A few weeks ago, Zen came across the Hoodlum gang but this time Johnny simply waved at her and kept shut. She arrived at her home and changed her red dress for her brown smock and ran outside to her small inbox. She typed in the code and with a small beep it opened to show a small envelope. Smiling, she took the envelope and headed inside unsealing the envelope carefully to reveal a small slip of paper with a contact code on it. She programmed the code in and began to watch the vid. A hologram of Isaias hollering for his roommate to get his smelly underpants off his side of the room appeared. Then he turned to Zen.

“Hey, Hermanita. As you can see I’m fighting with yet another roomie for my own space. I’m getting a new roomie soon though. Hopefully one with a space bubble and some cleaning habits. How has everything been at home? How’s Mama? I’m doing well. My team was the only one to pass simulations today. My partner is serious and kinda strange but we got along well and got through the simulation. If it wasn’t for him we would have failed too, so I guess he’s not such a bad guy. He really needs help with hand signals though. Are you practicing the ones I showed you? They could come in handy one day!”

“Hey, Cabron! I need to use the messenger!”

“Hold on I’m almost done!” Isaias shouted at a stocky redhead. He turned back to her.“Well, I got to go hermanita see ya! Take care! Talk to you next Friday if time permits!” He waved and the transmission cut off. Zen stood smiling then began recording her vid. Her eyes went red for an instant. She walked to the only mirror in the house and smiled.

“As you can see everything is fine. I just got through a nasty conversation with uncle. Apparently, the shipment is delayed a few weeks and the testing for the guards will begin soon. He’s going to test newbies so be ready! I want you for my guard Isaias! Mama is seeing Don Rodriguez outside of work more frequently. Sometimes just to talk but there have been a few dates. I’m happy for her Isaias. You should be too! Pray uncle never finds out though. She’s forgiven you long ago just so you know but I think the Guerrero life is suiting you well. I have to start icky dinner so see ya! Love you and be careful in the exam ok? Bye.” She stopped recording and wrote the code for the message on a piece of paper before resealing the small envelope and sending it through the mail slot. It would be picked up by a droid and given to Isaias as today was Friday, mail day for Lows. She hurried and took out the pots and pans for cooking onion soup before her mom arrived.

It was a quarter to seven and Zen had eaten and bathed and still no mom.

Hmm, must be with Don Rodriguez again.

She looked at the leftover soup and shrugged. She began looking for a bowl to store it in. They didn’t have many when a familiar laugh came from the outside. She peeked through the front window and spotted her mom laughing with Don Rodriguez. She smiled and went back to the kitchen. It’s none of my business anyway. Although Isaias would probably want to know.

She sidled up to the window and began recording the small scene.

Rosa smiled as Carmelo brushed her cheek before he leaned in and kissed her cheek. She blushed.

“You charmer,” she muttered smiling.

“Is it working?” he asked.

She gazed into his eyes and smirked. “Keep trying Don Juan,” she chided and laughed at his fallen expression.

“You are one very hard nut to crack dear Rosa.”

“I always have been. Not even my husband could completely crack me...but keep trying,” she whispered leaning in. “You might be lucky,” she winked and left for her house leaving a bemused Don. She opened the door and found Zen on the floor laughing.

“What is so funny?” she asked as she put her coat over the rack and made her way to the kitchen.

Zen waved her hands towards the window. “That was brilliant, Mama!”

Rosa snorted. “You saw that huh? It’s the only way to handle amorous Dons dear.”

“What? By leaving them cold and dry?”

“In a manner of speaking yes. Did you make dinner?”Rosa asked checking the pot.

“Yeah, but it’s cold now.”

Rosa blanched. Cold onion soup was worse than hot onion soup. She continued to her room.

“I’m taking a shower then. Did Isaias’s message come this Friday?”

Zen nodded. “He’s getting another roomie.”

Rosa stopped and turned to her daughter. “Another one! This makes three in as many weeks! Pretty soon no one is going to want to room with him!”

Zen shrugged. “Maybe this time they won’t put him with a pig. You know how he is about cleanliness. It wouldn’t be so bad if the others stayed on their side of the room but they invaded his space too.”

“Hmm, well now he’s getting the whole world experience. It’s good for him,” she laughed and continued on to her room which was open. She lifted an eyebrow at Zen and motioned to her room.

Zen gave a confused look before noticing she left the door open. “Oh sorry, Mama. I needed a reflective surface for my vid. I usually use your mirror and close the bedroom door. That’s all I do in there! Promise!”

“It better be,” her mom muttered blushing and Zen wondered what her mom could have hidden to make her blush so.

Isaias watched his roomie pack. Finally, I got rid of the pig! I wonder who my new roommate will be.

He scrunched his nose when the redhead picked up and mixed his dirty laundry with his regular clothes. That must be why he smells so bad half the time.

After tossing the last of his things into his dimensional pocket, the redhead left giving him the bird.

“I hope your new roomie is worse!” he yelled while Isaias cleaned his ears out and ignored him. No one could be worse than him. I hope his new roomie survives him.

He waited patiently on his bunk for his new roomie to arrive. The door opened and blue hair a few shades less intense than Nathan’s peeked through the door. Isaias straightened to meet familiar smokey gray eyes.

“Uh hi. This is the room right?”

“Yup. Daniel the pig just left. Nice to meet you again Marco.”

Marco nodded and started unsealing his things from his dimensional pocket. He unsealed a pile of books and Isaias scanned through the titles spotting Dons through the Silent Years.

“Mmph, I’ve read that book in the library. It’s pretty straightforward. You might want to read Dons, Another Age better. It has a better bio on Xan Amargarita, the first Don.”

“Any relation?”

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“I don’t think his family would be Lows. Do you?”

“You never know. Have you checked the library records?”

“Nope.”

“You should. I’ll help you if you want?”

“Alright. But I doubt I’ll find anything.”

Zen busied herself mopping the floors of the Constantines as Stephan joked with Suzanna who wasn’t drinking android fluid today. Miracle of miracles! Maybe she’ll retain some brain cells after all!

She dunked the mop in the water and watched as it auto-squeezed the water off before bending over and mopping the kitchen. She stood and dunked her mop again. Stephan held the tip of her mop smirking.

She jumped.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said.

Zen blushed. “Sorry. I guess I was deep in thought,” she replied, prying her mop from his grip. Suzanna was left pouting in her room. She didn’t like how close Stephan was to the brownie.

“Stephan, I have more photos for you to see,” she called, smirking.

Stephan grimaced before turning around and smiling. “Be right there.”

Zen snickered and began to mop. “I feel sorry for you, charmer,” she muttered.

Stephan’s eyes narrowed and he grabbed hold of the mop making her look up into those crystal blue orbs. “You will join us,” he said, smirking. He knew she couldn’t refuse an order from an Elite such as him. Her eyes narrowed and she began taking her rubber gloves off. “Suzanna won’t like this,” she said, following him to Suzanna’s room. Suzanna looked up from her plush bed and jerked up as if electrocuted.

“What is she doing here?”

“She can help me find someone and it’s a direct order from me no worries,” Stephan said placating Suzanna who sat back down on her enormous bed.

“Who are you trying to find?” Suzanna asked as she started flashing through pictures. Zen paid them no mind and instead focused on the pictures.

“Stop! Go back one Suzanna,” Zen said.

“Don’t order me around Brownie!”

“Do as she says Suzanna,” came Stephan’s icy voice.

Suzanna shivered and went back to a picture. It was the picture of the Marquis’s daughter before they moved. She was smiling at the camera. Beside her, Mrs. Marquis looked slightly empty-headed as they cut a cake.

“Mind control,” muttered Stephan slapping his face as he stared at the picture.

Zen stared at the photo and recognized the empty stare of Mrs. Marquis as mind control but the little girl looked fine.

“Do you think that whoever took your sister was controlling the Marquis?” she asked, arms folded.

“No. My sister has abilities she can use to...protect herself. Whoever took her was strong.” He turned to Suzanna. “You said the Marquis moved. Where are they? Do you keep in touch?”

“Yes, but when we mention Edline it’s like they can’t recall her, as if she never existed to them.”

“Whoever took her probably erased her from their minds,” Zen said.

“Who would go through so much trouble for a little girl?” Suzanna scoffed and began flashing through her photos again. Zen agreed. It made no sense unless the little girl was a dignitary’s child. If so, what was she doing so far from home? Something caught Zen’s eye.

“Stop! There!”

Suzanna examined the photo.

“There’s nothing there!”

“To the left corner right above the woman’s hat. That man is wearing the symbol for the Galactic Assassin's Association,” replied Zen tracing the dagger with the encrusted GAA on it.

“It’s possible they are the ones who took your sister.” She turned to a pensive Stephan and she could swear blue was taking over his sclera.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Then he opened his eyes again. They were an even clearer blue than before. “Thank you. Both of you. I now have a starting place for searching for my sister,” he said, getting up and leaving the room. A scream surprised them.

“Mom!” Suzanna yelled.

Zen got up to face the music because as sure as her name starts with a Z, she was going to be blamed for this.

I’m so going to lose my job over this.

Mrs. Constantine was putting away the groceries when she was startled by a boy coming out of her daughter’s room. She screamed and threw a can of peas at his head. Stephan dodged the can and stood still before the door to Suzanna’s room, not wanting to scare the woman more. Suzanna busted out of her room, to confront a very angry mother.

“Mama...um…”

Zen came out at the worst time and caught Suzanna’s eye. Zen shrugged. She knew she was losing her job but she didn’t know how devious Suzanna could be. Suzanna smiled at Zen and then began a long-winded tale about Zen inviting her to drink android fluid with her friend and how he defended her from Zen’s machinations.

Stephan glared at Suzanna. The girl was vile. He was the only one who could set things right. Mrs. Constantine glared at Zen.

“Is this true?” she asked knowing that her daughter liked to spin wild tales.

“No miss. I never touched android fluid except to clean it off from the floor,” she said.

Suzanna growled. “I can show you the bottles, Mom!”

“Excuse me but it was your daughter who asked me to drink android fluid...and I refused. I came looking for my lost sister. Apparently, she was here a few months ago but has disappeared. Your brownie has only been doing her job until I asked for her help with the pictures today,” he said in a soothing voice. His eyes were glowing slightly but that could have been a trick of the light Zen surmised, as she glanced up at him before lowering her eyes to the floor again. The necklace she wore peeked from her collar and shone into Suzanna’s eyes catching her attention.

“Are you wearing jewelry? Take it off! Brownies are not supposed to wear jewelry!” screamed Suzanna.

“Don Arrio has given it to me to guard. I am not allowed to take it off under any circumstances,” Zen replied, tucking the necklace into her coat before Suzanna saw it in its entirety.

Suzanna scoffed, “Mama if you won’t believe me I’ll go to the Don about this!”

Mrs. Constantine sighed and turned to Zen. “I’m sorry Zen but I’m going to have to let you go dear. Suzanna can do her homework from now on as well,” she said, winking and Zen smiled.

“What! That’s it? What do you mean by my own homework? I do my homework! I want that necklace mama! Mama!”

Zen chuckled as she gathered her things and idled out the front door with a grinning Stephan. The two of them walked out of the condominium laughing.

“You know, I was too busy laughing to hear your name. What is it, please?” he begged, showing her watery eyes she almost couldn’t resist.

“Nice try, but little sisters invented that technique,” she said untying the dishrag that held up her shoulder-length hair from her eyes.

“Can I at least have a clue?”

She turned to him smiling. “It starts with Z.” With that, she left him and began to walk to the gate.

“Do you want a ride?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Go find your sister.”

He turned from her and began his walk to his car where his friend was waiting asleep on the drive. His brown clothes were rumpled and his colored skin was tanning and flaking slightly showing patches of violet skin beneath.

“Marek, you’re going to get sunburned like that,” he said, slipping into the passenger's seat.

Marek’s head jolted up. “Hmm. Nah, Captain. I don’t burn I tan,” he muttered, wiping off the drool from his face and starting the car.

“Do we have a heading?”

“Yeah, the GAA.” Stephan sighed.

“Those bastards?” Marek said, gripping the wheel.

“Yeah.”

“How do you know?”

“An assassin pointed it out,” Stephan said combing his copper hair and resting his head back on the headrest.

“No shit?” Marek said pulling out of the parking slot

“Like calls to like. Let’s go.” Stephan closed his eyes. Your name starts with Z huh?