Moon Stalk

Chapter Twenty One

Yawning, I shook my head to force myself awake. By now it had been a good hour or two after Zane's speech and everyone was talking amongst each other, forming bonds.

Yvette and Margaret were getting along splendidly with Olive watching over them, her arm slung over my niece's shoulder and a drink in her hand. She had gained both Zane's and Jenny's approval by being willing to train and learn like everyone else. Yvette and Margaret had similar interests and talked so friendly, it was hard to imagine just hours ago, Margaret was trying to bash a television over my friend's head.

Gabe was sipping a cup of tea on his boyfriend's lap while Aaron conversed with Presley, who was showing them both examples of his work. At age 15, my little buddy was able to hack into security systems and had been improving ever since. Though out of the action, he had ample muscle built of so even though he was a geek, it was never wise to underestimate him.

Jones had been chatting away with Byron, an unlikely partnership forming. Though Byron was taken aback by both her beauty and intensity, he was willing to meet her head on, which gained some hard earned respect from her. Jones was currently showing off some of her tech, the main one being communicative earrings that worked as communication devices.

Then I spotted Jenny and Zane huddling in the corner, likely making plans and going over training regimens. While Zane may be in charge and the boss, Jenny was basically his right hand man, checking things over to make sure nothing was missed by Zane.

Lastly was my sister, sitting on the couch, surround by Zinc, Zeus and Cynthia. Alone as always, I rolled on over to her for company.

"Hey sis, how ya doing?" I asked, making smalltalk.

"Heh, shouldn't I be asking you that? Y'know even after all this time, I can't help but feel inferior to you." She chuckled without mirth, shaking her head.

"What are you talking about Laur?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion.

"I don't know... you're my little sister, but it almost feels like you're not. I mean, look at my daughter. I feel like a distant relative rather than her mom with how you're protecting her. You're closer to her, more than I ever will be. I just don't know how to measure up to that, I guess." A look of sorrow passed onto her expression and my heart tightened, seeing it.

"Sis-"

"I mean, I saw Jimmy and his interactions with her. I could've broken them up, one way or another, but I didn't. I wanted to believe I raised her right as a single mom, so I lived in this little bubble that everything was perfect. Where I was a successful stay at home writer and my sister was a well off psychologist, that my daughter was in a perfectly healthy relationship... and now it's all gone to shit."

"I doomed her. That's the honest truth of it all." My sister hung her head in her hands, shameful.

"Well that might be the biggest heap of bullshit I've ever heard." Zane's booming voice trailed over us.

We looked up, my sister's blue eyes tearing up in the process. Zane hopped over the couch with a thud, landing next to my sister.

"Now I haven't been around til recently due to work, but Sierra always sent me pictures so I feel like I know everything bout you guys. I saw when you held Marg as a newborn, so tight that nothing could possibly take her away from you. That when your double crossing baby daddy ran off, you made it all seem like a fairytale for your baby girl so she wasn't scared anymore. When you took little trips to parks and nearby beaches because there wasn't enough funding for big trips to amusement parks and vacations, but you still wanted little Marg to feel special. How you would have Sierra watch over Marg to talk to lawyers, hiding in the utility closet, until you came out with your face wiped clear of tears. You gave it your all, maybe didn't fight as hard when you should have... but that's only because you been fighting her whole life and sometimes that just takes too much out of us to see the big picture. You couldn't save her then, but you're saving her now, aren't ya?"