The Zookeeper 3: The Future

Ch. 4: Her Fear

Meanwhile, Amity was feeding the giraffes.

"I mean, she called me Mittens. MITTENS! Can you believe that?"

It was one thing for her siblings to refer to her by that every once and a while, but now that they call her that every five minutes, it's very... VERY annoying.

"I don't think I can, it sounds degrading." The giraffe replied.

Amity couldn't understand them, but she could tell they agreed with her.

"I mean it's so humiliating being called that! I am a grown woman, I do not need some nickname for a cat!" Amity said as she moved to feed another giraffe. "My name is Amity Blight Anderson, not Mittens! Even if it is cute when she calls me that."

"There it is. Whenever it's about her mate, she sees a bright side to a bad thing about her." A giraffe commented.

"Love is a mysterious thing for all creatures." Another one said with a small chuckle.

"Indeed."

The giraffes continued to talk while they are as Amity continued to voice her problems with Luz calling her "Mittens." They did, however, agree that these twin siblings of hers can be annoying. They liked her dad more. Especially since Amity had told them he and another witch was training her to use magic. Perhaps one of the spells she learns will allow them to finally speak to her. That would be a dream, because she raised most of them, she was basically a mom to them, so being able to talk to her would be amazing. Both of them wished for it and hoped that one day, it would happen. With Luz, she was petting Tyler as she was lost in thought. Her father's journal was still on her mind, especially his last expedition before his death.

'There has to be more, I must've missed something.'

"Luz, are you okay?" Tyler asked, noticing something was off about Luz's petting today.

"Just... thinking."

"About what?" Tyler asked, curious.

"Personal human stuff." Luz said to him, moving to scratch his chin.

"Anyway, I have a job to do." Luz lifted him with struggle, "Pretty soon I won't be able to lift you, you're getting pretty big. What happened to that little cub that I saw get born?"

"I'm still here, just a little bigger." Tyler said to her with a smile.

Luz gave him a kiss to the head.

"Yes you are."

Luz placed the slightly large cub on the ground before heading off to her other duties.

"No hug for me, Luz?" Tina asked.

"I would never forget you." Luz said as she turned back and gave her favorite "cub" a hug, "I'm glad you're my friend, Tina. You've helped me so much in my life, whether it was some small talk or who to ask to prom. Ever since I first met you as a little baby... I'm glad you're my friend."

"And I am glad you are mine." Tina said with a fond smile. "The years I have known you are some of the most wonderful I have had."

Luz left the tiger exhibit, knowing that what she's going to do is dangerous, but she had to do it, she needed closure for her father's death.

'I have to do this, even if it means dying myself.'

Luz went to her boss and knocked on the door, waiting for him to let her in.

"Come in." The boss said as Luz opened the door, "Ah, what can I do for you?"

"I need you to blue light something for me, if it isn't too much trouble." Luz said to her boss.

"Okay but can you tell me what it is first?" He asked, giving Luz his full attention

"When I was at the other zoo... I learned that my dad was murdered."

"Murdered?" He asked in shock.

"Yeah, one of his old... colleges told me about how she pushed him off a cliff on one of their expeditions." Luz said.

"And she was at the other zoo?" He asked.

"Yes, she was." Luz said as she looked up to him, "There's... a lot of things in my life that I don't understand, that don't make sense, and... my father probably understood most of it better than I ever would."

"Luz, are you saying you want to go claim your father's corpse?" The boss asked.

"Yes. I know it sounds like a lot but I need to do this, I need to find him and give him a proper burial." Luz said, "I... I owe it to not only him, but also give my mom a chance to finally get closure."

Luz's boss look into her eyes, seeing fear and resolve for this. She was scared of what she might find but she was willing to find it just for her loved one and herself.

".....How much time do you need off for this?" The boss asked her.

"I don't know." Luz said.

"Hmm, if you don't, then how about this? Two months, at least. I'll even pull some strings with some old friends and cover the cost." Luz's boss said, surprising her with his kindness!

"Thank you!" Luz said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You haven't had a, voluntary, day off in years." He said, "If anything, you deserve it."

'I guess being a workaholic/loving your job pays off.' Luz thought with a smile.