Zafira looked across the house. Javier
had gone baby shopping. Alexis was asleep in the play pen. Zafira took out the
paper. That number. Slightly nervous she took her phone and dialed it. Who
could this be?
Aretha was terribly surprised to hear
her phone ringing- the only people in the world who had her cell phone number
were dead, with the exception of the one asleep on the floor.
"Hello?" She answered tentatively. "May I ask who is
speaking?"
Zafira heard the voice. Familiar.
Almost.
"This is Zafira Kerias. This number
was left on my desk at my work." She explained to the person who had
answered. She figured this was going to be a prank. Not fun at all.
Aretha tried very hard not to gasp into
the phone. "Grand Mage? This is Aretha Tesla. My apologies- I don't know
how this number... Oh..." I trailed off, realizing just a bit late that
this probably had something to do with Niccolo. "I'm sorry, but was it
just the number, or was there something else along with it?"
Zafira gasped when she said who she was.
"Yes this is the Grand Mage. And
there was a note reading, 'I can cure the nightmares'." Zafira told
Aretha. This was good. Someone sane answered and not Mevolent.
"Oh. Of course." That made
perfect sense, but Niccolo didn't look like he was waking up anytime soon.
"My friend probably left that for you, but he's... Um, not available at
the moment... I'm very sorry. I can have him call you as soon as he can."
I added under my breath, "If he ever can..."
"Alright then. I guess that's all I
can do. I wondered why I got this note." Zafira shrugged. Guess this is
all she could hope for. The nightmares didn't help having Alexis around but
what could she do?
"If I told you that Niccolo
Croatoan had written that note, and that I knew where he was... How would you
react?" I immediately regretted having said that. I hadn't even thought-
it just slipped out. I suppose I just wanted to know whether or not deciding
not to kill him was the right choice. And then I remembered his eyes that night
in the alleyway, terrified and pleading- and beneath it all, so warm... You're
not second-guessing your decision, you just want someone to agree with you. You
need to know you're not insane, and he's not around to prove it to you. But it
was true- I wanted someone who I knew was not insane, and who had seen Niccolo
at his best and his worst, so say he shouldn't die for his crimes.
Zafira took a moment to consider this.
The Grand Mage side of her said kill him but the practical side said don't.
"I should order his immediate
arrest. But you see I don't think that's the answer. Death or imprisonment
isn'f the answer. Niccolo is not as bad as I thought. He isn't always in
control of himself. So as I'm assuming what you said is true I would only ask
that maybe could I speak to him. I owe him for not killing Javier and I when we
were captured. And I truly believe he wrote that note to help me. I'm willing
to let him. He doesn't deserve death or arrest." Zafira felt strange. The
man had nearly killed her twice but she felt like maybe he didn't do it
purposely.
Aretha breathed a sigh of relief.
"I appreciate that more than I can say- and I know he genuinely wants to
help you. Actually... He ended up overexhausting himself helping a friend of
mine. He sort of just... Collapsed... I'm not sure if-when he'll wake up,"
I corrected myself- I couldn't figure out why I was so concerned- after all,
Ren had said he was fine, right? "But I'll make sure he calls you when he
comes around."
"Well alright. If you want maybe
Javier or I could get him awake. Or my daughter Alexis. One wail in the ear
she'd wake the dead." Zafira laughed. As she said that little Alexis let
out a faint cry in her sleep.
"Oh, congratulations! I hadn't
known she was already born! Well, thank you, and I wish all three of you the
best." She took a quick glance out the window- she always looked outside
when she was happy- but what she saw only made her that much more paranoid.
"I'm so sorry, I really, really am, but I'm going to need to call you
back."
"Thank you." Zafira said
smiling. Then Aretha spoke,
"Oh right okay. Bye then." She
said hanging up. Zafira went over to Alexis and picked up the half awake baby.
Smiling she sat on the couch. She felt exhausted between sleepless nights and
Alexis Zafira was low on energy.
Aww that was dead good!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
DeleteSqueeeeeeeee! Uber cute! Deathy going to find Zaffy when she finds out and then bad going to happen!
ReplyDeleteHeh heh heh...