Zyla: The Last Chapter

ZYLA: FIRST SIGHT

=ZYLA=

            The big lab is where I work. I call it the big lab because the small lab is that personal lab I have back at home. Aside from the size, the only actual difference between the two is that I can use magic in my small lab. I can’t use or produce magic unlike my mother or aunt Saff but I created a machine that could store their magic for later use. I use that magic for some things that human technology cannot do yet, especially for shrinking stuff down. There are a lot of times when machines are too big because of their parts but with magic, I can shrink them without finding a substitute. The downside to this is that I can’t present them to anyone else, to humans anyway. Magic is unknown to them.

            The big lab I work at is owned by Multinnova, a multi-business international company that was grown and owned by the Garret family. I chose this company because among the companies that scouted me, they gave me a blank contract where I can write any conditions that I want. I didn’t really require much, just that I have my freedom and to be fair, they can have all the inventions and research that I release to them. The rest of the things written on the contract are what the company politely considered for me. I had my brother Zane review the contract and he said it was a great deal so I didn’t touch the matter anymore and signed the contract and then at the age of 19, the very legal age for humans to work, I entered the lab for the very first time. This lab also has the best of everything from updated machineries to updated research so I can’t really say that I chose wrong.

            I went through the security protocol before entering the lab. I think it has only been a week since I last came here but everyone just seems to stare at me like they’ve never seen me before whenever I come here. I had always thought I should come here more often to stop them from staring but a lot of things would always keep me away. On the way to sanitation, I met Siva, a fellow scientist who specializes in gene research and also the only human I talk to, a friend and an outside relationship aside from my family to be specific.

“Good afternoon, Zyla.” Siva sweetly greeted. “You must miss me terribly to come back here even though there’s really nothing for you to do here or not that I know of anyway. A secret project or a new one?”

“There’s just something I want to look into.” I answered. It’s not that far off from the truth since I came here to probably get some ideas or inspiration about Day’s condition.

“Well, I won’t bother you any longer then.” Siva said when I stopped in front of the sanitation room while she went on her own way.

            In the next hours that followed, I focused on analysing Day’s gene information. I just have the feeling that the answer lies here somewhere. However, all I have been doing is staring and thinking what I already know. I gave up after a while and went out of the lab to look for food. When I start a research, I would always go on for days or hours just to finish it but there are times when I get stuck on something or my brain is just too overrun that it becomes disordered that I have to go for a break or just for food. However, when I am here in the big lab, I also have to consider the fact that I am posing as a human and humans needs a lot to maintain their body like bathroom breaks and their inability to withstand working for days but I am not going to complain about sleep and food though. My favorite place in the big lab is the employee break and lounge room. It has this great vending machine that is always filled with great and healthy foods, the machine is almost always stocked everyday. I hung up my lab coat before heading out. The big lab has two main buildings that is connected with each other by a big domed roof because in between the buildings are the open exhibition area. This is where basic and non-harmful experiments are conducted, also a place where visitors can visit and watch freely. The break room is on the second building and to get there from where I am, I have to cross the bridge that is connecting the two building and also overlooking the exhibition area. I usually don’t pay attention to anything else but this time, a specific scent caught my attention and I stopped walking to look down below. A group of men in black business suits are gathered down below in the open exhibition area but my gaze zeroed in on one specific man.

            From afar, I could still see everything. He has light brown eyes and black, midnight hair. He has the normal fair complexion that generally puts him in society’s standard for a very handsome man but what I’m more concerned about is that he’s human, very very human.

“Zyla?” I heard Siva beside me as she stopped beside me. When I did not answer, she followed my line of sight. “Oh I forgot that today was inspection day, they had put up the notice last week.”

“Oh.” I was obviously not aware of any of anything that is going on in the lab except for my works. I did not remove my gaze from that man and Siva noticed.

“Oh, are you looking at our president? Isn’t he handsome? You actually paying attention to him means that he’s really irresistible.”

             I tore away my gaze from the man to look at Siva, a bit confused. I remember attending a seminar once and I clearly remember an old man introducing himself as the president.

“The president? That handsome man?” I clarified to Siva.

“Yes, that’s right. The one you’re staring at.” Siva also stopped looking at the handsome man and looked at me then her eyes widened when she saw my confused face. “Oh my gosh! Zyla are you serious?! Like seriously?!”

“What?” I asked and Siva just shook her head in disbelief. I returned my gaze to that man from earlier as the pull returned me to him but Siva turned me around to look at her.

“Zyla, listen to me before you get yourself in trouble. That is William Johnson, the last president’s son. He became the president almost a year ago. Did you even know that the last president is sick and bed-ridden right now?”

“Johnson? Why Johnson? But he was a Garret, the last president I mean.”

“You seriously need to start reading the gossip news. You didn’t even know that our president had changed and that was almost a year ago. Jeez, it’s like you have your own little world which I guess you do. However, allow me to give you an explanation now that you seem really interested.” Siva said as she started dragging me towards the direction I was initially going.

            I looked at the man for the last time and calmed myself down. That man had given off that sweet and refreshing scent and I know that I am the only one who can smell it. One last glimpse and  I looked away at the same time that I pulled the confusing emotions inside.

            Thankfully, Siva dragged me to the break room and food became my distraction. I got chips and went to settle myself on the soft couch. Siva followed a while later with a bowl of salad. Looking at the salad, I vaguely remember a conversation about dieting so I assume Siva is dieting but I really cannot see why she has to do so. I can’t see the flaw that she has to remove by dieting.

“The president is the illegitimate son of Mr. Garret.” Siva started but paused a few moments later to eat a tomato. My first thought is that I can never imagine myself eating just a tomato, a raw one at that and second, I seem to be bothered by what I just heard. “The story is that Mr. Garret met our president's mother and had a fling with her before he got married to his current wife. The president was then born without Mr. Garret's knowledge but when the president was 5, he was sent to Mr. Garret. As for the reason, no one knows but when the DNA results came out, Mr. Garret and his wife openly accepted the president in their home. That's all I know or rather what the public knows, we don't get much rumors here since our job doesn't really relate to that kind of work drama. But I wonder how the inheritance is going to be given out since Mr. Garret had a boy and a girl with his current wife. Well, never mind, you and I don't know anything much about the world of the business people, it’s such a complicated world. Better stay out of it.”

            Siva moved on to talking about other things but my mind had already drifted off. I mean she’s wrong about one thing, I do understand the business world, not that much but enough to know what is generally going on. We have family business that is both non-independent and dependent of the pack, Harper Inc. However, publicly, no one knows that my sister, Zoya, and I are part of the Harper Inc. despite our last names because the media were banned on digging deeper into the personal lives of the people involved in Harper Inc. It was for protection and also to protect the secret that we are werewolves. Both my sister and I benefited the most with the secrecy because we could live our lives freely but still, as part of the family, my sister and I own shares from the company. My brother takes care of my share for me since I never had the care or the mind to touch it. Then there was the time when our father passed down the position to Zane. The board members had known of both my sister and I’s accomplishments and a few of them wanted to put us in that seat but of course, we had no interest on that position. My sister had her own business to worry about at that time and I have no interest in business at all but we all knew what they really wanted. Those men wanted a puppet, their very own puppet. At that time, I really tried to understand why they are always doing greedy things like that and that is why, I can understand William Johnson’s position.

            If it were any other people, I literally wouldn’t care. Hiding within humans are the only things that we are supposed to do, we are supposed to just adapt to their way of living because this is predominantly their world and we are the odd ones out. The thing is that, there is that silent and unwritten rule that we cannot be involved in the lives of humans, at least to the point that we are changing it. Unless that human….is your mate. I did expect to meet my mate sooner or later but I did not expect a human in the form of William Johnson.

“Earth to Zyla? Can’t I at least interest you with my random chit chats?” Siva said as she shook me on the shoulders.

“Sorry, I was thinking about something.”

“Ooooh. You are working on a new project aren’t you?” Siva did that eyebrow wiggle of hers.

“No. It’s something more personal.”

“Ah I see….” Siva suddenly sat down beside me, closer than necessary. “Would you like me to listen to it? You know…offer some advice and stuff…”

“Why?” I asked and Siva rolled her eyes.

“Because! That is what people do. Sometimes when people encounter a problem in their personal life, they seek other people for advice and those other people might or might not give out a very helpful advice but at least, you know that someone is out there to listen to you. You getting it?”

            I shook my head because one, I cannot see the point and second, it’s a werewolf problem. Siva sighed.

“You are hopeless, my dear.” Siva said as she shook her head at me with a small smile.