Fated Hybrids

Chapter 8

I left her room, still smiling. Though the conversation went into a direction I wasn't comfortable with, I enjoyed having another moment to speak to her. I checked the doors to make sure they were secure before I went upstairs to my room. I turned the light on to see that Emery had made herself at home in my bed. Her back was turned towards me and she was halfway under the covers. I could tell she was in a fetal position, she always slept that way. I started to change out of my clothes and find something more comfortable to sleep in. I was down to just my panties when Emery mumbled something. I turned my head towards the bed while I searched through my shirt drawer.

I kept my going-out shirts and my sleep shirts in the same drawer; I didn't really care how they were organized.

"What’s wrong, Em?" I pulled out my plain, white, droopy dog graphic t-shirt that came down just above my knees.

"I…Had a nightmare. Is it okay if I sleep with you?"

Her usual big-girl voice sounded shaky and scared. I sometimes forget she's only five.

"I don't care, just don't kick me all right? You're the most dangerous wild sleeper I've met so far."

I pulled my shirt down over my head. I went to turn on my nightstand lamp next to her side of the bed before switching off the ceiling light. I crawled into bed and laid a little closer to Emery so that I could give her some feeling of security. She turned over so that I could see her pink, puffy brown eyes.

"It's okay Em, it was just a dream." I softly ran my fingers through her curly hair, hoping to calm her.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She quickly shook her head no. She didn't usually cry over a bad dream so this one had to be pretty bad. She didn't want to discuss it so I wasn't going to push.

"Is mom going to be alright now?" She asked, I nodded.

"Yes, for a while I hope. I won't have to go out so much now. Maybe we could get you out of the house sometime." Her eyes widened a little.

"Really? You mean it?"

I nodded and she finally smiled.

"It's been a long time since I've been outside. I'm kind of scared."

I lightly pinched her little cheek.

"Your big sister won't let anything happen to you, so don't be scared." She gave a devious smirk.

"You bet your butt you won't, or else mom will cook you for din-din."

I laughed before palming her little head against the pillow. She was back to her smart alec little self.

"Go to sleep Em. I'll be here."

She nodded before snuggling up to me and closing her eyes. Emery could be a brat sometimes, but she was still such a sweet kid. I would lose my s**t if anything happened to her. So would my mother. There were two lives in my hands and I was going to strengthen my grip to protect them, No matter how much my hands hurt.

I lay there, one arm around Emery protectively. I closed my eyes and the moment I did, I saw his face; Adontis's face. I opened my eyes once more and sighed. I felt anxious and shaken, all because I was remembering him. What the hell was wrong with me? Maybe I was exhausted. Today had been an interesting day. I just wanted to forget the whole encounter and get back to what I considered normal.

The next day, I awakened to a wonderful smell. Breakfast. Emery was no longer in my bed next to me so I assumed she was making something for herself. She probably thought I'd be sleeping well into the afternoon since I wouldn't be on the grind for medicine. I rolled over onto my back and did a nice long stretch. I hadn't felt this well rested in a long time. My head still felt a little weird but when I sat up I started to feel better. The sleepy haze still had to wear off I suppose. I decided to head downstairs to make sure Emery wasn't going to burn the house down, and to check on mom.

I cleared the living room and entered the kitchen to see Emery taking two pieces of toast out of the toaster. There was a plate on the table with two more pieces of toast on it. She looked up at me putting the pieces of toast on the plate.

"Hi Zara, morning." I smiled down at her.

"Morning Em. Is mom up?" I came and sat down at the kitchen table, running my fingers through my hair once. My fingers caught a few tangles on the way to the ends.

"She ate a little and then went back to sleep. So, I thought I'd make us some toast." She said with a smile as she sat in the chair across from me. I grabbed a slice of toast and took a bite.

"So where are we going?" Emery said, taking a bite of her toast as well.

"I was thinking of taking you to see some old friends. And NOT the little troublemakers downtown, just so you know."

I saw a little frown form on her face. "You're no fun."

"I'm a LOT of fun, I just need to show you. Eat up then get dressed, lots to do." I gave her a wink before I got up from the table.

Things would move a little faster if I got ready before she did. Emery didn't move slow or anything, but I was another case. I had to get weapons and things together after I finished getting dressed, so my preparations took a little longer. There weren't too many places to take her anymore. It's not like a Dave & Buster’s or Chuck E. Cheese’s was still open. Kids would go find a park to play at if it was safe. Otherwise, they were running around in the streets getting into trouble. I wasn't sure if many of her friends she used to play with were still alive, but I hoped they were. Since Emery was born she hadn't seen much of the outside world. Most of the kids she played with showed up at our house to play with her. Lately, none of them had.

Whenever people stopped showing up I always assumed the worst naturally, there was no other explanation. Sure, the kids might've been told by their parents to stop going out on their own. If their parents were still alive to do so.

I flipped the light switch on in the bathroom and looked into the vanity mirror. The usually stuffed grocery bags under my eyes had gone on vacation. Getting a good night's rest again was definitely at the top of my to-do list tonight. I noticed little bits of eye crust on the corners of each eye and reached my left hand up to my face. I used the nail of my index finger to lightly scrape at the corners of my eyes.

I was satisfied with the scraping job but I still needed a more thorough cleaning with a face towel. Sighing, I went to the shower and pulled back the curtains. I leaned forward to turn on the hot water. The shower pin was already pulled up so it sprayed out automatically.

I undressed and stepped in when I started to see steam float over the shower rod. The water wasn't scalding hot, but at the point just before it was too much to stand under. I stood directly under the water and soaked my hair, running my fingers through it gently. I closed my eyes becoming more and more relaxed as the hot water cascaded down my body from head to toe. The shower was one place I could truly feel comfort and relaxation, until Emery interrupted me that is.

"Zara! What should I wear? Is it cold out? Hot?" She said from what sounded like just outside of the shower curtain. I strained a little water out of my hair so that I could poke my head out from behind the curtain.

"It's a fall morning, so dress warm. Now will you get out so I can finish my shower?" She stuck her tongue out at me before running out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I shook my head and closed the curtain again.

I grabbed the bar soap from its spot on the shower rack and then my towel from the shower rod. With Emery so hyped up, I knew it wouldn't be long before she popped back into the bathroom to rush me along.

This was going to be the first time in years we'd gone out together. I was worried about mom being home on her lonesome but we made sure she was all set before we left. Since we've been able to increase her dosages, she's been gaining her strength back little by little. I was surprised to see her be able to lift a book to read. I was becoming hopeful again, but not too hopeful. I knew she'd never be able to go out of the house on her own again.

Even if she were fully functioning again, I couldn't see her picking up a gun and killing anything fast enough to save herself. My mother never liked guns. I became a gunslinger the night my father died, I had to. There was no one else to protect us, no one to feed us, or deliver my little sister into this world. I had to do those things.

Emery and I made one last stop by our mother's room before leaving. Emery hugged my mom goodbye and my mother kissed her on the cheek.

"Have fun honey, and be careful. Stay close to Azarah."

Emery just nodded before leaving the room. I heard her going down the steps to the back door.

"Are you sure you'll be alright until we get back mom?" She nodded with a small smile.

"Yes, yes. Stop worrying and go. Don't be out too long, I want her back here well before dark."

"You know I won't keep her out that late. Just a few hours, no more."

My mother nodded before picking her book back up to read. I let her be and met Emery downstairs by the door. She'd chosen to wear some dark blue jeans, brown boots with little buckles on them, and a dark orange sweater. A dark orange, cotton knit hat with a sandy colored zip-up hoodie finished her outfit.

"Ready?" I said, smiling down at her.

"I've been ready since forever ago, so come on!" She said super excited.

She unlocked the door and ran out into the backyard. I followed her out and locked the door behind her. I walked my bike out from the bushes and hopped on it. Emery climbed on behind me and put her arms around my stomach.

"You'll have to hold on tighter than that kiddo, this thing is fast." I felt her lean against me and squeeze.

"There ya go..." I revved the bike before taking off onto the street.

"Ah! Zara you psycho!" Emery screamed. I laughed hearing her try to yell at me over the sound of the bike. She'd been on the bike with me once before but I took it a bit slower last time.

"If you can't handle the speed pipsqueak I'll take you back home!"

I felt her shake her head against my back. "No! No! Just hurry up and get to where we're going!"

This was going to be a fun ride, a fun ride indeed.

There weren't many places to take her. I still wasn't exactly sure where we'd go. Most of the parks had been too withered away, or were home to some very bad crowds. One place I used to go to with my parents as a child was called, Mei-Mahj Haven. It was sort of like a national park. We used to go to the lake's edge and skip stones on the water's surface. We'd even have picnics there sometimes; during daylight hours of course. I hadn't been there since our father had died. I didn't know what kind of state it would be in now. Only one way to find out, I suppose.

Mei-Mahj Haven was just off of the main highway. When we would go out of town to family gatherings, I remembered looking out of the car window and seeing the park just after sunrise. It was a beautiful sight.

I had tuned out Emery's complaining over the sound of the bike, but I felt her hit me on the back hard one good time.

"I know you hear me!"

"Actually no! What?" I said as I turned onto the Nolcope bridge. The park would be just a few miles after that.

"Are we almost there?!"

"Yes Em, we are! Just hang on!"

I felt her wrap her little arms around me tightly again. We cleared the bridge and ahead of us was a curving, cement pathway leading into Mei-Mahj Haven.