and Miguel.  Darcy, put fresh
sheets on your bottom bunk.  Hunter, make space for her on the shelf. 
Cosma," Nicole looked Zaira over.
   Shanice shook her head.  "She's smaller than she looks.  Pads her
clothes.  Some of Melanie's old clothes are in the attic.  They should
fit."
   ***
   "Hello there.  Zaira, is it?"
   Zaira was laying across the arm of the couch, her face buried in the
cushions, her toes dangled over the floor.
   "Zaira, my name is Dr.  Dustin Woods.  Do you know why Shanice and
Nicole asked for me to see you?"
   She knew.  The other children didn't like to be around her.  She didn't
fit in, couldn't find the energy to make them like her.  If they liked her,
they would end up dying.
   The only reason Shanice and Nicole didn't show her the door was because
Zaira enjoyed working so much.  She woke early and left the house, choosing
to check the fences, clean the animal housing, set out fresh food and
water. Some nights Zaira even tried to sleep outside, but Shanice always
went looking for her to bring her back to the house.
   Taking care of the animals and the property reminded her of Meredith and
Quint, of happier times when she didn't know how much bad luck she carried.
   Leather creaked and wheels rolled closer.
   His voice was much softer when he spoke.  "Nicole especially is
concerned about you.  They think that you would benefit from talking to
someone.  No matter what you tell me, it stays between us."
   Zaira lifted her head and finally looked at him.  He was much younger
than she suspected.  Dark skin, dark eyes, broad shoulders.  He had close
shaved facial hair that ended in a bit of a beard.
   She crawled over the arm of the couch and sat down.
   "Does that sound like something you might be interested in?"
   She didn't nod, didn't shake her head, she just looked at him.
   "Let's start with how you came to be here."
   "No."
   He sat back in his chair.  "Let's start where you want to start."
   "I can't remember my family." Zaira hugged her knees to her chest.
   "Can you remember what they were like?  How they made you feel?"
   "I," she took a deep breath, "remember the things they taught me.  Pact
making, the sigils, but not what any of the sigils looked like.  I tried to
memorize most of them, but I'm not sure if I have it right."
   "What were the sigils for?"
   "Depends.  I think they are like signatures, but instead of signing your
own name, you're signing another name.  Works backwards, bring the sigil
alive and the energies are awakened."
   Dr.  Woods sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees.  "And the pact
making, you use the sigils to say who you want to make the pact with?"
   Zaira hadn't met someone who knew what she was talking about before. 
She smiled and nodded vigorously.
   "Your family never hurt you or anything, did they?"
   "Never.  They all loved me very much.  I had a big family, several
mothers and fathers.  Not like, like anywhere else, with only one or two
parents.  Taking care of me can take the energy out of a person."
   "Not just you.  Most children."
   "Really?" Zaira breathed a sigh of relief.  "You'd think people would be
better prepared then."
   Dr.  Woods laughed and Zaira laughed along with him, though she wasn't
sure why.
   "Tell me more about the things your family taught you."
   "I was really young, so they didn't teach me exactly.  There were a few
things my daddy taught me, but," She bounced her chin off her knees as she
thought.  "You don't always have to use the sigils.  With a few items, you
can create these little events to happen, or make someone feel better or
worse."
   "Yes, that's right.  You had a very special family."
   "I miss them."
   "Did you run away?"
   Zaira shook her head.  "We left, but I don't remember why.  It was a
really long time ago.  I cried a lot about it."
   Dr.  Woods visited her often, but he didn't ask about any of her other
homes or what happened to her.
   "Do you know what your family was called?"
   "How do you mean?"
   "Did they have a name or a sigil?"
   Zaira shook her head.  Usually she didn't mind talking about her family.
Their chats tended to help her remember.  Shanice said Dr.  Woods was a
psychologist, that was supposed to help her fit in.  "What does it mean
when I feel shaky?"
   "What's that?"
   "When I'm in the room with the others, I get shaky.  My heart beats fast
and I want to do things.  The last time I started feeling this way, it
didn't end well.  How do I make it stop?"
   "What's that?"
   "Being nervous, thinking about doing things I shouldn't?"
   "Try to think of better times, like you had at home.  When you said you
had several mothers and fathers, did you just mean people who took care of
you?"
   "Kinda." Zaira bit down on her lip.  He didn't care about her at all. 
Maybe he lied about being a psychologist.  What if he wasn't?  What if he
was one of the people that scared her family?  The ...  guards?  He wanted
to know her secrets.  That's all.  "Just other people."
   "Did you ever go to any meetings with your family?"
   "We had dinner together.  Like that?" Zaira enjoyed his exasperation. 
He wouldn't get any more secrets out of her.
   -_ Dane _Zaira made a room for herself in the rafters of the barn.  As
long as the sun was in the sky, she was happy to make her home there.  All
her work on the property had the effect of casting her muscles in sharp
relief.
   She got through a winter with them on on the farm, keeping everything on
the outside on her own.  With the coming of Spring though, Nicole and
Shanice wanted to find someone older who could help her with some of the
heavier lifting.
   "Zaira, you understand you don't work here?  This is your home, a safe
place for you to learn skills that will help you later in life."
   "I know, mother Nicole, but it helps me keep my mind on something
useful. I prefer to keep busy.  I feel like I might get into something bad
if I don't keep moving." Keep away from them.
   Shanice and Nicole smiled at this.
   "That's very mature of you," said Shanice.  "Busy hands and all.  I
agree.  Spring is another animal.  We'll hire some help for you.  I don't
want you hurting yourself.  If you want to take a break from all the busy
work, then all you have to do is say so."
   Dr.  Woods' constant questions about her childhood helped her remember
her lessons, things she had been trying to hold in her memory.
   She wasn't sure if she had the lessons right, but she had to try.  There
weren't as many of the creatures around lately.  They kept to the borders
of the property, the barn, but stayed out of the house.  Zaira concluded
that if she stayed out the house, they would as well.
   The skinny female creature that had been with her since the crash was
always with her.  She looked much healthier, a little taller, and thicker.
   It occurred to Zaira that perhaps this creature had only been a child,
like her, when they met, and like her, they were both growing up.  That
gave Zaira some comfort and the slightest bit of sadness.  If she was just
a child, then she didn't know much more than Zaira.  Maybe they were two
lonely creatures in a world they didn't quite understand, keeping each
other company out of necessity.
   Zaira opened the trunk in the empty stall and added her other
ingredient. This time she had collected a branch from the back woods and
smoothed it.  She took out a bit of the mineral oil and rubbed it in.
   If Nicole and Shanice were going to hire someone to work with her, she
didn't want that someone to be mean.  She sat down on a bale of hay and
thought her options over.  Her friend sat down beside her.
   "I don't know.  Um, a friend.  Like you, maybe." Zaira closed her eyes
and rubbed her thumb along the sharp edge of the stick as she thought about
what she wanted.  A small favor might have a better chance of working.
   If this worked, then next time she would ask for something huge - like
finding her family, going home, seeing her other mothers and fathers again,
or at least learning if they were dead.  Maybe she could ask for her memory
to return in full.
   Someone nice to work beside, friendly, helpful.  Someone who wouldn't be
disturbed by her presence, who didn't look at her as if she were a diseased
dog.  She pricked her thumb with the sharp edge of the stick.
   "That's not too much to ask, is it?"
   Her friend shook her head.
   Zaira held her blood covered stick up to the her.  "What is your name?
If we're to have a real friendship, I should know how to call you." She
held the stick higher, implored the female shadow creature to take it from
her.
   The stick fell to the dirt.
   Zaira sighed and sank to the ground.  She could move things, did it a
lot when they were younger.
   The stick moved.  Her long fingers curled around it.  She drew in the
dust, a sigil.  Zaira had never seen one like this before.  Under he sigil
she drew a line, then, much slower, in big awkward letters like that of a
child: K A R O X
"Karox?" Zaira wrinkled her brow.  "Sounds like Carrots.  That's not a
very good name." Zaira brushed her shoe along the letters.  "What else you
got?"
   The slanted black eyes turned up to her.  They stared at each other for
a while and then stick went back to moving.
   K H I
   "How do I pronounce that?"
   The stick dropped to the ground.  Her friend stood and walked over to a
barn door and pointed to the key ring.
   "Key?"
   Then she pointed to her eye.
   "Key eye?"
   She pinched her fingers together.
   "K ...  eye?"
   She nodded and her smile was filled with tiny jagged teeth.  Teeth that
had bitten into flesh, but never hers, only into the people who hurt her.
Her friend had a name.
   "I like that one a lot.  Khi is a very good name."
   Khi put a finger to her lips.
   Zaira nodded and snatched her stick up.  She put it back into her trunk
and set the hay back on top of it.
   The footsteps drew closer and Zaira went about oiling the other leathers
hanging in the stall.
   "Zaira?  Are you back here?"
   "In here."
   "Come along.  She's this way."
   Zaira stared wide eyed at Khi.  They'd already hired someone?  That was
hardly enough time for her blood request to work.  She brushed the hay from
her body and tucked her bleeding thumb into the pocket of her jeans.
   ***
   Aiden had better things to do than manual labor around a bunch of women
and children, but he hadn't made any progress discovering Zaira's location.
The job offered Aiden a way to earn some money, to help out the house that
had taken him in.
   "These women work with abandoned children approaching their teenaged
years.  Maybe they will know some good contacts for finding her.  That's
why I applied.  If you want to step in, I'll let them know you're coming."
   Aiden would need to wait before performing another working.  He had
hoped the Zorient would be able to come through more than a zip code, but
considering the amount of blood he had to spill to get that much, he'd take
it.
   The square shaped woman led him toward the barn.  "This job is physical,
but you may find yourself out tasked for a while.  I don't know how much
Paul told you about the job, but one of our own has had a hard time
adjusting.  She's taken it upon herself to do most of the work.  I want
someone that can spot her, watch her, and most of all, make sure she
doesn't hurt herself.  And, well, if you aren't repulsed by the
babysitting, maybe you could work with some of the younger boys we have
here as well."
   "They don't help her?"
   Shanice sighed.  "The others keep their distance.  I swear neither
Nicole nor I have ever taught our children to be hateful.  I don't think
it's that, but well ...  listen, there's something about Zaira that just
sets off your instincts, but--"
   "What did you say her name was?" Aiden felt as if he was about to faint,
couldn't swallow.
   "Zaira," Shanice called out.  "Are you back here?"
   "In here," the voice was small, delicate.
   "Come along.  She's this way."
   It wasn't the girl he was looking for, just one by the same name.  Just
a name he'd never heard any other girl called.  Aiden drilled it into his
head that it was not her as they walked down the stall.
   'Something about Zaira that sets off your instincts...'
   What if?
   He turned the corner and looked at the slender, muscled young girl in
front of him.  Those bright brown eyes dispelled all doubt.  Six years
later and he was standing face to face with his wife.
   "Zaira, this is Dane.  Show him what projects you have planned.  You
don't have to let him do anything.  Ask for his help when you need it."
   She nodded briefly.
   "She's tight lipped and shy, but don't take offense.  I'll leave you two
to get acquainted."
   She wasn't just shy.  She looked terrified.  Aiden wanted to run to her
and scoop her in his arms, but she looked position to sprint away from him.
   Aiden realized that Zaira had no idea who he was.  Six years later, and
she'd gotten taller, muscled, on the event horizon of womanhood, but Aiden
was at the end of puberty.  At eighteen years old, he didn't resemble the
boy he was at her age.  Did he tell her his name now?  Or wait?  What could
he possibly say to put her at ease?
   Tell her nothing.  First, she needed to be comfortable with him.  It was
enough that he was here, that they were finally in the same place.  She was
alive and well and that was more than he'd known for years.  Aiden had
experienced too much failure to take another one on so soon.
   "What are you working on?"
   ***
   From the moment she looked at him until now, Zaira's heart ran a
marathon while she stood still.  He was the most handsome man she had ever
laid eyes on.  The sudden intensity of her attraction scared her.  Everyone
she liked ended up exhausted, dead, or crazy.  She liked Dane so much that
she didn't want that to happen, couldn't stand to hurt him.
   Her body tensed.  She could run, run now and never look back.  She'd
leave Shanice, Nicole, and her briefly made siblings who didn't like her to
begin with and go back on the streets.  She'd go there even though she was
warned she was leaving the 'age of protection.'
   "You need to find a family before a family finds you." That's what
Shanice had told her when she found her stealing food.  Her mothers had
been nice to her.  Let her do whatever made her feel better.
   All the anxiety and worries were nothing compared to how she felt once
Shanice left her alone with him.
   They had worried about hiring a male to work with her, but Zaira
promised she wouldn't let anyone do anything to her or hurt her.  She knew
how to protect herself, she'd been doing it for a very long time.  Even if
she didn't know how to protect herself, she had friends who would step in.
   "What are you working on?"
   His voice made her light headed.  Zaira even felt her body shift
slightly as if she was about to lose her balance.
   She glanced over to the covered trunk where she kept her things.  Even
if she ran, she couldn't leave that stuff behind.
   Khi stood behind Dane with a smile on her face.
   That's right, Zaira had asked for someone nice, a friend.  She'd made
the blood request and it had happened.  If she ran, it would be a rejection
of an offered gift.  That was bad.  The pact was made and her blood will
see it true.
   "Leather needs restoring," Zaira whispered.
   "Show me how its done?"
   She nodded and looked at the leather.  How was it done?  Was that the
way to do it?
   She moved back over to the bench, but he remained standing at the door,
it was as if he knew his presence spooked her.  He was treating her like a
skittish animal.
   ***
   Zaira was far more than just skittish.  Dane became a fever that
infected her mind.  She dreamed of him, obsessed over him.  When he left
she felt as if the warmth of the sun had been hidden behind the clouds. 
She liked him, more than she ever liked Jasper.  This was different.  Dane
felt familiar, comfortable, and that scared her even more.
   She went to sleep thinking about him.  She dreamed of him, every detail
of his face and body.  Her skin warmed and itched as she recalled the smell
of his sweat after a long day.  He would take off his soaked shirt and turn
the water hose on his golden brown hair.  It looked so soft to the touch,
with a lazy curl at the ends.
   When Zaira woke in the morning he was the first thing on her mind. 
Would she see him today?  What would they talk about?  Would they talk? 
Zaira kept most things to herself, and didn't speak unless spoken too.
   Dane didn't appear to mind.  He didn't attempt to make small talk with
her.  At most he asked questions about what she was doing and offered to
help.  He stayed out of her way, but he kept near her.  Zaira flipped onto
her back and grinned.  Maybe he liked being near her.
   Then she frowned.  Maybe he liked it so much that it would drive him
crazy.
   ***
   Dr.  Woods was as oblivious as ever.  "How have you been doing lately,
Miss Zaira?  I hear that you're making great progress around the house?"
   Zaira shook her head, but his back was turned to her.
   "I brought by a book of sigils.  Let's take a look at them.  And you
tell me if you see any symbols you recognize."
   "They hired someone to help me in the stables."
   "That's good." He opened the book and placed it in her lap.
   "Not really.  I think I might do something wrong."
   "It's perfectly normal to be nervous meeting new people.  Make sure you
look at each symbol, Zaira."
   She huffed and turned the pages of the book.  He wasn't there to help
her, or even pretend to help her anymore.  She recognized a symbol on the
fifth page.  She would even tell him about it if he would make the
slightest effort to help her.  "Everyone I'm around ends up dying.  Is that
normal?"
   "Not exactly, but what happens to other people is not your fault.  Are
you talking about the death of your parents?"
   She nodded.
   "Don't blame that trauma on yourself.  You need to move forward."
   "What about when--"
   "Do you see anything on this page?"
   "No," she whispered.  "Give me some time to look through it, and I'll
let you know."
   "That's excellent.  I'll just be here at my desk.  If there's anything
even slightly familiar, just ask."
   "Okay."
   Zaira paid extra close attention, but she was hoping to recognize some
way to keep Dane safe and make Dr.  Woods suffer.  The thoughts of doing
him harm kept her from feeling sad, from crying, and she figured if she
hurt Dr.  Woods, then Dane would be safe from her frustration.
   ***
   The babysitting portion of Aiden's responsibilities was more than
adequate.  He was willing to do as much as possible to win the trust of the
women in addition to Zaira's comfort.  He made many more in-roads with
Shanice and Nicole and little ground with Zaira.  She seemed more nervous
in his presence right until she was physically exerting herself.  He hadn't
had the chance to get to know her mind yet, but physically, she was a
little work pony.
   They were all on a 'field trip' to the Spring Festival.  Each of the
children had an allowance and their own bag for purchases.  Nicole and
Shanice requested his help because none of the children wanted to be alone
with Zaira.  Zaira didn't appear to mind and seemed to help them by staying
as far away from them as possible, including him.
   Zaira approached a reader's booth.  The sign above read 'Crystal Gibson,
Seer of Truth.' Aiden kept one eye on the boys, but another on her. 
Crystal jerked her head up and looked right at Zaira.  For a moment he saw
the same fear in her eyes that he'd seen in the other children.
   Crystal looked at him.  Her expression softened and she looked back and
forth between them.  She ducked down under the table and for a moment,
Aiden was thinking of a way to protect Zaira if she came up with a weapon.
   It was a large crystal point.  She smiled and showed it to Zaira.
   "Do you like this?"
   Zaira nodded, but continued looking around the table.
   "Anything on the table.  Take your pick."
   Zaira looked at her suspiciously.
   "I insist."
   Zaira looked as if she were about to ask someone standing beside her a
question, but there was only empty space.
   No, not exactly.  When Aiden looked at the spot he saw a heat shimmer in
the air, but he could have imagined it.
   Zaira reached for a necklace hanging from a stand and held the rough
blue gemstone in the air.
   "Even that, if you want."
   "Why?"
   Crystal looked at Aiden again and then back to Zaira.  "As a gift to a
beautiful young lady."
   "Thank you." Zaira looked at the necklace again.  "Could you give me a
receipt anyway?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a dollar.  "Say
you sold it for this amount."
   "Yes.  Of course.  No problem." The woman hurried to issue the proof of
purchase.
   The boys were trying to get his attention and Aiden went back to them.
   "You saw it too?" Shanice looked at Aiden as he approached.
   "Saw what?"
   "The way that woman treated Zaira." Shanice turned back to Nicole.  "It
was like she was trying to placate her."
   "Was she being disruptive?"
   Aiden shook his head along with Shanice.
   "No.  Nothing like that.  Just, um, okay, in a different environment it
would be like she was giving something to royalty.  Probably trying to get
me over there buy a reading or something."
   "Neat.  So, what did she get?"
   "A necklace.  Poor girl.  She paid for it anyway, gave the woman a
dollar and asked for a receipt."
   Nicole nodded, "Zaira is smarter than she lets on.  Sharp as a razor."
   "Yeah, but what happened to her that she had to learn to be that kind of
smart?  Zaira would never steal.  She just doesn't seem that way." Shanice
looked to Aiden for backup.
   "She's quite aware of how things may be perceived.  Maybe she learned
from watching other people make mistakes."
   Fascinated, Aiden looked between the two as they spoke of Zaira's street
smarts and her savvy on the farm.
   ***
   Zaira woke in the night with a pained whimper.
   The dreams weren't getting any better and neither were her urges.  It
was getting so bad she was physically balled up in pain at night.  Her gut
was beginning to ache.  It was night time, but the moon was out.  Zaira
needed to walk.  She eased out of the window and walked through the woods
to the next neighborhood over.
   She'd felt like there was someone near her for a while, but Zaira
usually felt like that.  She moved to the street and the sound of footsteps
followed.  She spun around and looked at him.  Dressed in jeans and a black
shirt, the curls of his hair caught the moonlight.  Zaira swallowed
thickly. What was she going to do?  He caught her and now he was going to
tell Shanice and Nicole.  If she yelled out, she'd be caught and in
trouble. If she ran away, would her mothers even care?
   "You won't get in trouble if I say I was escorting you." He took a few
steps toward her, but stepped to the side of her.  "It's a beautiful night
for a walk."
   This close to her, her mind spun up and she was nearly dizzy.  She could
smell him, warm and fresh and masculine.
   "Um," Zaira didn't try to explain, she just popped the lock to the
community spa and eased inside.  He followed her without question and she
led him to her secret spot.  It was a sauna, but the place had all the
lights out and only the soft red emergency light was on.
   She sat on the bench and he sat right beside her.
   "You shouldn't be around me."
   "Tell me why." Aiden wanted to reach out for her, pick her up and set
him in his lap.  He wanted to cradle her head to his body and rock her back
and forth just as they used to, but she didn't remember him, didn't
remember what they shared.
   Aiden was only too happy to start over.
   "I'm a bad sigil." She stared at him as if expecting a response.  He was
just looking at her, waiting for an answer to his question.  Then she
sighed and shook her head.  "You have no idea what a sigil is, do you?"
   "I know what a sigil is, but I don't understand how you could be one."
   She hung her head.  "People around me die."
   "How?"
   She frowned and shrugged.  "Lots of ways."
   "Well, if you see me showing any signs, let me know."
   Her eyes went wide.  "You believe me?"
   "Why wouldn't I?" He pretended to take offense.  "Have you been lying to
me?"
   "No, just," She sucked in her bottom lip and chewed it slightly.  "Can I
talk to you?"
   "Yes."
   Zaira swallowed.  She lowered her voice though they were alone in the
building.  "You won't tell anyone."
   "No one.  I promise."
   "Pact will hold." She breathed the oath and Aiden dug his nails into his
palm to keep from answering the refrain.  If she remembered the words, why
not?  He could take her home now.
   No.  Not yet.  He wasn't sure.  If he brought Zaira back he had to know
if she'd been with the guardians, if her mind was right, who she was.
   Most importantly, he wanted her to himself, just him, for the moment.
   A thousand topics buzzed through Zaira's mind, all the things she'd
tried to tell Dr.  Woods, but she didn't know how much she could trust him.
Not yet.
   "Do you like to read?" She hedged.
   "Yes."
   "I mostly read science fiction, but I like thrillers and some horror
novels.  They remind me of things I can't remember."
   "Who is your favorite author?"
   "Edison Kane."
   Aiden smiled in the dark.  "I just finished The Twins."
   "I've read that," Zaira boasted.  "It's not my favorite though."
   Discussion of books ate up the evening, interrupted by the sound of bird
song coming through the walls.
   Aiden put his hand out and made a call.  "Hey, didn't want you two to
worry, but Zaira and I are going to be late for breakfast." He put his hand
over the phone.  "You want to go walking.  Tell them you're in the
neighborhood."
   Zaira followed his instructions.
   "You'd tell me if you were in trouble right?" said Nicole.
   "I'm okay.  Really."
   "All right.  Talk to you when you get home."
   Zaira handed Aiden his phone.
   "It is a little risky, being out here," he said.
   Zaira shook her head.  "Hurting me would be a very bad idea."
   "And because you always tell me the truth, I believe you.  We should
head back anyway," Aiden stood up, but didn't head for the door.  He sighed
and tilted her head up.  "You're putting a strain on yourself.  Let me
help, and then maybe you'll know that you can believe me."
   "What?" Zaira's eyes went wide as they could go as he leaned in and
placed a kiss on her lips.  His lips touched hers and she felt like the sun
sparkling off the surface of the lake, but then arcing up like fireworks
and electricity.
   Jasper kissed her like this.
   The thought shocked her and she pushed him away from her.  She didn't
want him to end up like Jasper.  Zaira didn't look back.  She ran, pushing
past the doors and out the building.  She didn't even wait to lock it back,
she'd probably never return.  She ran all the way to the woods and braced
herself on a tree to calm down.
   She wasn't nearly as exhausted as she should have been.  She could have
run all the way to the house.  Zaira remembered feeling this way.  When she
was little and the only thing she could do to feel halfway in control was
run back and forth through the ...  the room ...  because Meredith never
took her to a house.
   House.  The world tickled the edge of her memory.
   Zaira walked toward the stables.  She cleaned up, fed the animals,
checked the perimeter.  As good as she felt, he would be too tired to see
her.  If he was smart, he would stay away from her and never do that again.
   With the boost of energy, Zaira bypassed breakfast and worked through to
lunch.  When she finally went to the house for a snack, she paused at the
screen door, hearing Dane's laugh echoed by Nicole's.
   "No, I completely understand, but when I heard she was taking morning
walks, I thought it best she have company.  I didn't know if you knew about
it or not."
   "Even if we did, I doubt we could have stopped her.  Did you two have an
argument?"
   "No.  The opposite.  I think she's starting to open up, but you know,
I'm still an adult male.  I gave her some space.  She'll come get me if she
wants my help."
   Zaira stepped inside and the let the screen door bang shut.  She opened
the fridge and pulled out one of the small snacks designed so that no one
had to bug Shanice or Nicole if they were hungry.  She walked into the
living room eating one of those snacks.
   Aiden was helping Nicole fold laundry.  He didn't look pale, sleepy, or
tired in the least.
   It didn't make sense.  "You busy?"
   "No.  Just giving Nicole a hand.  Are you doing all right?"
   Nicole was watching her closely for any sign that she was uncomfortable
around him.  "When you finish housekeeping, I have some heavy lifting I
could use some assistance with."
   Nicole collapsed onto the couch with a belly full of laughter that
attracted half the house into the living room.
   Zaira made a quick retreat out the back door.
   "Oh, Zaira, hun, I wasn't laughing at you!" She said while still
giggling.
   Zaira smiled to herself as she walked back out to the barn.  He was
okay. Maybe that meant that she was better ...  or perhaps it would just
take him longer.
   It was another fifteen minutes before she heard him.  She had climbed up
into the rafters, into her secret room.  After a couple steps he looked up
at her.
   "You said you had some heavy lifting for me?"
   She grinned.  "Lift yourself up here."
   "With pleasure." He moved as fluidly as she had.  Grabbing onto one hold
after another until he'd reached the roof.  He crawled over the beams until
he was face to face with her.  "You looked surprised to see me."
   "I was."
   "Believe me now?"
   Zaira shrugged.  "Maybe."
   "If you need anything, I'm here for you."
   "I have this thing, I say it a lot.  Maybe it's from the life I can't
remember, but when we make a promise or come to an agreement, the person
says, 'The pact will hold.'"
   "I heard you whisper that last night."
   "Yeah," she smiled.  "I haven't met anyone who knew what I was talking
about."
   "The blood will see it true?" Aiden couldn't help himself.  He wanted to
be closer to her and the opening was too easy.
   "Yes!" She leapt at him and he caught her, pulled her into his lap. 
Zaira threw her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.  She
giggled and held him even tighter.
   Aiden held her, his mind racing for the right thing to say or do.
   Approaching footsteps interrupted their cuddle session.
   ***
   Aiden accompanied Zaira on all her future walks, allowing her to travel
further from the house.  They stopped at a public park near a lake just
before sunset.
   Zaira brought up the things she couldn't with her psychologist, not any
of her secrets, just her worries about death.  Their talk continued well
into the night, but instead of heading back home, they went to the sauna.
   "I don't think you have anything to worry about now."
   "Why?" Zaira closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  She wished it were
true, that would mean that she wouldn't hurt him, wouldn't lose him.
   "The exhaustion.  That only happened when you were little.  You don't
tire people out as much anymore."
   "Not even you?"
   He grinned.  "Especially not me.  The meditation--"
   "I'm sorry," Zaira crawled into his lap.  "I can't resist it.  I feel
like..." Being near him made her feel lightheaded and weird.
   "You don't ever have to resist with me."
   "I don't know why, but I'm scared.  I don't want to lose you."
   Aiden hugged her tighter.  His heart felt like it would swell.  Being
with her was like falling in love all over again.  "Meet me in the barn,
tomorrow afternoon.  I have something I need to tell you."
   "Okay."
   ***
   Aiden paced the ground while going over what he would say to Zaira. 
He'd start off by telling her his real name.  Then he'd explain how long
he'd been looking for her.  He'd ask if she remembered certain rituals or
things they discussed.  Given how she'd described something like the
Zorient, he'd ask her to call on her sentinel for advice.
   Or he could just pitch her running away with him and surprise her with
her triumphant return home.  Aiden heard footsteps and turned around.
   Nicole and Shanice escorted a man from the house.  "She's usually out
back.  I'm sure she'd be happy to know that someone has been looking for
her."
   ***
   Zaira packed the few things she kept in the house.  No matter what Dane
said, she couldn't stay in one place for too long.  She could invite him to
run away with her.  If she had an older companion, then she could find her
family.
   Dane was smart; he knew about the pact and the blood.
   She wrote a letter to her mothers thanking Shanice and Nicole for taking
her in, but she needed to move on and did not want to be found.
   "Have you experienced anything uncommon around the house or had a hard
time waking in the morning?" A man's voice, clipped, authoritative.
   "No, nothing like that." Shanice said.
   "Any uncommon deaths?"
   "No.  Why do you ask?"
   "Zaira has been missing since she was a little girl.  Taken around the
age of six.  I'm following on a lead.  It seems she's had a hard childhood.
I can't be sure if it's someone terrorizing her, or worse."
   "Oh, poor thing.  It might be our Zaira." Nicole said.
   "I'll take you out to talk to her, but she's very shy around strangers,"
said Shanice.
   Part of Zaira ached to find out what this person knew, how he knew what
happened to her.  She eased down the steps to get a look at him.
   "So, how long has this organization of yours been around?"
   "The Guardians have been around in many forms over the years..." The
screen door squeaked open and slammed shut.
   Zaira made her steps light as feather falls on the way down the stairs,
past the den where the others were watching a movie, out the side window,
in case someone was at the front door.  They were headed to the barn, where
Dane was waiting, but she couldn't risk getting him in trouble.
   She wiped the tears from her eyes and put on a brave face.  There wasn't
any time to write another note for him.  He just wanted to tell her
something.  No reason for her to believe he would run away, live on the
streets with her.
   This was the best.  Even if she hadn't hurt him, he would start to show
the same signs.  Perhaps he did and she couldn't notice.
   ***
   "Zaira?" Nicole called.
   They rounded the corner.  Aiden busied himself around the barn.
   "Have you seen Zaira yet today?"
   "No, I guess she's taking that day off you're always talking about.  I'm
going to go ahead and set up in case she changes her mind."
   "I have a man here, Gordon, from the Guardian organization.  He seems to
know a bit about her.  Would you mind answering a few of his questions?"
   Gordon had not moved from the entrance of the barn.  Aiden knew the man,
the one to whom the others he killed reported.
   "I'll talk to him, no problem.  Would you call Zaira out here?  She's a
little skittish when it comes to discussing her past, she'd probably feel
safer in a place she considers her territory."
   "That's a great idea.  I never think to check her room anymore," said
Shanice.  "Can I get you something to drink, sir?"
   "No.  I'm fine, thank you."
   Aiden extended his hand.  "Gordon, pleased to meet you."
   "I know who you are." The man backed up several steps, out into the
light of the sun.
   "Seems you do."
   Good thing Zaira was running late.  He needed to protect her, get them
away from this place as soon as possible.  How much did those traitors tell
him?
   Nicole and Shanice's voice rang out from the house.  "Zaira?"
   "Zaira!"
   ***
   The slaughter at the work farm was on every news station.  Seven dead.
No way to know if Dane or that man was one of them.
   She should have left sooner.  If she did, then none of them would have
been hurt.  One of the things that followed her must have thought they were
doing her a favor.  No way to know what it was.  The only thing to do was
make sure she didn't bring them around any more children.
   -_ Transient _Zaira needed to get as far away from the city as possible,
and as quickly.  She fell back on an old trick and pretended to be
someone's daughter as she got on the bus.  Once on the bus she found an
empty seat and made herself small and quiet.  Unfortunately, a good way to
get away also was a good way to get caught.  Instead of trying to stay for
the whole ride, she got off at the first rest stop.
   From there it was easier.  She picked up rides from people who were
driving alone, wanted the company.  None of them messed with her, but she
was happy to give a couple of the men that helped her an eye full of her
panties as she pretended to sleep in the front seat.  She ate whenever
someone offered her a meal.  That didn't happen often.
   Her stomach rumbled as the subject of food came back into the forefront.
   Khi pointed toward a diner.
   Zaira shook her head.
   She felt the girl's cool hand on her shoulder.
   "I don't want to hurt anyone."
   Khi shook her head and pointed at the diner again.
   "Okay, I'm going."
   Zaira took a seat at one of the few empty tables.
   Khi sat in the booth opposite her with a look that asked, "What are you
waiting for?"
   She was waiting to have a better idea.
   Her target sat in the table across from hers.  He snuck glances in her
direction over his cup of coffee, while wiping his mouth.  He pretended to
look around, behind her.
   Keep running or go for her best chance at stability?  Khi had it right.
Fatigue and hunger had her on edge.
   She swung her legs under the table.  The man looked down at his plate,
but his eyes were under the table.
   Their eyes met and he never looked at her again.
   Zaira hiked her skirt to her thighs and waited.
   When he checked under the table, for the longest stretch of time, he
didn't look away.
   Khi got up from the table and walked over to him.  She didn't touch him,
but she leaned over as if whispering in his ear.
   The man waved at her, pointed to the chair beside her.
   Zaira waved back, treating him as if she knew him.  It was easier to get
people to trust her when she acted friendly.
   "Would you like something to eat, darling?"
   She nodded.
   "No problem." He pushed his small plate of flapjacks over to her.  "How
come you're here all by yourself?"
   Best to let others come up with their own reasons.  She shrugged.
   They ate in silence.
   Zaira put a smile on her face, let her expression brighten.  She moaned
over the buttery breakfast cakes and wriggled on her seat.  Her
light-hearted airs had the desired effect.  He stopped looking around the
restaurant and relaxed in his seat.
   "Is there some place I can take you?"
   "Can I go home with you?"
   "I'm not sure that's a good idea.  In fact, no, I'm sure it's a bad
idea. Where do you live?  I'll give you a ride."
   "I don't live anywhere.  That's the problem."
   "You're a little young to be running from home, aren't you?"
   "Wasn't my home I ran from, just all the ones that followed.  That was a
long time ago."
   "I see.  And you're clearly too young to know that telling me that you
have no where else to go is not a good thing to do."
   "Father, if I had some place else to go I wouldn't ask to go home with
you.  I'll be a good girl to you if that's what you're concerned about."
   He grunted.  Scraped his fork along the plate to get the last bit of
potatoes covered in ketchup.  "Not your father, girl."
   "It's a title of respect."
   He stood to pay the bill, but she was gone when he returned to the
table.
   Once he was outside, she followed him to his car, waited by the
passenger door.  He got in, looked at her through the window for a moment,
then popped the lock.
   Zaira hopped in and buckled herself in the passenger seat.
   "How long you been on the road?"
   "After last frost.  Long time ago and far away from here." Zaira thought
about Khi in the backseat.  She didn't have anything to worry about.  He
wasn't going to hurt her.  "I could really use a place to stay.  I'll be
good.  I can clean, make my own meals.  I'm good with physical stuff, but
not machines."
   He chuckled and cranked his car.  "My name is Cole.  What's yours?"
   "Zaira.  Z-A-I-R-A."
   "Well, little Zaira, you drive a hard bargain.  How old are you?"
   "Almost 13."
   "Really?"
   "I know I don't look it.  I've heard it before."
   "And exceedingly cute.  All right, Little Z, I'll bring you back to the
house, but I don't live alone.  I have two room mates."
   "What's their names?"
   "Derek is the taller one, black hair, keeps a beard.  The other is
Aaron, he's got a bit of reddish blond hair, but only on his head.  He
couldn't grow a beard to save his life.  Baby face, Aaron.  Both of 'em are
still at work.  I'm the first to get off with the way our shifts are right
now." He parked the car and escorted her into the house.  "Guess you've
been on the road a while.  How about a bath?"
   "That would be great, but I don't have any other clothes to put on."
   "I'll get you a shirt to throw on, it'll fit you like a dress, but
you'll be warm and clean."
   "Sounds great."
   ***
   Cole paced the kitchen the entire time the little girl was in the bath.
He shouldn't have brought a child in the house, especially not a little
girl, not for any length of time.  He had brought home a top shelf liquor
cabinet into house full of recovering alcoholics.
   He put on the television, cleaned up just in time for her appearance. 
She had his shirt tied about her body like a proper dress.  It looked at if
she'd cut it before she tied it.  It gave her the appearance of a little
Grecian goddess.
   "Come have a seat, Little Z.  When the others get home we'll have pizza
and some drinks.  How's that sound?"
   "Sounds nice." She crawled onto the sofa, which he expected, but not
what came next.  She crawled right into his lap and wrapped her arms around
his body.  She rested her head on his chest and looked not at the movie,
but closed her eyes.
   ***
   Zaira's eyes weren't closed, just lowered, so that she could look around
without him following her gaze.  While she was in the streets, most of the
shadows and creatures kept their distance.
   They trickled in.  Some of them were familiar to Zaira, had names.
   One of the worms, Wiggly, had grown a series of suckers coming out its
head as long as its body.  Wiggly waved one of them at her, putting a smile
on her face.
   Places where the inhabitants were not so quick to call for help, or had
little options for leaving tended to attract her friends faster.
   Zaira had nearly fallen asleep on Cole's chest when the others arrived.
An engine motor rumbled outside, Cole jumped, set her aside and stood to
greet them.
   They barely got their foot in the door before stopping, staring at her
standing beside Cole.  They both looked around the room, presumably for
someone else, some other person who could offer them an explanation for her
presence.
   "This is our new room mate, Zaira.  Zaira, that's Aaron and that's
Derek."
   She gave both the men hugs though they remained as still as statues.  "I
can have pizza now?" She smiled up at Derek.  He was the one still holding
the two large pizza boxes in his hand.  Aaron had a case of beer tucked
under his arm.
   Zaira took the case of beer and carried it to the kitchen.
   "What the fuck is going on right now?" Aaron whispered.
   "Listen, she approached me, asked if I'd give her a place to stay."
   Derek grumbled.  "I've seen this episode."
   "What are you talking about?"
   "That show where they set up people to be caught being nice to minors."
Derek set the pizza boxes down and stood before Zaira.  "Is that what this
is about?  Is there about to be a camera crew in here?  Are you working for
the police?"
   "I've seen that show too." Zaira opened the first pizza box, frowned,
then moved to the next one.  She cooed at her discovery of bacon and took a
slice.  "You know what's different about that show?" She pointed to Cole.
"They would have snatched him up when I got out of his car, or maybe while
I was taking my bath, or while I was sleeping in his lap on the couch." She
rolled her eyes and took another bite of the pizza.  "Who knows what I
could have been doing in all that time." Zaira moaned over the pepperoni,
bacon, peppers, and stringy cheese on thick buttery bread.
   Aaron cleared his throat and tossed Cole a wide eyed look.
   "She's not wanted?" said Derek.
   "Not locally.  Haven't seen anything about her."
   "Listen kid, there's no other children here, no women, just us ...  and
we ain't supposed to be around children." Derek glared at the both of them.
   "I know.  Listen?  If you want me gone, just give me a few days, okay?
I'm hungry and tired."
   "Got a smart mouth on her too."
   "I'll keep it shut if that's what you prefer." She whispered.
   Cole shoved Aaron and glared at him.  "Don't you mind him.  We're just
nervous, that's all.  Go ahead sweet heart.  You fill your belly, get some
rest."
   ***
   They ate, the men drank, and as the beers emptied, they began to relax,
even began to joke with each other.
   Zaira didn't feel nervous about their suggestive stares.  No one was
going to hurt her.  She was sure of it, as sure of that as she was sure
that the things crawling along the ceiling were there to watch after her,
not hurt her.
   Those creatures had been her friends longer than anyone.  When they were
around she was safe.
   "We only have the three bedrooms.  I guess I could fix you a place on
the couch, but..."
   "Couldn't I share the bed with you?  It's big enough for us both, isn't
it?"
   "Um," Cole coughed and cleared his throat.  "Sure."
   Zaira didn't wait to hear the rest.  She picked the room that had
pictures of him in it.  The bed was certainly big enough, but the room was
messy.  She kicked a few things out of her way and crawled onto the frumpy
bed.
   Derek, Cole, and Aaron were arguing again, but Zaira had what she
needed, a place to stay.  She grinned as she bundled up in the bed.  They
were all worried about the wrong thing.
   She woke cradled by Cole's body, his hand under the shirt she'd modified
as a sleep gown, under the shirt and between her legs, nestled there
presumably for warmth.
   ***
   At first, Cole just wanted to look at her, get a peek.  He hadn't seen a
little girl so cute in such a long time.  Once he had a look, he just
wanted to smell her.  His nose was right there, mere millimeters from her
heat.  The decadence of her forbidden fruit too close, too tempting.
   Just a taste.  His tongue extended seemingly of its own will.  She was
sweet, a little sour, a ray of sunshine.  He licked along her fat slit, the
tip of his tongue probed deeper.  He forgot about everything but the smell
of her, the unique taste.  She wasn't stretched, abraded, or sore.  This
little girl hadn't made her way in the world on her back.  If virginity had
a taste, he was sure it would have this flavor, an angelic hint of
ambrosia.
   Cole knew she was awake by the way her inner thigh twitched against his
cheek.  She didn't squeal, try to squirm away, or complain.  For a moment
her legs tensed and then they fell open on the bed, leaving him to his
breakfast.
   His tongue parted the pink flesh and pushed deeper and her hips began to
wiggle over his tongue.  The little spasms in her butt started again,
moments later, she stiffened with another climax.  Liquid, warm and thin,
filled his mouth.  Cole drank it like a man in the desert.
   "Can I do you now?" She whispered.
   Could she?  Cole rested his stubbled cheek on her belly and smiled at
her.  He felt drunk, better than drunk, the kind of buzzed only the good
kind of drugs bought you, and only after the first taste.  Maybe that's why
he imagined her saying that.
   "Yeah," he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling.  He felt
high all right, but the feeling was too good to question.  He could figure
out where his mind wandered to later.
   Cole groaned, his eyes closed as soft heat wrapped around his morning
erection.  He heard her correctly.  She licked and sucked on his dick, all
without him asking.  He spread his legs and she crawled between them, her
warm little hands cupped his balls.  Had she done this before?  How many
times?  Who taught her?
   Bless them, whoever they were.
   "That's a very good girl.  You're such a good little thing, aren't you?"
   ***
   Zaira lay in the ray of sunlight.  She had a book open in front of her,
but she was staring out the window at the next building over.
   Seven dead.  Shanice, Nicole, four children, one one more.  The guardian
or Dane?  Did he get away in time or did the guardian kill them all?  Zaira
had never thought so much about a person she left behind other than her
original mommy and daddy.
   Dane reminded her so much of Khi, but real.  He listened, helped, but
unlike Khi, when he touched her she felt as if butterflies were taking
flight in her belly.  He reminded her of someone else, from a home she
couldn't remember, a family she couldn't name.
   This place wasn't so bad.  Once the men realized that no one was missing
her, that the police were not going to arrive, and that she would willingly
indulge them in return for food and shelter, life settled into a
comfortable routine.
   They gave her books, access to the internet, and left her alone for most
of the day.  She cleaned and prepared meals, not because they expected it,
because she was so used to working through the day that it came natural to
her.  Plus, that meant that she lived in a clean environment and after so
many weeks on the road, it was worth the disaster that three men could make
of her work with a single day off.
   Zaira set the table with dinner.  When their shifts were staggered, she
prepared their meals in stages, adding a little something that each one of
them liked.  Today, all three of them got off at the same time.
   "Thanks, Z." Cole said.
   "Yeah, thanks Z," echoed Derek and Aaron.
   For their part, the trio of men were amazed to have the little woman in
their life.  While two of them were on the run from underage charges, only
Derek had confessed to a preference for children.  The three of them stayed
together thinking of safety and protection in numbers.
   Then a little cafe au lait waif with bright brown eyes entered their
lives putting all their temptations to the forefront.  Instead of creating
a poisonous environment, she created a home.  Each of them fell deeply in
love with her and in turn, possessive, though neither had voiced their
opinions.
   "Hey, Z," Cole said.  "I bought you some clothes.  Would you mind trying
them on for us?"
   "Where?"
   "I left the bag on my bed."
   "Kay," she hopped down and went to his room.
   Cole pulled out his phone and turned it to video.
   "What are you doing?" Aaron whispered.  "You trying to get us caught?"
   "No one is going to see it.  Come on."
   They quietly pushed their chairs back and stalked down the hallway.
   He aimed the camera into the room and she was naked, easing out of her
older clothes and into the lacy negligee.
   Aaron and Cole were focused on the parts of her body that were exposed.
Derek saw something else.  He'd been in Cole's room before, and wanted to
figure out what the dark pillar standing against the wall was.  It almost
seemed to be moving.
   He rounded the corner and looked, but saw nothing, not the way the
camera did.
   The recording stopped and Cole and Aaron were pushing their way back.
   Zaira stepped around the corner and spun in a circle.  "If you wanted to
take a picture of me, you didn't have to sneak it."
   Cole sputtered to provide an explanation but Zaira was already walking
away.
   "Thank you." She called.  "It's cute."
   "Let me see that," Derek reached for Cole's phone.  He forwarded the
video to the pillar.  The video was distorted, the image jumped and
flickered in a way that it wasn't doing while they were watching.
   Derek paused the video and tried to show Cole, but he never took his
eyes off Zaira.
   Continued in Part 4.
   <->
Written: November 2012
Contact: nysidra at hot mail dot com
   
  
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