Zeph glanced at his watch as Zella headed for the bathroom again. So far everything had been fine. Her health had been great, no one else was sent to tangle with her or hunt her down. Life was looking good and forgetting the whole event had been easy the longer he hung around. With enough time, he could repress it and convince himself it never happened.
The only thing that wasn't so status quo was her current problem. She is going to the bathroom every half hour. He tried to ignore the sign; there was nothing else out of place. There could be something else going on with her. He pulled out one of his study books and focused on it instead. He just had to stay positive; everything would be fine.
"No, by the planet of Pagnia?!" Zella shouted.
At Zella's outburst Zeph immediately set his book down and ran toward the bathroom. "What?" He saw her staring at something in her hand and she refused to meet him eye to eye. "Zella?" He watched her toss something in the nearby trashcan. "Ky." Zeph glanced back to the trashcan subconsciously knowing what it was. He didn't want to look, didn't want to know, and he wanted to pretend that everything would be okay.
Pretending wasn't going to work anymore though as his eyes stared at the object that had been tossed to the side. A small object no larger than a nail file, but on it was the sign that his worst fear had come true.
"Oh...oh..." Zella covered her mouth feeling sick to her stomach. It couldn't be, but it was true! Her stomach felt tied up in knots and she stepped back until she hit the back of the bathroom wall. The cold exterior on her neck did nothing to numb her sudden feelings of nausea. She saw Zeph staring at the results, but he blurred in and out of her vision. She tried to breathe, but her throat felt so hoarse, even breathing seemed to be a challenge. Her legs felt like jelly as she trembled and could not stop.
"Ohhhh..." Zella opened her eyes and saw Zeph beside her. She glanced around and realized she was on her own couch. "...I'm...I'm..."
"I know." Zeph helped her sit up on the couch. "Take it easy, you fainted."
"I'm?" Zella still could not get out the words. "Zeph, w-what do I..."
"You get a crib and some clothes, and I'll just have to guard two instead of one."
Zella was not happy with his answer. Buy a crib and clothes, did he think it was a joke? She didn't know whether to shout out how much of an insensitive jerk he was or if she should just... "I don't know what to do, I'm not married, I don't have a boyfriend, and I don't even know who the father is, except he pretended to be a Guardian. Zeph, I-I-I don't know what to do."
"Well, I could call someone?" Zeph suggested.
Zeph tried to call Xiam first for her, but he wasn't home, so he tried to call Muin. When she heard the news, she rushed right over to help ease Zella's mind.
"It's okay," Muin said with comfort in her voice. "This'll be okay, Zella. I mean, we'll both be pregnant together. Right, big sister?"
Zeph refilled Zella's non-alcoholic drink as he glanced at Muin.
"It's not the same thing, Muin." Zella said the same thing he probably
thought. "You're happily married to Zaria."
"I know," Muin said sympathetically then looked crossly over at Zeph. "Don't make her feel even worse, just because she didn't live up to your expectations."
"I'd never do that."
"Well, you sure fooled me." Muin crossed her arms and smiled at Zella. "It'll be fine, sis."
Zella nodded but looked back at Zeph. Getting pregnant from a one-night stand, there was no way he'd say it was all right or no big deal. He should be yelling at her, quizzing her to figure out what she did wrong. Criticize her for not listening to him when he was her last Guard. He should have done any of those, but he didn't do or say anything at all. Just that it was okay? It's wrong for Muin to be pregnant and happily married because she's younger, but it was right for her to be impregnated by someone she didn't know because she was older? There was something not right about his behavior.
"It'll be okay." Muin smiled at Zella. "Maybe the guy will help you out? At the very least, you can get some money out of him."
"I don't really care about that," Zella said. The last thing she wanted was for some stranger she met one time to enter her life. Things were complicated enough. She took a swig of the drink Zeph poured but wished she had something stronger, at least as powerful as their water. How could one mistake lead to this? She had followed the rules so close, and she had always kept herself in check. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, Muin deserved to be where she belonged. Her sister had been reckless in her youth, and she care to take any precautions.
Miss wild and free Muinela ended up finding the love of her life while pregnant, but she herself would end up alone and pregnant?
"Tuck your pajamas back in your robe, and I thought I told you to get rid of those?" The annoying voice she knew oh so well berated her.
Excuse me, stuck with a Guardian and pregnant. Alone would have been better she thought as she tucked her pajama's deeper into her robe. Like she cared if someone saw her top right now or not? She was pregnant! She hung her head low at the thoughts whirling in her head as she set her drink back down. She felt her sister's arm around her, trying to give comfort, but no one's arm could heal the past. The wound that had slowly started to heal had grown to an all out injury that would never scab over.
Scab over? How can I think that? What kind of mother would say such a thing? She tried to hold back her tears, she'd cried enough that night. No amount of crying would help her situation. No, it was time to come clean with herself. "I did something wrong, and I'm pregnant." She finally said the words out loud, but it made her feel even worse. She grabbed a tissue and fiddled with it, trying not to dwell on the words she spoke. The past couldn't be changed though, and the unimaginable was beginning. She couldn't take anything back. "I'm pregnant."
You shouldn't do this alone. We're gonna find the guy, I promise." Muin grinned. "Iri's gonna help you."
What? Zeph listened very intently, that didn't sound good.
"You know, Iri remembers everyone she meets right down to the smallest detail." Muin patted her big sister's leg. "She called me right before Zeph called." A glance was thrown his way. Apparently she wasn't happy about being called after Xiam, but how was Zeph supposed to know whom to call first? "She told me she remembered that the guy had a funny looking tail. It had a bit of a crook in it, especially when he walked."
Zeph quickly laid his tail as straight as he could. Xiam's wife could be a problem after all! How could she remember such a tiny detail?
"He also had a strange blue hair color she said was quite memorable. We're watching for that right now, and for anyone new in town," Muin said. "We'll look around more, someone else must have seen something." Muin put her finger to her lip and tapped it back and forth. "There was something else. "Oh yeah. He was really tall and lanky too." Muin gestured over to him. "About like our Zeph I bet."
"I need some water," Zeph said quickly as he stood up. "You ladies want anything?"
Muin smiled. "No sir."
Zella just shook her head not even hearing Zeph's invitation. "Tall, lanky, and weird tail? I don't remember. I sort of remember the hair though."
"She said he had a high voice too, almost comical," Muin added.
Almost comical? Well, that's nice. Zeph frowned as he went to the kitchen and pretended to get water. He glanced back, then went over to a cupboard for a shot glass and some Ornisky, a brand of strong original whiskey. What do you remember about the guy who knocked me up? Zeph mocked Muin to himself. Oh just that he had a funny voice and a crooked tail? I do not have a crooked tail! He poured the whiskey straight in the shot glass and took a swig. He felt the sensation burn his throat as he continued to listen to Muin from the other room.
"We'll catch him, Zella, rest assured. You think Zeph is going to let some guy get away with this? He'll definitely find him before we even do. He may be a jerk and overprotective, but he'd never let us down."
Zeph looked at the shot glass. The smooth exterior had Xiam's restaurant Vallencio's imprinted on the side. I'd never let them down. I may be a jerk and overprotective but I'd never let them down. Muin's words burned worse than the whiskey as he scooted the shot glass away and took a swig straight from the bottle.
---
In the weeks that followed, Zella had become used to Zeph being in her life again. Although annoying, greatly annoying to have a Guardian hanging around all the time, she realized how much she had missed her old friend. She even found herself playing favorite childhood past time games, but nostalgia took over when they started to play with yo-yos.
Zella smiled as Zeph's string on his yo-yo broke. They were competing to see who could yo-yo the most and she was not far behind. "Is that a forfeit?"
"Ha, ha." Zeph tried to tie the string back together. "You wish."
Zella laughed as she held out her finger and bounced her yo-yo like a pro. It was a child's toy that she hadn't played with in decades, not since Zeph left. She had thought he would give up on it like everyone else did, but he still had a strange fascination for the toy. "Still obsessed with that yo-yo as much as when you were a kid."
"I was never a kid, I had too many responsibilities," Zeph said as he kept trying to tie the knot without leaving gaping strings that would need cut. "I'm not obsessed either."
"Okay, you're not obsessed and you never were." Like she would ever believe that? "You bet Yo-yo Zeph."
"You're the one who must have been practicing all the time," Zeph said as he got his string fixed. He tried to play with the yo-yo but the string snapped again. "Damn, this is getting old."
"Blame it on the yo-yo." Zella smiled knowing it irritated him. "What are you going to do, throw it away, buy a new one and declare a new game?"
"No, I couldn't throw this one away." Zeph tried to fix the string again. He seemed to hesitate a moment before he spoke. "...My father gave it to me."
"Oh." Zella became quiet. Family was never anything Zeph wanted to talk about.. The less she had pushed as a child to know, the better they got along, but they were adults now. Would he be able to talk to her more about it? I never told him anything about my real family either. "Your father gave it to you?"
Zeph fiddled around with the string but glanced up. "What about you?"
"Hmm?" Zella didn't understand, he should know a great deal about her. "Me what?"
"Your family." Zeph put the yo-yo down. "Before Xiam and Muin?"
Zella continued to play with her yo-yo. "I don't know what you mean."
"Do you remember anything?" Zeph asked her.
"I don't know what you mean," Zella said more firmly. She didn't want to talk about it, he should have just known. He worked for the King, how could he not know?
"Yes you do," Zeph said seriously. "You're the last Saga."
Zella put her yo-yo down. He was so frustrating sometimes, if he did know, why was he asking? "So."
"You could have told me. It would have been nice knowing," Zeph said.
"Nice knowing?" Zella gave him a disturbed look. "What? That I'm the last of some phased out family? How would that be nice to know?"
"Because," Zeph said before he took a deep breath, "I am too."
Zella gave him a puzzled look, what did he mean he was too?
Zeph picked his yo-yo up. "My lineage is all original, no mix."
"You have pure lineage?" Zella seemed shocked. "I thought there weren't many more besides a few."
"Well, there are." Zeph smiled as he waved his tail around near her. "I saw the historical book of lineage with my own eyes."
Zella held out her tail as well, but did not touch his. "I'm red. Yours is blue?"
"Yep." Zeph grinned. "Matches the hair-I mean it did match my hair. I should have guessed."
"Well how could you?" Zella reasoned. "Xiam and Muin hid their tails too along with Mom and Dad. Everyone hides their tail colors, even Zaria."
Zeph groaned. "Why'd you mention his name? Hang on, wait. The Cattral's had pure lineage?"
"Yes, they're pure," Zella informed him. "So is Zaria."
"That lowlife," Zeph growled. "That must have been the attraction."
"I don't know." Zella shrugged. "It's nice to know their babies will continue the original tradition, at least a few more centuries."
"Yeah, great." Zeph felt like smashing his head into something. The King set him up for no reason at all! There would already be a pure lineage having a kid. How could the King not have the basic knowledge of Muin and Zaria, it was right there in front of him! He wanted to scream to the top of his lungs, what the King had done had no purpose. Nothing at all, it was an accident that never should have happened, and it would go down in history as being the stupidest thing he'd ever been conned into.
Which led him to believe, even more, there was more to this than the King let on. If only he could see it. He tried many times, thought about it over in his head. Why? Every time he thought about it though, he ended up at the same dead end conclusion: Nothing.
"In the end, it doesn't matter, they'll have to cover its little tail too." Zella shrugged. "The Saga's are gone, the Cattral's name is gone, and soon so will the rest."
"Wait, what do you mean Cattral's gone?" Zeph frowned, "Xiam married, didn't he? Eventually he's bound to have kids."
"Yes, but the Vallencio's had no males in their family to pass their name down. Xiam wanted to make the gesture of changing his name instead of Iridescent."
"Xiamipoc Vallencio?" Zeph couldn't quite get his tongue to say it easily. "Explains the name of his restaurant."
"Yes. Besides, Xiam knows the kingdom still tracks the family names. If he changed his name over, there's more safety for his next generation," Zella reminded him.
"Great, and Muin went and married. What was her last name again?" Zeph asked.
"Furtop," Zella reminded him. "Mrs. Muinela Furtop."
"So you're the only one left, huh?" Zeph chuckled. In a way, it was sad. "I feel the irony."
Zella didn't smile. "That's not very funny."
"The last Saga. The last Cattral." Zeph pointed at himself. "The last Smilliat. We're all fading out in the end."
Zella nodded in understanding. "Yes. One day, we'll all be gone and just the evolved will remain. I just hope it's a gradual change with dignity, and not...not war."
---------
Zeph growled on reflex. "I'd die before I see them wipe us out completely."
Zella glanced back at Zeph. "Calm down Zeph, you're too obsessed with them."
"Well they destroyed my whole life, how am I supposed to feel?" Zeph looked down at his yo-yo. "Evolution and yo-yo's. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even sane anymore." He grabbed his head.
Zella patted his back. "I know how it feels. They did something to your family, it's obvious, but they all passed on."
"They aren't gone," Zeph insisted.
"Bitterness doesn't make the past better," Zella said in warning. "Only the present can really matter now."
"You know it's that kind of thinking which backed us up into this corner we're all stuck in." Zeph groaned. "Only the present matters. Yeah, they come over and destroy our lives, go back to their side and say 'sorry'? Oh, but it was the past and the evolved learned their lesson. So why can't we all get along?" He scoffed. "No way, forget it. They are not our friends or our allies. We've got to stop cowering and fight back for ourselves."
"Originals don't fight," Zella said softly. "Only Guards do, Zeph."
"Then when will they?" Zeph frowned. "How far do we have to be pushed before we stop hiding our tails and fight back? How many of us are even going to be around before someone does something, huh?"
"We just want to be happy and live freely." Zella tried to convince him again. "We don't fight."
"Yeah, I know. Risks have got to be taken to keep that freedom though." On reflex, Zeph looked at her stomach. "How are you doing?"
Zella looked down at her tummy. "I don't know. Besides the nausea and loss of appetite…it's strange. A different kind of feeling I'm not used to." She gently touched her tummy. "I'm not getting big though yet, not for some time." She looked back over at Zeph. "How am I really gonna do this?"
Zeph shrugged. "I don't know. We'll just get through it."
"We'll?" Zella said, chuckling. "That's a funny word coming from you."
"Well I'll be here guarding you. It's a part of you, so I'll guard it too," Zeph reasoned.
Zella smiled at him. "Why are you really here? It's apparent you're too late."
"Not so," Zeph disagreed, "you are now with child. Even though Guardians mostly guard single females from males, it's not always the case." He gestured toward her stomach. "You are pregnant with a baby whose father is unknown. Some originals will see this as a chance to snatch you with minimal effort."
"Minimal effort?" Zella joked. "Well, I guess I wouldn't be able to run very fast."
"You know what I mean," Zeph said. "They'll try and say they'll be a good dad, just give them a chance and some 'incentive'. Then after they get what they want, they are out the door. I know, it's typical predator activity."
"Is that really why? Is that what you told the King?" Zella asked.
Zeph sighed. "Alright, alright. I'm mostly here because I always promised you guys I'd be here if you really needed me." He gestured toward her. "I was already late, I'm not going to mess the whole thing up by letting some jerks deceive you just for a good time."
Zella stood up. "I guess that makes more sense. You always were very good at guarding."
"Guarding?" Zeph smiled. "What, me? A Guard being good at guarding? What sense does that make?"
"Hardy har har." Zella chuckled. "Come on, it's almost time to eat."
"What are we eating? Mnui?" Zeph smiled. Mnui was the best food known to him. Flat soft batter baked with one part dessert, one part meat, and one part vegetable. When cooked right, it was an amazing feast for his taste buds. Oh and Xiam? His friend could cook it just right.
"What do I look like, a chef?"
Zeph gestured outside. "Do you think our Chef Xiam is having that tonight?" He rubbed his hands together. "Say, I just thought of a great idea."
"Go over at suppertime, pardon the intrusion, and know Xiam would invite us in?" Zella said as she grabbed his hand. "Not on your life Guard Zeph." She giggled. "Come on Zeph, I'll fix something decent and I promise I'll try to make sure it's cooked this time."
"Or not burnt?" Zeph smiled at the possibility.
Zella's demeanor as she glanced back at him, her eyes full of fire. "Don't test me."
Ah. "Okay." He just grinned. "Mmm, charcoal."
"Zeph," Zella scolded him. "Do you want to fix dinner?"
"No, that's okay," he laughed nervously. "Sorry, just joking. Funny joke, ha ha?"
"Oh." Zella sighed. "Fine." She groaned as she felt her stomach. "Oh forget it, let's just call out."
"Now that is a great idea." Zeph grinned until he realized how big of a grin he had. "I mean, I know you're tired and…" Something sincere. What could he say so she wouldn't yell at him? "You should go rest?" Zeph could feel her chilling stare, he knew she didn't buy it. Okay, I can handle this. Her evil look should not bother me. Still, it was a bit weird. Zella was pleasant and then turned right around and became very temperamental.
It was like Zella had a split personality called Muin sometimes.
Oh, welcome to pregnancy. Zeph groaned.
---
Xiam stopped Zeph outside as he went for a small walk with Zella. "Hey Zeph, how about a second?"
"Sure. Especially if foods involved." Zeph grinned. He waved at Zella. "Don't go too far." He turned back to Xiam. "Is food involved?"
Xiam shook his head. "I just want to say that I know what's coming, it's obvious. Just don't be too hard on my sister. "Okay?"
"Huh?" Zeph didn't seem to understand.
"It was a mistake." Xiam sounded as if he was trying to get Zeph on his side. "Everyone makes those, hers was just a bit extra." He sighed deeply. "I know you, Zeph, you're only letting this slide so she gets used to everything, but I know you're going to give her a piece of your mind soon. Just be gentle, okay?"
A piece of my mind. "Fine," Zeph agreed.
"One more thing? Please stop delaying it." Xiam insisted. "Even Zella knows it's coming, you're making her feel more ashamed by acting like it's no big deal." He nodded and waved a quick goodbye.
Zeph nodded in return. He had noticed Zella's behavior too. There were moments, when they talked and laughed, where she'd just give out. Just apologize and take off to be alone. He caught up to her and walked, side by side again. Great, just great. The King put her into this position, this isn't her fault! Xiam's right though, if the King weren't involved and she just got pregnant in some one night stand, how would I act? He groaned knowing exactly how he'd act.
First he'd ask her what she was thinking, and then he'd give her a thousand other options she could have taken to get out of what happened. After that he'd say he was ashamed of her and couldn't believe he'd wasted all those years teaching her. Lastly, he'd watch her like a hawk, expecting her to mess up.
Yep, that's what he'd do. Cold, but that's what he'd do.
It wasn't her fault and it wasn't mine. We had no control, and we don't even remember. Zeph reasoned. They expect it though, and if I let this slide, they're going to figure out that something is up. How could he belittle her and not belittle himself too? I'm not an actor, this isn't going to be easy. "Zella." He called out to her a bit firmer than usual as he caught up.