5: Calm & Reveal

Zack wakes with a groan, slightly dizzy and eyes unfocused. The teen holds his head in his hands, trying to get back his bearings. A moment or two later, his eyes go wide and his head whips up, his back going rim rod with tension. His gently touches his head, feeling the bandage around it. His hand roams down his body, feeling the same bandage texture.

The teen jumps out of the bed, failing to remove the duvet fully, and as a result, he tumbles down. Zack lets out a groan before sitting up with a cuss, head aching.

“I highly advice you be careful, Mister Smith.” A voice speaks out, making the teen to jump up in fright. “It won’t do you any good if you add more injuries to the ones your body is currently trying to heal.”

Zack stands up, looking left and right for the owner of the voice.

“Ummm… are you perchance Mrs. Xander’s A.I?”

“Yes. I am Zoranne, Ms. Leilyn’s creation. Good morning, Mister Smith.”

“Ahmm… good morning?”

“The time is 9:36am. Ms. Leilyn is currently outside, under the apple tree. My mistress has already set aside some manageable clothing for you to wear after you wash up, and breakfast has also been prepaid for you.”

Whilst Zoranne announces all these, she undarkens the windows, allowing the sun’s light to flow into the room. Zack grunts at the intensity, but his eyes quickly adjusts.

Zack’s eyes catches sight of the clothes on a chair – which has been angled to face him – and he walks over to it.

“Um, Zoranne?”

“Yes, Mister Smith?”

He looks up at the ceiling, gesturing at his body. “How exactly am I going to bathe?”

“Do need to fret about them, Mister Smith. They are special waterproof bandages made by Ms. Leilyn. Unlike other waterproof bandages, these are long lasting and they correspond and work in line with the Nano-bots in you.”

“Nano-bots?” Zack echoes, brows furrowing.

“I believe they’re called Nano-Helpers. They are one of Ms. Leilyn’s creation, along with the bandages – which are not yet known by the public or government. She injected the only batch of Nano-Healers she had – for now – into you. They correspond with the bandages and their work is to ensure that there will be no scar left behind from your injuries. In a few hours, you will be as good as new.”

Zack doesn’t know what to say about that. To know that Leilyn used a secret technology on him is touching. It makes his chest heat up with happiness, and a wide smile took over his lips. He picks up the clothes and gives them a quick once over, amazed and impressed at their quality. He gives it a sniff, sighing in happiness.

Vanilla and cinnamon. Just like Leilyn’s scent.

Zack doesn’t waste much time in the bathroom. He takes a quick shower, gets dressed and heads downstairs. Seeing as this is the first time he has been upstairs, he takes his time in looking around.

On his way down the stairs, he notices the pictures on the wall of the stairs. They are pictures of Leilyn with various people. Some have Leilyn in it while others just have those people together with other people or standing alone. Zack leans in closer to examine them well.

One of the pictures has her in-between two middle aged men with a kid each in their arms, and what looks to be an amusement park in the background.

The taller of the men has medium olive skin; a head full of unique gravity defying, spiky blond hair, which almost seems to be golden; perfect face which holds a pair of blue-greenish eyes and a huge grin on his lips. He looks like a Eurosian. His stylish, patchy beard enhances his Adonis appearance. In his arms is a boy with the looks and skin tone of the other man; only difference is that the boy was grinning like him, his eyes are blueish green and his long hair is blond.

The other man is clearly an Aesian. His skin tone is a warm tan. He has a blank look on his face as he stares at the camera with narrowed, sharp, vivid purple eyes; but that doesn’t dull his looks. He’s as handsome as the other man, having a fitting goatee on his chin and his waist length black hair is specked with grey streaks here and there. The upper part of his hair is pulled up in a perfect bun, which is held in place by two metal hair stick. He has some strands fanning his face, increasing his sexy look. In his arms is a little girl with the appearance of the other blond man; but there are some glaring differences. Like the Asian man, she has a blank, unimpressed expression. Her eyes are a mix between blue and pale purple – looking more like a vivid garrus; and her long, waist length spiky hair is pitch black. Both she and the Aesianese man looked as if they were bored out of their mind.

Both men wore three piece suits, but without the jackets, only having their inner vests on their long sleeved shirts. Said long sleeves are rolled up and they cling to the men’s muscular bodies.

Another picture has Leilyn once again standing in-between two men, holding a brown skinned, red-platinum blond haired child in her arms. The child – who has a pair of grey-blue eyes and a mole inches under his left nostrils – seem to be shying away from the camera.

One of the men has an amber skin tone, short curly ash brown hair, and a clean stubble beard on his handsome face - which bore a sexy smirk. His azure eyes are simply intense, even through the picture. He has a beauty mark under his right eye, intensifying his killer looks. If one were to look closely, they would see a dark red tint in his hair. He has on a three piece suit with the jacket on his shoulders, the ox blood shirt cleaved to his muscled body.

The other man, who looks to be Aesian as well, is simply beautiful. His skin tone is a smooth warm sand. His short hair is a mix between white and blond, part of it coming down to the left side of his devilish handsome face and the right side – as well as the back too, it seems – is barbed to a fade. His eyes - which kind of looks as if they are blue but don’t seem to be – are sharp as they stare into the camera. He has on tight fitting clothes consisting of leather pants with chains hanging on the sides, and a sleeveless sliver shirt, which clings to his toned body like a second skin.

In another picture, Leilyn’s standing close with another man, whose skin is a beautiful golden almond. He has a head full of back length, mint green dreadlocks, pulled in high a pony-tail. The middle of his hair down is a dull red, and what looks to be ancient cowry and ancient African beads – those must have cost a lot to get – are in his hair. His face is home to two dream jewel as eyes which his glasses couldn’t hide. He has a beauty mark inches under his left eye and he has a little bit of facial scruff. His body is toned and he has on pastel clothes.

Another picture has Leilyn with a dark skin woman – who Zack suspects is from Afriaeuon (an African descent to be precise) – with a head full of long, curly-wavy dark red copper locks (clearly, Leilyn got her hair from her; but Leilyn’s isn’t as full hers ) with gray locks hair here and there. Her hair contrasts beautifully with her smooth chocolate skin, which shines beautifully under the light in the picture. Her eyes are beautiful, bright shades of old world blue. Like Leilyn, she has beauty marks at the corner of her eyes, few inches under them; but she also bore a third by the corner of her lips. She is the picture of elegance and dark beauty in all the single and paired up photos of her and others.

In all the pictures, their eyes shone with happiness.

Zack taps a picture and the background starts moving. He then realizes that these are Mobilis-Imagos. The background of the pictures moves so gently while the people in it are frozen in one state. Zack taps all of them and he is awe struck at how more amazing they all looked.

Once his curiosity is sated, the teen continues his journey downstairs and makes his way to the dining room. He halts when he gets to the living area. His attention is caught by the huge – clearly hand drawn – portrait overlooking the parlor.

It is a portrait of Leilyn, the azure and dream eyed men and the beautiful dark skinned woman. They stood while the woman sat down. Now, Zack couldn’t deny that they are related.

They are all beautiful.

The teen leaves the room and heads over to his original destination. On his way, he sees on the outdoor swinging bench through the glass door leading outback, rocking back and forth.

On the table were three food warmers filled to the brim with food. By the side is an empty eating plate laid along with cutlery and serving spoons on different saucers. To top it all off, there are freshly baked muffins, which smell heavenly, by the corner.

Zack doesn’t hesitate in digging in. His taste buds are blessed with the flavors and he almost melts in pleasure. As always, Leilyn’s meals are delicious.

Once Zack’s done, he picks up the dirty dishes to the kitchen and washes them. He picks two muffins and goes out back through the door facing the woods. On his way over to her, he inhales deeply, enjoying the sun caressing his skin.

“Morning, sleepy head.”

Leilyn’s voice brings him back. He opens his eyes and sees that she’s looking at him fondly.

“Good morning, Mrs. Xander.”

He walks over to her and sits beside her on the bench.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling great.” He smiles.

“No pain or feelings that your wounds are fresh?” Leilyn gently pokes his chest, eyes examining him.

“No.” Zack shakes his head. “I’m just sore. I think you and your Nano-bots have cleaned me thoroughly.” He teases.

Leilyn snorts, her lips tilting into a smile. Once she’s done with her check-up, she nods approvingly, seeing that he isn’t lying.

“Here.” Zack hands her a muffin, getting a soft smile and a thank you as she accepts it. When Leilyn takes a bite, Zack does as well. The two sit in calm silence before it’s broken by Zack. “Mrs. Xander?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay with me having the Nano-bots in me?” He has on a look of uncertainty.

“It’s fine, Zack.”

“But Zoranne told me that it was for you and it’s the only batch you have!”

Leilyn huffs in amusement, lips quirking into a smile.

That blabbermouth of an A.I.

“Zack, it’s okay. Honestly.” The teen gives her an unsure stare, making her to sigh. “Zack, let me tell you one thing about me.” Leilyn sits up straight, the half -eaten muffin still in hand. “Every year, I make new inventions; and Nano-bots are one of them. I tend to upgrade them into newer and better versions than the last.”

“What about the previous others in the body?”

“They are flushed out. I recently had the previous ones in me flushed out in preparation for the ones I gave to you.”

Leilyn’s reply has him frowning in guilt.

“Zack, it’s fine.” The woman breathes a sigh. “I flushed the previous ones the day before yesterday and it needs to take a week before I inject a new batch into me.”

The teen blinks owlishly. “Really?”

“Yes. The residue of the previous batch of Nano-bots need to be fully gone before new ones are injected. Sometimes it takes two weeks before one could be fully cleared.”

“Oh.”

Leilyn chuckles at his look, wondering how a teenager could be so adorable.

“Yes, oh.” The red head chuckles again. “You can keep the Nano-bots. Now that I have perfected this batch’s formula, I can recreate them easily. Seeing as Zoranne has already begun the starting process, I’ll administer them to Jason and Rick in a week or so.”

“You are going to give them too?” Leilyn nods in reply. “But aren’t your inventions been kept hush hush from the government?”

Leilyn blinks in surprise, an eyebrow going up. “Why, yes, they are. How did you know?”

“I kind of figured.” Zack uses a finger to scratch his cheek nervously. Wow, these Nano-bots really work fast. His face is healed, only sored in some areas. “Zoranne hinted at it and I kinda picked it up.”

Leilyn looks at him with an impressed smirk on her lips, eyes alit with pride. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

“Well, you can thank Jason and Rick for that. I picked up a lot from them.”

Leilyn hums, saying, “Don’t sell yourself short, kid. You are your special self because of your efforts. Don’t ever give anyone or anything credit for your hard earned results.”

That gets Zack blushing. He averts his eyes, mouth nibbling at his muffin.

“Wait.” Zack’s head shots up, a frown on his face. “If you keep your inventions secret, those that mean you don’t manufacture them for the public, especially for those that need them?”

“Yes and no.” Leilyn’s answer gets her a puzzled look and she elaborates. “Some of my inventions are meant for me and mine alone. As for the public friendly ones, I tend to always make sure that I have another prototype for the public. The same formula, twerked elements. Like the Nano-Helpers, for example. The ones I create for myself and those closer to me tend to be long lasting. They can even last for YEARS until I create new ones and replace them. The newest version I injected into you is NH-7.

“Unlike the previous ones, they work in an hour or less, even healing bones at a fast rate. Now, the NHs I create for the public, however, have a shorter life span. Once injected, they heal the injuries at a slow rate and not fully. Once their mission is completed, they automatically flush themselves out by either being pissed out, sweated out or shat out. Very easy and also impossible for anyone to replicate. To be frank, it’s impossible for anyone to replicate my inventions. I don’t want them to fall in the wrong hands.”

“Is that why they are manufactured by Normaric Enterprises?”

“Yes.” She nods. “My mother, Amharic Anabimbola, is the CEO of the company. She and my brother, Alexander Veniamin, oversee it, so they tend to dumb down the techs a little.”

“Wait! Lady Amharic is your mother?! And Alexander Veniamin is your brother?!” Zack eyebrows shot up in surprise as he squeaks.

Leilyn grins proudly. “Yep.”

“Wow…” Zack looks at her in admiration. “Not only are you awesome, you’re also related to people who are on the higher food chain! You are so lucky Mrs. Xander! From what I’ve seen and read about them, they are the nicest people ever! No wonder you’re nice.”

Leilyn gives him a sad smile. Lucky? She never thought so of herself. Luck has nothing to do to with who she is today.

“But wait.” Zack speaks up, his brows furrowed again. “If you’re hiding things from the government, are you okay with telling me?” He leans in, a hand covering the side of his mouth. “Don’t you think they are listening in?” He whispers, pointing at the sky.

Leilyn chuckles, a brow arching in amusement.

This boy is honestly cute.

“No, they aren’t. And won’t be any time soon.” Leilyn replies, an amused smirk playing on her lips. “Zoranne intercepts all satellites interference and she scrambles the signals when she detects someone listening or viewing down on me and my family. I highly appreciate it if no one disturbs my privacy, and so do the others.”

“Ohhh.” Zack trails off, impressed by her genius.

Due to her owing the satellites of Medicus, Leilyn integrated Zoranne into their systems, making her to watch over them all, in case the government feels they could try to temper with them once again. In the process, Zoranne uses them to stay connected to the family. Even if something might happen to her main frame on earth, her backup is in space.

The two sit in comfortable silence, gazing into the woods. From the corner of her eye. Leilyn notices how Zack is fidgeting, obviously fighting with himself. The scientist just keeps hush, leaving him to his internal battle. Two minutes later, Zack finally speaks up.

“Mrs. Xander?”

“Yes?” Leilyn answers, turning her head to look at him.

“It… it was my father.”

Leilyn’s eyes narrow into slits, her teeth gritting in irritation behind her closed lips.

Zack timidly continues.

“He… he was the one who…” The teen gestures at his body. “Your confrontation with him got him mad. Well, more than usual. Due to you humiliating him in front of half of the town, he decided to take out his rage on me. Like usual.”

“Zack…”

“It’s okay. I’m used to it anyways.” Zack shrugs nonchalantly.

“No, Zack. You’re not supposed to be used to it. By the Cosmos, you’re a child.”

“Teenager.” The teen corrects.

“Teenager or not, you’re still a kid.” Leilyn says firmly. “A parent’s job is to protect their offspring and see to the wellbeing of their children; not stomping on what is left of their mental and physical health.” She heaves a sigh, fingers going to pinch the bridge of her nose. “This is why I say not everyone deserves to be a parent. Some people are just monsters in human skin, preying on the weak, even though they are their own flesh and blood.”

Leilyn couldn’t wait for the day when the government (or her honestly) will create a virus to curb down reproduction. Abuse cases are getting out of hand – even with the help of the Welfare Organization – and she’s honestly getting sick of it.

“But I did something awful.” Zack’s voice jolts her out from her thoughts. She settles her eyes on the teen, encouraging him to go on. “I…” he pauses, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

“Zack.” Leilyn moves over to him, taking his hands into hers, making him let go the squashed muffin. She uses her thumb to caress his bandaged knuckles. “Don’t be afraid to speak. I won’t judge. Heck, I will be a hypocrite if I judge you.” She snorts. “So, what is it?”

Zack still hesitates, but Leilyn’s soft eyes and smile breaks his resolve. “I… I hit him back.”

Leilyn blinks in surprise.

“I was taking his beating and his insults like I usually do, but then… he insulted you. He called you names. Names I couldn’t bear to be associated with you. You have been nothing but kind to us. I couldn’t bear that he was tarnishing your name. And so… I hit him back. I grabbed something – I can’t remember what it was – and I used it to hit him. When he dropped on the floor, I grabbed his belt, the same belt he was using to hit me, and I whipped him with it until it broke. Even still, I got on him and used my fists and continued hitting him. When I came to, when that red haze cleared from my eyes, I saw him on the floor, bleeding with his face unrecognizable. And so, I grabbed my hover board – which he smashed on the floor, but was luckily still working – and backpack with some of my clothes and ran here.”

“I see.” Leilyn hums, fingers still massaging his knuckles. “Did anyone see you?”

“No.”

“What about your mother?”

“Step mother actually. She was the one with my father when you confronted him yesterday.” Zack’s reply gets a hum in return. “I kinda knocked her out. When I used the object to hit my dad, she came to stop me and so I used it to knock her out. Well, beat her with it actually. She was out cold before I left.”

“Hmm.” Leilyn’s hands left Zack’s, making the boy don on a worried look. Leilyn hand slowly raises up and Zack’s eyes closed shut, thinking he’s going to be hit.

But it never came.

Instead, Leilyn’s hand pats his head. Zack’s eyes snaps open, and he stares at her in shock. Leilyn has on an amused smirk, eyes alit with pride. “That was a good thing you did Zack. I’m proud of you.”

“But…” He stutters. “I- I did something wrong! The bible said that we shouldn’t fight our parents!”

“And it also said that parents shouldn’t anger their children. Zack, always know that humans will use anything to back up their twisted and sick minds, personalities and agenda. They constantly change their scriptures to suit their taste and use them to discriminate and trample on others. Religion is nothing but a long lasting tool used in preying on the weak by the wolves in sheep clothing. It has done nothing but bring down the human race. People kill just because of religion. A god who says that you should kill the so called heretics for his sake and in his name, is that a god? No, they are nothing but blood mongering tyrants. We are given free will but in the end, that free will is being taken slowly away from us by the very people who preach peace, love and light.

“Zack, one day, the oppressed will get fed up with how they are being treated. When an animal is backed into a corner, they don’t have any other choice but to fight and kill for their freedom. It was only a matter of time before you got tired of being oppressed and trampled upon. I’m happy that that day came sooner than later.”

“Mrs. Xander…” Zack heaves out with shaky smile, turning his head to avoid her eyes. Leilyn smiles warmly at him.

“Zack, let me tell you a story.” Leilyn sits up straight, staring into the woods. “Years ago, a lucky survivor from one of the decimated continent – Africa to be precise – fell in love with a mixed descendant of a royal family. He too was deeply in love with her, and soon, they got married. Rose, the woman, thought her life was complete. She was successful, well respected and now married with a child on the way. She was living the life, not knowing that the man she married was a monster. His true colors began to show and it wasn’t pretty. He was abusive and manipulative; a true tyrant. There was no day that his fist didn’t meet her body, battering her and breaking bones. Their children weren’t safe from his wrath. He even made her to miscarry. But no matter what he did, her love for him was still strong and she couldn’t let him go.

“They bore three children: Asaju, Furaha and Buhle; a boy and two girls. Asaju and Furaha did everything in their power as children to protect their mother and sibling from their father, taking all his blunt force unto themselves. One day, when no one was around, he did something unspeakable to Buhle, and that was the day Rose’s eyes became open. She became the one who started to protect her children, not minding the pain. She made sure that she came home before them and was always with them when her husband, Frank, was in the room. She couldn’t let what happened to the traumatized Buhle happen to her other children.

“But nothing changed. Furaha even sought help from the church her father forces them to go, but she was shut down. Her father got the news and he descended on her. Because of the beatings they took from him, they learnt at a young age how to cover their bruises with make-up and reassuring smiles. To escape from the harsh reality, the children escaped into the world of books. Along with their loneliness and the pressure from Frank, they became prodigies, surpassing everyone in their age group. Of all three, Furaha was the most gifted, and Frank focused more on her.

“One day, while in college in a faraway land, Furaha was tired of the cruel world, and so, she decided to end her life.”

Zack inhales sharply.

“She jumped into the river and waited for her arrival into the empty void called the afterlife. But her soul was too young to go yet. She was rescued by a professor, who had taken it upon himself to look after her.

“Unknowingly to her and everyone else, he was the master of an assassin guild. Furaha begged him to train her. She was tired of being weak and unable to help herself and her loved ones. He reluctantly agreed. Halfway across the world, Asaju was in a similar situation. He also was picked up, but by a hitman, who trained him in everything known in the history of hitmen. Buhle was with Rose, who took it upon herself to enroll her daughter in a defense class, not only to help her learn how to protect herself, but also to make her forget her traumatizing incident.

“Years later, Asaju and Furaha became best of the best in everything. Their kill scores were higher than that of most hitmen or assassins – and they were only teenagers. After finishing university, they came back home, only to see that their mother was having an affair with their father’s lawyer, and best friend – unbeknownst to Frank. They saw how he made their mother happy and they saw how their father made her miserable. He never changed. And so, they connived with the lawyer, Hector, on how to get Frank killed. And it was flawless.

“Hector wrote a will meant to be signed by Frank. In that will, it was stated that everything; his wealth, houses, company, everything, was to be given to Rose. Then Hector, one day, suggested to Frank that they should take a trip with Asaju and Furaha. And the idiot agreed, not once suspecting a thing. Whist on their trip, Frank was drugged and made to sign the will. Furaha and Asaju were witnesses to it. It was never mentioned to anyone.

“Months later, Frank was killed. On the day his will was to be read, Hector brought out the fake will. Seeing as his signature was perfect on it, and with the testimony of Asaju and Furaha, the will was met and everything of his was given to Rose. Sweet darling Rose, who up till today is unaware of what her children and now husband did for her. She shared the wealth equally between her and her children, as a compensation for what they had to suffer under the hand of a psychopath.”

A heavy silence descended on them. Leilyn heaves a tired sigh before turning her head to face Zack.

“Zack.” Leilyn begins. “Freedom has to be forcefully taken if denied. Just because someone is your parent doesn’t automatically give them the right to abuse you mentally and physically. There’s a difference between being strict and just being outright abusive. No parent has the right to make their child feel like shit. Parents are the protectors, the last line of defense to the wellbeing of a child. What will a child become when instead of protecting them, they are being abused by their protectors? It never ends well, for either the child or parent. Kids are meant to be that: kids. They shouldn’t be worried about the troubles of life at a young age. But sadly, it isn’t that way.

“Life isn’t fair and biased; neither is reality. That is why you should start controlling your own reality at a young age.” Leilyn takes Zack’s face into her hands, staring into his muddy blue eyes. “Zack, you did great. Never, ever take any bullshit from anyone. Take control of your reality and never let it go. You did great kid.”

Tears were flowing down Zack’s face at the end of Leilyn’s statement. The teen throws himself at her, burring his face into her bosom. Once again, she doesn’t pay attention to the tears seeping into her blouse.

“It’s okay.” Leilyn caress his head, humming deeply in her chest. Once he calmed down, she says, “You did great Zack. I only wish you smashed his skull into the ground and making his face look like a pancake.”

The teen snorts weakly. He raises up his head from Leilyn’s chest, wiping away his tears.

“No, I’m serious Zack. You should have pounded him into the next century.”

Zack arches a brow, giving Leilyn an amused look, making the woman to realize what she just uttered.

“Okay, that came out very wrong. That came out very, very wrong.” Leilyn grimaces, prompting Zack to start snickering. “By the fucking Cosmos, that is so disgusting. Why did I even say that?!” Her faces squeezes the more and that has Zack bursting out in laughter.

The two go into a light chat after that. They talk about everything and nothing. The air becomes lighter. Soon, they sit in calm silence, looking into the woods once more and enjoying the cool breeze. The swing rocks back and forth slowly, making the silence more enjoyable.

“Mrs. Xander?”

“Yes?”

“Is it bad that I don’t feel remorse for what I did?” The teen looks at her with worried eyes. “Like, I don’t care if what I did was horrible. Even now, deep down, I wished I killed them on the spot. Does… does that make me a villain?”

Leilyn smiles with a huff. “Zack, listen to me closely and always keep what I’m about to say very close to your heart. Reality and life aren’t white and black; they’re grey imperfections. Good balances evil and evil balances good. They both can’t exist without the other. Humans, no matter how advance we claim to be, are soaked in the waters of grey. We are imperfect to the core. We take actions which we know will be a benefit to us. Some give into the evil in their hearts, others don’t. But the majority of us are in-between.”

Leilyn shifts the strands of hair from her face.

“Zack, what you did was in order to protect yourself. You were clearly in danger, and your mind and body, for the first time, finally reacted in the way it was meant to; it reacted with violence. The body and mind can only take abuse for a limited time. In the end, there must be a finale. Your finale came. At that moment, your mind was in the in-between. It didn’t see anything wrong in protecting the body. Never feel bad for protecting yourself. If you have to kill your attacker, then so be it. You come first before anyone else. That’s nature. Nature isn’t biased, it’s perfect. And so is retribution.”

They sit in silence for some minutes staring into the woods, before Zack speaks once again.

“Leilyn?”

“Hmm?”

“I want to leave this town.” Zack says calmly. Leilyn turns to face him and he meets her stare. “Like you said, I need to take control of my reality. I want to leave this godforsaken hell hole and forget everyone and everything in it. I have no obligations here. I want to leave… but I don’t know how.”

Leilyn hums, saying with a smirk, “Leave that to me. I’ll get you sorted out.”

“Really?!” Zack eyes sparkles with excitement. Leilyn nods in confirmation, making the boy to pump his fist into the air in excitement. “Yes!” He shouts in happiness. But as quickly as that happiness came, it disperse into dust. Zack’s excited expression melts away, giving way for a worried and guilty look to take over. He drops his hand down, his brows furrowing.

“Zack?” Leilyn stares at him questioningly.

The teen shakes his head slowly. “It’s nothing.” He worries his lip. Leilyn gives him a pointed look and he finally gives in. “It’s just that… I just remember that if I’m leaving, I’ll have to leave Jason and Rick behind. I really want to go, but I can’t leave them.”

“Zack.” Leilyn sighs. “Remember what I just told you. Control your own reality. Even though it feels as if you’re betraying others just because you are creating your own happiness.” She flicks his forehead, getting a pout from him. “Besides, I for one am sure that if you tell them, they’ll gladly follow you to the ends of the earth. Am I right boys?” Leilyn says loudly, turning around with a smirk on her lips.

“Right as usual, Mrs. Lyn.” Jason steps out of the open door, a mighty grin on his lips. Rick was behind him, adjusting his glasses. Hmm, seems like he’s loving the glasses Leilyn purchased for him.

“How did we know we were in and close by?” Rick asks.

“Well, for one, your steps were pretty loud. Besides, I have Zoranne.” Leilyn taps her ear, making the three realize that she has on an Ear-Seed. “I ordered Zoranne to allow you both in when you showed up. She informed me of your arrival thirty minutes ago.”

“Wait! What are you guys doing here?!” Zack exclaims, standing up.

“Mrs. Leilyn informed us that you’re here.” Rick replies.

“We got worried when we didn’t see any message from you this morning. So, we went to your house. We met Enforcers there and they asked us some few questions.” Jason adds.

“Like what?” Leilyn squints her eyes at them.

“Well, just simple ones.” He shrugs. “Why were we there? Are we the family of the attacked? If we knew about the whereabouts of Zack. So and so.” He spins his hand.

“What was your reply to the last question?” Leilyn asks.

“That he was with you. He didn’t come home with us.”

“Hmm.” Leilyn holds her chin. “They might be suspicious of that. I won’t be surprised if they come to question me.”

Immediately she said that, the gate bell rings, making the teens jump in surprise.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.