2. Miku-Zaro

 

All of that commotion earlier wore me out. Oh well. At least I have my pants back. And that’s all that really matters, right? Right. So, since I have my beloved pants back, I joined Zero on the couch to watch some show called Fruits Basket. She calls it “cute.” I don’t do “cute.” But I watched it with her anyway. No point in trying to beat something I can’t win.

 

After about ten minutes into the show, I could tell Zero was getting tired. She kept yawning and her eyes kept fluttering shut. “Hey,” I said softly, “c’mere.” With that, I pulled her to me so she could rest her eyes. Or sleep. Whichever one she wanted. I mean, it’s not like that or anything, but we’re real close. I like to make sure she’s taken care of. So I watched her dumb show until I felt her breathing slow down to a deep and steady pace. Soon after, I felt myself drifting off, so I put my arm around Zero’s shoulders and rested my head on hers.

 

Right before I fell asleep, I saw Zeke heading upstairs. I nodded to let him know things were okay, and he continued on his way. And that’s when I slipped into sleep.

 

A few hours later, when I woke up, I could smell chicken baking in the kitchen. It smelled like mint and red pepper, so I knew Zero was doing the cooking. I suppose that would explain why I’m lying down on the couch, covered with a large fleece blanket instead of holding her. The chicken smells amazing. Zero likes to mix opposites in food. It doesn’t sound tasty, but damn, that’s deceiving.

 

I got up and tossed the blanket back on the couch. On my way to the kitchen, I met up with Eclipse coming down the stairs. He looked at me, rubbing his eyes. Apparently, he had just gotten up too. He walked straight toward me and, without saying a word, put his head on my shoulder, tucked his arm around my waist and muttered “sleepy.” I chuckled and put my arm around his shoulders. “Stupid,” I mumbled back.

 

I’ll admit it: I have a mild attraction to the man. I know he wants me bad, but we sort of keep it under wraps –even from each other- because of Zero, Nyphe, and Zeke. I’m sure they all know Eclipse is gay, what with the clothes he wears. He may be an angsty kid in his twenties, but he’s still got the whole goth thing going on. He’s just managed to integrate it in with homosexual fashion. Too small black t-shirts, bondage pants that are three sizes too big that sit low on his hips, and his bowl cut slash buzzed underneath haircut combo screams “I’m not a kid anymore, but I missed the rebel stage of growing up, so I’m doing it now.” And his piercings and tattoos didn’t help.

 

You don’t see me complaining, though.

 

It’s funny. On the other hand, you have Zero. She may be his younger sister, and certainly, there are definite similarities, but they couldn’t be more different. For instance, Eclipse is so tan he’s almost like a caramel cocoa, whereas, Zero’s almost as pale as I am. She can’t wear any face makeup other than eye makeup because every foundation she’s tried is too dark. How do I know this? Many hours of “Miku, how does this one look? Are you sure? It’s not too much?” I’m bisexual, not a drag queen. Don’t tell Zero, though. It was enough of a shock for her to find out about Eclipse.

 

And another thing. They dress differently. Eclipse is all doom and gloom. Zero is all sunshine and bubbles. She mainly wears bright tank tops and camis, and shorts and leggings and skirts. She’s also got naturally wavy and full hair. And she has no piercings or tattoos. I just kind of looked at them when I first learned they were siblings and thought, “what the f**k happened there?” You know what kills me? They’re both gorgeous. It would only stand to reason, though. Zero’s a quarter angel, and Eclipse is a quarter angel and a half demon. Their mother was half angel, half human. Zero’s father was a human, and Eclipse’s father was a demon. Talk about supernatural beauty.

 

Eclipse and I moseyed into the kitchen and took a seat at the table with Zeke, who apparently just finished the paper. Nyphe was bouncing around the kitchen, helping Zero cook. Eclipse immediately plopped his head down and Zeke ruffled his hair as a father would. He grinned a bit.

 

“So,” he said, his eyes forming crow’s feet at the ends as he smiled, “you two looked cozy coming in. Anything you’d like to share?” Eclipse glared out at Zeke from one eye. I stared at him and said, “Jackass.” Zeke just laughed.

 

Zero finally brought our plates to the table. You see, Zero doesn’t bring the food over and let us fix our plates. She portions out exactly how much she knows we can and will eat and fixes our plates for us. Nyphe claims she uses her magic she learned at Ophelia’s Apprenticeship School for Young Wayward Witches. I think she just studies us all to  Hell. It’s almost creepy. This, however, does not affect our appetites. Once everyone was sitting, Zeke blessed the food and we ate. Mostly in silence. Occasionally, Nyphe would burp and make farting noises. Zeke would always open his mouth to say something, but Zero would always beat him to it.

 

It’s weird to see the relationship between those three. Zeke thinks of Nyphe and Zero as his children. Nyphe thinks of Zero as his mother and Zeke as his father. And Zero thinks of Nyphe as her son and Zeke as her father. So they all act differently toward each other, when in reality, Zeke is their adopted father. But it works. They’re happy and that’s what matters.

 

After everyone had their fill (which was exactly what was on our plates), Zeke headed upstairs to take his Sunday nap. I guess everyone but Nyphe is tired today. The rest of us headed outside to have some fun so as not to disturb him. It’s unanimous. We never have to discuss it.

 

So, once we were outside, Nyphe darted off behind the shed. He yelled out “See ya!” real quick as he did so. All we saw was a bushy green head and pointy ears scurry across the yard. We’re not entirely sure what Nyphe is. No one knows for certain. We gave up after a few months of research.

 

“Hey!” Zero called, halfway to the woods behind the village. “Come on! Let’s go to the Spider Tree!” And without a warning, she darted off through the brush and trees to deep into the woods.

 

I looked at Eclipse and asked, "Does she know how to get there by herself?" Eclipse didn't look at me, but nodded and said, "Yeah. She sneaks out when everyone's asleep and goes there to think, apparently." And as if he knew what I was thinking, added, "I saw her leave one night, and confronted her about it. And, well, you know Zero. She didn't lie. She doesn't lie. But she damn sure won't tell you unless you ask her about it." Well, there you have it.

 

"Should we run?" I asked. Eclipse shook his head and laughed.

 

"Nah, let's take our time." He ran his hand through his hair and relaxed into a laid back stance, with his other hand on his hip and his shoulders back. It was, I'm ashamed to admit, one of the sexiest things I've ever seen. I guess Eclipse saw me staring at him, because he smirked and sauntered off slowly, swaying his hips as he did so, moving the arm that wasn't on his waist in front of him, then behind him. Just like models on the catwalk. I wasn't sure what he did more: turn me on or irritate me to all Hell. But I followed him at a leisurely pace, and I enjoyed the view just the same.

 

When we entered the forest, I caught up with Eclipse. It's not that I'm afraid to be by myself, but if I'm with a "group," I'd prefer to be with said "group." Eclipse looked at me from the corner of his eye and asked, "Couldn't take it anymore?" Cocky a*s b*****d.

 

"That's not it," I explained, hoping he wouldn't take it any further. To be honest, I'm not sure I have the ability to let someone else have the last word in anything. I very rarely leave a challenge untaken.

 

"So what is it?" he asked, trying to provoke me. "Did the urge overtake you?"

 

"No." I hope he stops. Now.

 

"Feel the need to wrap your arms around me?"

 

"I don't want to do anything we may regret, Eclipse."

 

"Don't you want to know how my mouth tastes?"

 

"F**k off, Eclipse. Not now."

 

"Have you ever wondered what it felt like to be with a man?"

 

That's it. I stopped and grabbed Eclipse's arm. I yanked him back and shoved him up against a tree. I pressed up against him and put my face down in his. He wants to play the Lust Game? I can play too, a*****e. And I can play better. I leaned down to his open mouth and whispered, "Stop talking if you're not prepared." I could feel Eclipse trembling beneath me. I smirked and stared at him for a few more moments, making him feel uncomfortable, before I backed up and walked away. I didn't hear footsteps following me until about forty five seconds later. We walked the rest of the way to the Spider Tree in silence, at that distance.

 

Once we got there, Zero was already perched on the highest branch of the large fallen Live Oak. I had to look away as I climbed because she was all but flashing the world because she was wearing a skirt. Once I got up there, Zero smiled brightly at me and said, "It's about time you got here! Where's Eclipse?" I glanced into the woods. I saw him, but he was a little ways off. Apparently, along with those forty five seconds he took to follow me, he was walking slow as Hell.

 

"He's coming," I assured her. Then, thinking back to the earlier attack on Eclipse, I got a great plan. It'd be amazing if I could, along with fluster him, make him jealous. I love being able to f**k with him. It makes life so much more fun. What's better is, every time I do something like that, he asks me, after he's done overreacting, "Why the Hell do you think you can do that?!" And every time, I tell him, "Because I'm just that great." It's a beautiful thing.

 

Once Eclipse was in the clearing of the Spider Tree, I gently grabbed Zero's chin and made her look at me. She blinked, silently asking me what I was doing. If there’s one thing I love about Zero, it’s her naivety. Zeke has sheltered her life so much, she hasn’t really learned about the “pleasures” of it. The Apprenticeship school doesn’t even offer Love, Lust or Passion magic. Ophelia, the Head Witch, proclaims that it’s wrong, and improper for young wayward witches to learn such magic. I felt terrible, but I was just about to take advantage of that innocence.

 

Actually, I felt fine.

 

I brought her face close to mine and told her quietly, “If you want to have fun and tick off Eclipse at the same time, just follow my lead.”

 

“Will I know what to do?” she asked me with all seriousness. I love her loyalty.

 

“Sure will, sweetheart,” I assured her. And with that, I kissed her. You know what the amazing thing is? She kissed me back. ‘Follow my lead’ indeed.

Reviews

[Aurie S.]

I have to hand it to you--you've posted two chapters, and I feel like I'm already addicted to this book. It's easy to read and fun to get through. You've got a way of describing things and writing inner dialogue that's casual and funny. I think the best part of both chapters is that you've managed, in a short time, to establish every character's personality. I find myself wanting to get to know them more, and wanting to hear their backstories. I especially like that both chapters are written from two different perspectives. You handled both well, and made both voices distinguishable from one another. I hope you'll post more of this, because I'd love to keep reading.