Shadow Seed 1: The Misbegotten (54 page)

“
Five?!?
” croaked Tirza.

“Five,” repeated my girlfriend.

I shook my head, not willing to believe that Leda, Sandy
and
Tirza would all want me one day.  It just seemed too far-fetched to be true.  Even back then, I wasn’t a big fan of the fantastic or fantasy.  My parents’ divorce had washed that away from me, like the storm surge of a hurricane.  Once its turbulent waters had receded, the landscape that had been me was forever altered.  I was made barren of flighty dreams and whimsical childhood thought.

“There may be more,” continued Ramona, reiterating what she had said before.  “I’m not too sure about that, but what I am
sure
about is, one of them is you.”  Tirza started to protest, but my girlfriend forged on.  “You don’t see how that could be possible now, but you will.  You will.  I know him much better than I know you.  When he realizes, somewhere in the center of himself, he still loves you, that those feelings never went away.  His astonishment alone will draw you like a bee to the pollen of a flower.  It will be so natural, so instinctual, you won’t even realize when you made the conscious decision to love him back.  You just will and that will be enough, no further explanation needed.”

I rolled my eyes and left.  This was too much, too soon.  Everything was happening at the same time.  I spun on my heel and went to the bathroom to wash up, though behind me Roman was still talking.  As I put toothpaste to my brush and behind to cleanse my teeth of the detritus of the night, I could hear all of them in deep conversation.  I frowned at my reflection in the mirror as I brushed vigorously, somehow certain that they were sharing notes, which irked me.  Some things, some topics, shouldn’t be spoken aloud and kept private, especially if I’m in the next goddamned room!

Not with you, Estefan Ernando,
I thought at I stared at myself. 
You’re different remember?

Fuck you!
, I yelled silently at the image before me…

~~~~~~~~~~~~♦~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Summer – 2018)

An Emerging Plan

A
s it turned out, the girl’s conversation didn’t last long.  We were a little pressed for time, having to get done what needed to get done before the rest of my family woke up.  After I came from the bathroom, they stopped talking and got about the business of cleaning up and getting dressed.  Twenty minutes later we were all done.

I was wearing a loose fitting, pale blue t-shirt over a pair of denim shorts
, my feet still bare, because I really didn’t expect to be going outside anytime soon.  Ramona had put on another short, summer dress covered in yellow, brown and green pastel colored flowers, which complimented her figure, though it managed to make her look comfortable at the same time.  She had begun to put on a pair of yellow and white leather flats, but decided against it when she saw I had put nothing on my feet.

Katie wore a pair of booty shorts that, had once been, a pair of jeans she’d cut herself, evidenced in the ends frayed and irregular lower edges.  She had cut them pretty high, so
when she bent over, the vestiges of her ass cheeks were on display.  It made her fascinating to watch, because of the possibilities she was advertising.   She had a loose, royal blue halter top over that.  It left her back completely bare, so it was easy to discern she hadn’t put on a bra. 
The sexy little, bitch!
  Katie never wore shoes or slippers in the house, so she went barefoot as well.

My cousin had given Tirza a dark green, micro mini skirt, pleated entirely around her waist and a very girlie looking two-button polo shirt.  Other than its’ feminine cut, it appeared no different than the thousand other polo shirts I had seen up to that point in my life, if I were seeing it from the front alone.  This one was cut down the middle of the back, so a three inch strip of Tirza’s back was exposed.  The garment was held together by a series of horizontal strips of cloth sewn onto either side of the cut.  This was how it attained its form.  It was a very cute top and Tirza’s perfect little frame made it all the more alluring to gaze upon.

Unlike the rest of us though, Tirza had asked my cousin for a pair of socks to put on, because her feet were cold.  It was one of the first things I had learned about my ex-girlfriend when we were going out.  She had the coldest feet I had ever felt on a woman.  I bet her feet would’ve continued to feel like they’d been encased in ice, if she hadn’t had heating implants placed about the edges of the soles of her feet when such cybernetic enhancements had first come onto the market decades ago.

“So now what?” asked Katie as we gathered once more about the bed she and Tirza had slept on the night before.

For some unsaid reason, it was easier for all of us to stand around this bed than it was to stand about mine.  It was a subtle, almost subliminal, undercurrent, but we felt it all the same.  Though we hadn’t said one word between us, we all congregated about Katie’s bed and then as one sat down, without needing to apparently.  Katie’s bed was safe, mine wasn’t.

“First things first, we are going to have to find Tirza
clothes,” I interjected first.  “Because, I don’t think Katie’s wardrobe is big enough to clothe the two of you.”

“Yeah, I really only have a suitcase full of stuff.  I mean, it’s a big suitcase, but still it’s not nearly enough,” agreed my cousin.

“But,” I added with a smile, because this part I had already thought out, “I think I have a solution to this little dilemma…”  I trailed off dramatically.

“Really?” asked Ramona.

“Yeah,” I answered, and then cleared my throat.  “You see, my sister, Flavia, has two huge trash bags full of clothes stuffed way at the top of her closet my mom has yet to take to the Goodwill.  They are all good clothes, but they are small for her, and…”  I smiled at my ex-girlfriend. “…I think they will fit Tirza perfectly.”

Tirza perked up at that, her face flashing with a broad smile as she glanced between the rest of us.

“Can you get them without your sister knowing?” asked Katie, her cute forehead pinched with concern.

That stopped the others as their collective gaze fell to me.

I breathed for a bit, settling myself to the natural internal clock that was the beating of my heart.  “No,” I said simply, “but, I’ve been thinking about that.”  I spoke quickly when I saw their enthusiasm dashed.  “I think we are going to have to let Flavia and Johan know what’s going on, so they can help us keep Tirza hidden, and I’m not just talking about my parents.”  I fell silent and let the veiled threat sink in ominously.

Moments later, I spoke again: “We’re gonna need their interference to help keep things hidden from Martin and Lucia, but mostly Martin, because he’s a nosy little scamp who can sniff out deception like a twenty year veteran of the old FBI.  Lucia is too young to articulate the things she might see on accident, but if Martin catches so much as a whiff, he’ll blab to my parents in a heartbeat, and then we’re screwed.”

“But, do you think they’ll tell?” asked Ramona, now her brow was as furled as Katie’s had been moments before.

“No,” said my cousin before I could reply.  “Once they hear Tirza’s story, they won’t tell.  And if they see that both Effy and I are serious about the subject, they’ll kick in.”  Katie tossed her hair then, the way she always did when she was about to make a point she whole-heartedly believed.  “We might be one big, dysfunctional family, but when the shit hits the fan, we step up.  We always have and we always will.”

“Yeah, Katie’s right, they won’t even whisper a word,” I said, feeling the exact familial tug that my cousin was experiencing, knowing precisely what she meant.

“Then we should let them know,” ventured Tirza who had been watching the entire exchange avidly.

“No, Teezee, you will let them know,” I countered.  “You will tell them your story and that should do the trick.”

“He’s right,” admitted my girlfriend.  “Hearing what’s going on from someone
, who has experienced this shit firsthand, should make an impression they won’t be able to deny.”

Since when have you become so absolutely amazing
?
  I asked myself, staring at Ramona like she had grown that third Total Recall tit all adolescent boys love to dream about. 
God damn wasn’t she sexy though?

“So,” began Katie, “where does Tirza hide when your parents or Martin come up to the Loft?”

“In the Attic,” said Ramona and I at the same time, while Tirza pointed to a small door in a section of the wall.  It was directly adjacent to the spot where the wall of the bathroom jutted from the lengthwise wall of the Loft.  About four feet tall and half that wide with a small knob for a door handle, it so inconspicuous, most people never know it was there until someone pointed it out.

“Oh,” Katie mumbled underneath a giggle.

I mimicked her mirth.  “Yeah, Kat, if you’ve spent the night here without my parent’s knowledge, there’s a pretty good chance you will have learned about the attic.”

“
I guess so
,” she said sarcastically, her hand on one hip, her weight on one leg as she glanced between Ramona and Tirza, who were both, looking smug.  Katie tried to hide it, but I could see she was a little envious of the other two.

“I’ll just have to make sure it’s relatively clean in there just in case Tirza has to stay in there for an extended period of time,” I added as the thought occurred to me.”

“I’ll need a fan too,” supplied Tirza, her voice small, almost meek.  She peered up at me, her cheeks still flushed pink.  “It’s get really hot in there, especially in the afternoons.”

My eyes widened.  “Yeah, it does, huh?”

“Yup.”  That was Ramona, who idly walked up to the door and tugged on the knob.  The door opened with a high pitched squeal, making us all wince.  She turned to look back at us, eyebrows raised.  “You’re gonna have to re-apply some baby oil on the hinges as well.”

I nodded.

“So now what?” queried Katie.

“We wait for my family to wake-up, whenever they decided to do so, and we’ll go from there.  If my parents happen to leave on some errand, then we’ll get busy with the rest of the plan.  If not, we wait; we sneak Tirza food and get whatever else she may need. However we can manage, we will,” I replied
, as I turned to look back at the digital clock on my nightstand.  When I turned back my eyes sought out those of my cousin.  “I think we should tell Johan and Flavia as soon as possible, because, quite frankly, we’re gonna need all the help we can get.  And, when we get them up here, we’re gonna have to cover all of our bases, so Katie when I’m ready with Johan and Flavia, I’m going to need you to keep Martin and Lucia occupied in the TV room.  I don’t care where my parents are, I want them there so we can control the situation.   Ask them to play the Xbox or something, ok?”  She nodded.  “If it’s late morning by then, Ramona, you, can climb back down the tree and make your way around the house.  Ring the doorbell at the front door, so it looks like you guys are coming over to visit.  My parents won’t get suspicious, you’d just be coming over for a visit, it being summer and all.”

“Dang, Eff, you’ve really thought all of this through,” commented my girlfriend as she stood erect, closing the door to the attic as she did so, a slight twinkle in her eye.  I couldn’t tell if she was being playful or ornery.

“I just want to make sure nothing else happens to Tirza, that’s all,” I replied, my eyes still on the tiny figure of my ex-girlfriend before me.

She blinked rapidly as if she were suddenly fighting back tears.

“I promised to keep her safe and hidden - that’s exactly what I’m gonna do,” I continued after a deep breath.  I almost reached out for her scent.  Then, I stopped myself at the last second. 
No, dude, that would be bad.

We stared at one another for another three seconds or so and the urge to pull in her smell increased dramatically as a troubled ripple of concern creased her brow.  She tilted her head slightly to one side
, as if she were seeing me for the first time and couldn’t quite place if she had seen me somewhere before.

“Do you feel that, Tirza?” asked my girlfriend, making Katie frown.

Tirza bobbed her head ever so slowly, her eyes riveted to mine.

“That’s his power you are feeling,” explained the tall, vivacious young woman.

“I am not
feeling
it, Mona,” muttered Tirza, her nostrils flaring, drawing in one long pull of air.  “I’m smelling it… no!” she exclaimed of a sudden.  “
Him
, it’s him, but I can sense more of him, unlike before.  This is different, this is him in totality – all at once, and yet… completely unique…”  She trailed off and broke our mutual stare.  She shook her head as she felt for the edge of the bed and sat upon it, somewhat unsteadily.

“Oh!” chirped Ramona loudly, and then clamped her hand over her mouth, having shouted louder than had meant
to.

“What’s going on?” question Katie, talking an uncertain step toward Tirza.

“It’s
her
power, not Estefan’s I just sensed,” outlined my girlfriend.  She spoke through her hand, which she hadn’t removed from her lips.

“My power?” squeaked Tirza, her voice uneven and shrill.

“Yes,” intoned Ramona.  “You have a very, very unique and powerful sense of smell, almost like Estefan’s but used for an entirely different purpose.”

“What purpose?” asked my cousin, sitting on the bed next to Tirza, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Estefan’s sense of smell is used to attract people to him, while Tirza’s is more of a sense of tracking and identification, once she smells you, she can tell where you have been by the scent signature you leave behind,” she replied in a rush, putting both of her hands up to her temples and rubbed at them. She massaged her head vigorously as if her explanation had given her a splitting headache.

“Scent signature
?” I squawked in surprise.

“Yup,” was all Ramona offered.

“Son of a bitch,” pondered Katie rudely, “She could be like the greatest tracker of all time.”

“Exactly.”  The pain in my girlfriend’s head seemed to have reduced her to a monosyllabic bimbo.

“That’s kinda cool,” I concluded with a smile toward my ex-girlfriend.  “At least it’s not all kinky and horny like mine.”

She giggled in spite of herself.

Then, Ramona’s phone chirped and she swayed over to the nightstand on her side of my bed and swiped a few times at the Gorilla glass on the face of the device.  “Just got a text from Leda, you guys,” she announced.  “Her and Sandy want to come by a little after ten, is that cool, Effy?”

“Sure.”  I shrugged my shoulders.  “They need to know what we know, don’t they?”  I glanced about the Loft.

All three of the girls were nodding.

“Cool,” I said, then I thought about what Ramona had said earlier. 
Five, maybe more…
  And soon all five were going to together with me under one roof. 
I hope you’re wrong, Ramona.  That’s too much pussy.

She wasn’t.