ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴏʀ || Zig-Zag

Chapter 26| Lifted Curses and Fulfilled Promises

Tara's P.O.V

            I laid down on my cot back in the tent after the long exhausting day endured. We'll all be going home soon, actually most of the boys have already left. Since the Warden and them are getting arrested as well as the investigations that they'll be conducting of this place, they should it's shutting down. As things look, we're all free to go home, sentences voided in the conditions we all start going to counseling, for some, anger management.

             In my tent there was just Squid, X-Ray, Ziggy, and Armpit and two others. Some kid, Twitch and another they nicknamed Mouse. They had showed up to camp after Hector and I's sudden leave. I frowned as a worker came in, pointing to Mouse. Every time he came in, someone left.
"Parents are here, time to go." He informs before walking out.
"Wait!" I exclaim, jumping up from my cot.
"What is it?' He questions, the others interest piqued.
"Do you have a phone I could use? Please? I won't be long." I try, ignoring the others' questionable looks.
"Here. I'll be back for it in a bit." He sighs, dropping the phone in my hand. I nod gratefully, flipping the phone open in haste before dialing the number.

"Hello?" I wait eagerly until I heard my father's voice. I stare off ahead of me, mind elsewhere as the boy's gather around in hopes to hear.
"It was you, wasn't it? You were the chosen child to-" I begin, not having to look to notice the boys' flabbergasted look.
"Krystara? How'd you-.." The line suddenly went quiet, so quiet I thought he had hung up on me for a moment. Finally he sighs.
"Yes. And since you ask me this, that can only mean you have been given the signs too?" I nod despite him not being able to see. Scoffing out incredulously at the so called signs, wondering if he experienced them so.. Boldly, as I had. yelled at first.
"I more than just seen them dad." He chuckles at this, silencing taking over for a second.
"There's more." He knew. I nod again, smiling as I think about the younger boy who had left camp earlier in the day.
"Zeroni.." The boy's around me raised their brows, my father humming expectantly.
"The stories grandpa used to tell me.. That's why'd you always leave, it's like he told me, isn't it? So, that would mean, the generation you were to look after.." I inhaled deeply, feeling my father's anticipation over the phone.
"Have you been seeing a woman, looking for her son?" I question over the phone.
"You found him..?" He asked in shock, his voice far away. I smiled as my adrenaline started picking up. This was really happening, he really was the one meant to look over his mother.
"Yes. You can finally tell her you found her son." I say warmly.
"Where. Where is he Krstara?" He asks on the edge of his seat.
"You wouldn't believe where he's staying.. You were told about the story, about the man who stole the pig from, got his whole family cursed and everything? Well, I'd like you to go meet his great great grandson. Stanley Yelnats the fourth." I beam, Zig-Zag, as confused as the boy was, seemed to have started putting some puzzle pieces together. At least getting why there was.. A pull, towards the three of us.
"Thank you, Krstara. You've made this family proud." He says with compassion.
"It's my job, right?" I shrug.
"Not quite, but you got the spirit." He jokes.
"Alright, I gotta go. You better get them together. Or someone will be having to look for you because you went missing." I grin.
"Good luck with that one." He laughed, before saying his farewells. I hung up the phone looking up, seeing the others giving me mystified expressions.
"What?" I look around puzzled.
"What was all that about? How do you know Zero's mom is missing, er that Zero was missing? And what about all that other stuff you just said to him?" Squid questions beyond baffled. I chuckled.
"Just.. ya know.. Family tradition." I wink coyly. The others begin joking, making me for this. All questioning and coming up with their own theories. Zig-Zag makes his way closer.
"Is that what you were meant before? About it being a long story?" Ziggy pokes me playfully. I nod innocently, smiling.
"Yeeeah. Don't worry, I might tell you about it one day."

           It was late that night, everyone who didn't leave that day would be receiving a ride home tomorrow so they could officially close the camp down. Sleep had taken over shortly ago over the remaining campers, myself included. So there I laid, in a blank dreamland. I found it weird how, still, it seemed to be. No happy pictures being displayed in my mind's eye nor even nightmarish ones.