Not so far from the shores of New Arctica’s rainforest, Stephan broke the surface with nary a breath. He turned to a bedraggled Zen. “Can we not appear so deep in the water next time Stephan? I’m not a water elemental and can’t breathe underwater,” she huffed, running her trembling fingers over her now crookedly braided hair.
“Sorry about that. I don’t think of where I’m going to land exactly.”
Zen stared at him. “You mean we could have landed in a pack of sharks or something?”
Stephan gave her a sheepish look. “Pretty much...yeah.”
Zen splashed him. “You’re unbelievable waterboy.” She began swimming towards the shore.
Stephan glared. “Hey!” Then he stretched out his arms and kicked his legs, quickly catching up to her. They made it to the shore where white, sandy beaches stretched for miles. The rainforest was a welcoming jungle a few miles to the South. At least I think that’s the South.
She felt a hand trailing her body and turned to glare at Stephan. He was busy collecting the water off her body as he had done once before. He isn’t D’Angelo at least I hope he isn’t. “Have you ever touched a woman when she didn’t want to be touched?”
Stephan turned to her. “You mean forced myself on a woman? No ma’am. At least I didn’t want to do it. I was ordered to by my mom but Marco usually stopped that from happening then..”
“Then?”
Stephan sighed. “Then he ran away and I was left with no one to champion for me. So, yes, Zen, I have had to force myself on one woman and I regret the hell out of it.”
Zen squinted her eyes at him as the sea salt ran into her eyes. “Would you ever…”
“A man who forces himself on a woman’s company isn’t a man at all. We better get to those trees. It looks like rain.”
“It is the rainforest.”
He chuckled and threw the ball of water he had gathered back into the sea.
“Waste not,” he muttered and began walking.
Zen followed behind him thinking about what he had confessed. Was his life really so terrible? Was...is his mother such a tyrant?
Some mothers are not meant to be mothers at all Zen.
Ishevara! I thought you were asleep!
I was for a bit, but I couldn’t help hearing your conversation. Don’t push him. He’ll come to you when he is ready guardian.
I know Ishevara. He’s nothing like D’Angelo, despite being a space pirate. How are two guys so different from one another?
Integrity. Honor. There are many things, guardian. Now I’m going to rest some more. Don’t be afraid to use me if I’m needed.
Alright, Ishevara I won’t hesitate but only if I can’t get rid of the problem on my own alright? I don’t want to accidentally unmake someone innocent.
That is why I chose you as my guardian Zen. You are a kind heart in a corrupt world.
Zen smiled and held onto Ishevara who let out a warm pulse before becoming a warm spot on her chest.
Stephan turned to her. “Did the crystal say something?”
Zen nodded. “She said I’m a kind heart in a corrupt world.”
“She’s right, you know. I would have left that little girl in her coma though.”
Zen's eyes narrowed. “Why would you do something like that?”
“She was safe from Cecile’s machinations there wasn’t she?”
Zen stopped walking. “I didn't think of that. Cecile can manipulate a little girl to become in her self-image now! I just brought an innocent to a monster!”
Stephan took her hand. “There is a bad side to every good side and vice versa. What you did was save a young girl’s life from ending too shortly. What she makes of it is her own life. She is responsible for it now. You did your part in restoring her life now she gets to live it.”
Zen turned her eyes to him. “But Cecile is a monster! I might as well have sacrificed a lamb to the wolf. She can’t battle such corruption as Cecile.”
“So make sure that woman doesn’t put her hooks into the girl.”
“You mean kill Cecile?”
Stephan sighed. “Not everything is about killing. Invite the girl over from time to time and monitor her from afar. If you think Cecile is worming her way in, suggest a vacation or something for the girl at the Arrio household. You healed her. You should get a say in her development.”
Zen let his hand go and blushed. “I’m new to having so much power over someone’s life.”
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Stephan grinned. “Trust me, you get used to it. Having others depend on you isn’t easy but it’s…”
“Challenging?”
“I was going to say rewarding but it can be that too. Come on, we're almost to the trees.”
Zen smiled and followed him up the small slope where the palm trees merged into large ferns and the trees became a canopy of green. There was so much green, the atmosphere took on a hint of the color. She stared in wonderment. A cacophony of birds and other animals followed them as they entered this part of the rainforest. The trees were giants with leaves as big as their heads and sap flowing from them in spiels of yellow and brown sticky liquid. The flowers were of vibrant and daring shades, spreading their aromas everywhere. Even the sunlight is green here!
Stephan grinned. “It’s just the leaves of the trees that give it that color.”
Zen furrowed her eyebrows. “You can read minds!”
“I am half Traveler Zen.”
Zen batted a fern and stepped up to him. “But I thought you were more Elemental than Traveler.”
“I indeed am, but I can still do Traveler tricks, not as well as my brother or sister though. I can read and extricate thoughts though. Something I live to regret since…anyway, I can read your thoughts. That’s how I knew you were being transported somewhere by the crystal and evaded being transported as well. I heard your wish.” He prodded her forehead gently. Zen rubbed her forehead and frowned. “You couldn’t give us a warning?”
“There was no time and I was confused. The crystal is only supposed to work with those of Galactical blood. It took me by surprise that the crystal worked for you.”
Zen pushed another frond out of her way. “Is it that rare?”
He turned to her. “Zen, a human has never made an intergalactic crystal work before now. You don’t know how rare and special you are. Millions will be looking up to you soon, so get ready.”
Zen stopped. “I’m not a goddess!”
“You’ll soon be revered as one when your healing stunt is revealed to the masses.”
“That isn’t what I want!”
“Hey! Do you think I want to work for the GC? Most of the time it's fun I’ll grant them that but sometimes I’d rather blow my head off from the boredom and monotony. But it's either that or go back to my heartless mother and her army of sycophants on hands and knees, and I would rather die than go back to that! We live the lives we are given and make the most out of what we have!”
“And if we don’t have much?” she asked peeing at him.
He stopped and turned from her seeing his life before him, watching every bad choice he made. He stared into the abyss for a moment and his words were mere whispers. “There is always something to be grateful for. When there isn’t that’s when you know you have to leave and move on to something new, some new start.”
“As you did?” she probed wanting answers.
He snapped from wherever he had been, anger in his tone. “I had no one! Edline left me to our mother too. It was either leave or become another sycophant!” He came closer to her but Zen stood her ground trusting that he wouldn’t hurt her. “I was this close!” He pinched his finger. “This close, to becoming the secret weapon of Gaia. When my mom saw she only had one child left out of three, guess what she did? She used that child to destroy worlds and for a year I was her prisoner, no higher than a favored pet. If I hadn’t escaped there’d be none of me left!” He crossed his arms and scoffed. “I don’t think much of me remains.” He turned around and kept walking. Zen bit her lip. She didn’t know what to say so she said nothing at all and continued to bat fronds instead.
###
After some time she noticed that no fronds bothered Stephan.
“How are you doing that,” she asked after batting her fifth frond.
“Hmm?” He walked on and the frond in front of him bent backward from him on its own.
“That! I’ve been batting at these things for at least an hour now!”
“Cell-water manipulation. I pull the water one way and the plant follows it.”
“Wait, You’re controlling the plant!”
“In some kind of way, yes, why?”
“Can you do the same for me?”
He chuckled and waved his hand. The frond in her hand bent backward.
She started passing by. “Thank you that’s much…”
“The frond went back to its former position, slapping her on the rear.
“Hey,” she cried, rubbing her rump and glaring at Stephan who was gazing at her cooly.
“You’ve got to move faster than that,” he teased, beginning to walk again.
“I’ll show you fast,” she muttered running and jumping onto his back. He caught her and held her closer.
“If you wanted a piggyback ride you could've just asked.”
“Funny. Let go.”
“Nope, it’ll be faster this way and you won’t have to battle any more fronds.”
“Stephan!”
“You started this Zen...now hang on. I’m slightly faster than your average human.”
“How fast?”
Considering that humans can reach over 40mph today, I can go double that if I need to. Since we are searching for a place where I’ll go to about fifty. Fine with you?”
“Sure it’ll be like being on a Low caste hoverboard.”
“Tell me again why you have a caste system?”
“I really don’t know but it’s so unfair to a great majority of the population.”
“And if you could change it, would you? Even if it means war?”
“I never thought about it. I have the crystal, but the change would have to start small and from high up as well. I was hoping Uncle Bernado could cause that change but i was wrong like always. People are never who you think them to be...and trust is...nearly worthless in my life.”
“Hmm, trust is a fragile bond but as strong as steel when made with the right people. You gotta understand one thing Zen trust isn’t given willy-nilly. It is earned with actions and lost with actions. You trust your brother right?”
“With everything that I am.”
“Then understand this too. People will always keep certain secrets from you. Not to hurt you but to protect themselves. Alright?”
“You think he’s hiding something from me?”
“Probably a lot of things. Life as a gangster couldn’t have been easy and life as a Guerrero even less.”
“Never thought of it that way.” She looked around but all she saw were trees. “Hold on, I'm going to comm Isaias. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.”
“Possibly because they might be monitoring the lines?”
“Shit! How far is your reach?”
“Marco and I can communicate faultlessly since we are family. We could link you and Isaias up for a few minutes at most.”
“Good. Set it up. I need to contact Isaias. He has the directions to the property.”
Stephan nodded, stopped, and set her down, his hands running over her waist causing her to flush. He ignored this and closed his eyes. Still, the feel of her skin was rampant in his mind. Think of something else! That is not the first thing I want Marco to see when I contact him!