Fated Hybrids

Chapter 9

The stone sign stood just as it did all those years ago at the entrance. However, it was weather-worn now. The park was huge, like an endless grassy valley. There were two wooden castles and a small sand pit spread out in two parts of the park. An eight count swing set and seven foot slide stood just after the park entrance.

I stopped the bike and turned it off on the side of the curving path. Emery let go of me and hopped off the bike.

"This place is so big! I don't know where to go first!" She squealed. I laughed as I got off of the bike. I looked around and it looked like we had the whole park to ourselves.

"Come on!"

She shouted before sprinting towards the swings. I ran after her. She got on the middle swing and gave herself a push from the ground to get some momentum going. She pumped her legs and began going a little higher each time. I walked over to the swing next to her and sat down, just sitting. I wasn't ready to swing so early in the morning. My bike was one thing, but the rocking motion wasn't going to feel very good to my stomach right now. I looked over to see that Emery had gotten a little higher. She leaned back as she came back down and the ends of her hair brushed the ground under the swing lightly. She looked at me with the biggest smile I'd seen in a long time before she swung backward again.

"You're swinging pretty high. Be careful you don't go over the bar."

I teased as I watched her keep swinging as if she hadn't heard one word I said.

"That's impossible! My weight alone won't allow me to swing up and over the bar. I may be five, but I'm not a complete idiot." I just smiled at the comment.

"All right, so you're not. Are you implying that most five-year olds are idiots?" Emery giggled but she didn't answer. Her laugh told me enough.

"Hey... Zara?"

"Yeah Em?"

She stopped pumping her legs and started to slow herself down a little.

"Now that mom is getting more medicine, do you think she'll get better?" I sighed and did my best to keep a smile.

"I think she'll be a lot better than she's been lately Em. You remember what I told you about Aeir's Syndrome though, don't you?" It was her turn to sigh. I saw the beginnings of a pout as she swung forward.

"I know, I know. You said there's no cure. You said she'd feel better with enough medicine but she could never stop taking it or she'd get really sick again and die. I know...I just want to see her walking around the house again, Zara. Don't you?"

She was swinging slower now, enough that her face remained in my eye sight.

"Of course I do Em. I want nothing more than to see mom healthy again. Right now we just have to wait it out, all right?" I said. She nodded before putting her feet down on the ground and stopping the swing. I could tell she was upset now. Even though she was outside for the first time in a long time, I couldn't let her day out turn sour.

"Hey, cheer up pipsqueak. We're outside and we have the park all to ourselves. Let's play!"

I stood up from the swing and she looked up at me still pouting. I put my left hand on my left hip and frowned at her.

"If you don't play with me I'm going to have to chase you."

I watched a grin slowly creep onto her face. She stood up from the swing still grinning. I made a playful growling sound and she took off running and laughing towards one of the wooden castles. I chased her under one of the ladders and she ran to climb up a rope net. I climbed after her and grabbed at her ankle.

She screamed and kept pulling herself up, so I let go to give her a chance to get away. She cleared the rope net and stepped up to the landing. She looked down at me before she ran across the wooden link bridge that bounced a little as she ran across it.

We went on playing for at least two hours before we took a seat by the lake's edge. I sat in the grass while I watched Emery sift through rocks near the water. It was quiet, only the sounds of nature around us. I was almost worried because of how peaceful it was.

The way I run around always expecting the worse things to happen, it's hard for me to sit back and chill like this. Maybe because the worst things usually did happen.

"Hey Zara! I found a purple looking one!"

Emery shouted, full of excitement. My alarms immediately went off. That's one of the colors of Xerclan eggs!

"Let me see it!" I called to her.

She walked up to me and there was a small, shiny purple rock in her hand. Just a rock. A wave of calm flowed over me once again.

"Oh, very pretty Em. Is that one for mom?" She nodded happily before she went back to the water's edge.

I was having a flashback of when those kids downtown came across a Xerclan nest and nearly got killed. I didn't need a repeat of that episode starring my little sister.

You know that sixth sense you get when you can feel someone's eyes on you? I was feeling it. I took one of my guns out and turned around, pointing it.

Mont was approaching us with a cheeky grin and his hands up surrendering. I sighed, putting my gun away.

"Jesus Mont, I could've blown your head off." I turned around to watch Emery again, still hard at work looking for pretty pebbles. Mont came and sat down next to me, a couple of spaces away.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Hi Emery!"

Mont said, waving at her. Emery looked up and waved with a smile. She'd met Mont before and seen him a few times.

"You come here a lot?" I asked.

"Sometimes. I haven't been here in a while though. It’s nice seeing you and Emery here." He sounded happier by the second. I looked over at him with a slight smile.

"Well next time call my name or something, you know better than to startle me. I shoot first and ask questions later." Mont laughed a little.

"Yeah, I should know better. Your mom must be doing well since you two are outside together."

I nodded slowly, still keeping a watchful eye on Emery. "Yes she is. Your pharmacy lead paid off very well."

"I'm glad I could help. Let me know if there's anything else I can help you find."

I started to grin and he scooted closer to me.

"What's that grin about?" I asked, looking over at him.

"Actually, there is something else you could help me find."

He put his arms up on his knees and linked his fingers together.

"Name it, I'll find it for you."

"Fun. Good ol' pulse-pumping fun. Got any idea where I can find that?" I asked.

Mont smiled wide and looked out towards the lake.

"Well now, there's a rave going on later tonight at the Chatchka. It’s that club under the subway. Do you know it?"

I looked out towards Emery sitting down on the rocks now, seemingly in deep thought about something. "Yeah, I know it. It doesn't sound very secure. A loud, possibly drug fueled rave during the 'feeding time' hours?"

He turned towards me with his right eyebrow raised.

"The great Azarah isn't scared is she?"

I sat up straighter and looked over at him.

"If you think for one second I'm afraid to go out at night, you don't know me at all Mont. Not only am I coming out tonight, I'm going to that rave and staying until it’s over."

I watched him nod very slowly, impressed with my determination I think.

"Now that's the Azarah I know and love."

I blinked my eyes twice, my mouth slightly open from shock. He suddenly looked embarrassed and shook his head.

"I wasn't saying it like that I-"

I started to laugh.

"I know what you meant, Mont. Take it easy." I watched him exhale before smiling again.

"How long have you guys been out here?"

"Just a couple of hours. It's been a long time since Emery's had a chance to be a normal kid. I'm always too busy running around in the streets to spend time with her."

I let out a sigh and started picking at the grass with my right hand. There was a light snapping sound each time a blade of grass came out.

"Hey, it's not something you can help. There's no one else to help you so the responsibilities fall on you. I think you're a hero Zara."

The comment made me look up at him curiously. Emery was the only person I knew of that looked up to me.

"A hero? I don't know about that..."

"Oh come on, don't be so modest. You go out on your own everyday trying to take care of your family. This world being in the state it's in, that makes you a hero in my book." He said.

I could hear the sincerity in his voice. I just nodded, I didn't really know what response to give him. But I was truly flattered.

Emery came walking up to us and sat in front of me on her knees. Her left hand was closed into a fist with what I assumed were her collection of rocks.

"All done pebble hunting?" I asked. She nodded before slowly opening her hand. It looked like she'd collected a rainbow.

"Very nice Em, mom's going to love them."

"I hope so. There's no telling when I'll get to do this again."

I reached out and rubbed the top of her head. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you get to do this more often."

Mont held out a cloth to Emery and she looked at him curiously.

"You look like you might need something to put those in."

Emery gave him a smile before taking the cloth. "Thank you."

She set the cloth down on the grass and placed the rocks on top of it. I watched her carefully wrap them up and tie the cloth closed before putting them in her hoodie pocket.

"Zara I'm hungry, can we go back now? I'm sure mom needs us now too."

I nodded. "Sure pipsqueak, let's ride."

Mont stood up and offered a hand to both of us. We let him pull us up from the ground.

"Where should we meet up tonight?" He asked.

I was silent for a moment while I thought about it. I worried about Mont being on his own at night, about anyone being out at night. Although seeing as he's survived this long I'd have to get over my fears.

"Meet me at my place. At dusk. No later, all right?"

He nodded. "You're the boss lady."

Emery stepped up between us looking from me to Mont. We looked down at her.

"You're going out tonight? Late?" She had this eager look on her face that made me instantly suspicious.

"Yeah? What's it to you?" She started shaking her head.

"Mom is gonna freak when she finds out!"

I frowned down at her.

"Mom is going to be asleep when I leave and when I get back home, so she's not going to know anyway. Unless a certain brat gives me away."

She rolled her big brown eyes at me and continued to grin.

"I'm not gonna tell, but there's nothing I can do if she wakes up and wonders where you've gone off to. I'm not lying for you punk!"

She said before walking away from us. I shook my head looking back at Mont.

"I wonder if I had a little brother instead, would he be a little less annoying?"

Mont laughed. "I doubt it. With your luck he'd be worse than her."

I nodded, he probably wasn't wrong about that one. "I'll see you later then. Remember, dusk. No need to get attacked on your way over..."

Mont didn't comment, only smiled. Emery and I got onto my bike and headed back home. I was glad things had turned out the way they did. No run-ins with weirdos, gangs, nor Xerclanz. The way things should be. The important goal was to make Emery happy, to let her be able to feel like a kid again. Being cooped up in the house day in and day out was likely to drive her insane at some point.