Change Of Species

Chapter 26

*Mackenzea's POV*

Tears poured down my face as he held me. I felt bad that I had tried to leave him. He had done everything for me. I exhaled slowly and leaned my head against his chest. He rubbed my back gently and hummed softly. I relaxed completely and began to fall asleep. Anna ran into the room and tugged on my arm lightly. "Mommy!" I sighed softly and opeend my eyes. "What do you need, sweetie?" She climbed up into my lap and cuddle up with me and Zach. "Mommie, sleep!" I smiled and closed my eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes, Zach and Anna were gone. I sighed and looked around. I got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. Zach was feeding Anna some breakfast he made. He smiled at me when he saw me. "Hey, sweetie. How did you sleep?" I smiled at him and sat down at the kitchen table. "I slept okay. I just was confused when I couldn't find you two." He laughed lightly. "I'm sorry, darling. Anna woke me up early to ask for some breakfast." I grinned at him and began to eat my own food.

The day went in a slow moving way. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. I walked outside and sat down on a bench underneath an old oak tree. The leaves were a rainbow of different colors as the seasons were beginning to change. I exhaled slowly, allowing my thoughts to begin to wander. Everything was so different from the way it all used to be. I remember when Zach and I had first met. The color of his eyes were always a different shade every day. I looked around, noticing the growth of the flowers surrounding the benches and boardwalks. It was odd how everything seemed to flourish at the worst of times.

Zach walked outside and sat down next to me. "Is everything okay?" I sighed softly and looked at him. His eye color was turning into a soft shade of violet. he was definetely worried about me. "Everything is so different. The flowers weren't here yesterday. The trees were bare and looked as if they were dying. Why is it that every tree or flower has suddenly bloomed?" He seemed very confused by my question. As if I was speaking a different language. I exhaled slowly and tried to figure out what was going on here.

Something definetely wasn't right with this place. Why did everything happen perfectly? I headed to Alex and asked him the same questions. He had the same reactions as Zach. I needed to take Zach and Anna away from this miserable little place. I was wrong to think that my brothers would accept Zach for who and what he was. There was some major brain washing going on and it needed to stop. I looked all over the house, trying to find the source. But, no matter where I looked, I couldn't find it. So, how could this be happening?

I packed up all of our clothes and food. We needed to get off of their land. I stuffed all of Anna's things in her own bag and stacked them in the back of our car. I buckled her up in her carseat and waited for Zach to follow me. Of course, he just stood there, seeming confused by my actions. I shoved him into the car and buckled him in, jumping into the drivers seat. I was about to take off when I saw Alex running towards us and then I floored the gas to get away. Zach was yelling at me to stop. I tuned him out and continued to drive until I hit the boundaries of the land. Suddenly, Zach wasn't yelling any more. He was staring at me with a scared look on his face.

"What just happened, Zea? Why do I feel weird?" I smiled, feeling very triumphant. We were away from those goons and the spell was broken. "Zea, what just happened?" I sighed softly and slowed down my driving. "Zach, we were under a spell. They were controlling you. They wanted us." He rubbed his face gently. "I can't believe it. I thought that they cared about you and us. But, I was wrong. I can't believe it." I nodded, unable to say anything else on the subject. The rest of the trip was silent and a little awkward. He seemed very uneasy. I reached over and laced my fingers with his and squeezed gently.

He smiled at me and squeezed my hand back. I had thought that losing my family again would upset me more, but I didn't feel any emotion except a little anger. I exhaled slowly and stopped at the gas station. Zach pumped some gas into the car as I got out to stretch my legs and take Anna to the bathroom. I felt completely relaxed now that my family was back to normal. At least as normal as it could ever get.

*Zach's POV*

I was so shocked to find out that I was being brainwashed. How could I have fallen for it? How could I have been so unintelligent?! I sighed softly and continued to fill up the gas tank. At least we were away from the brainwashers and all the harm they tried to cause us. I began to relax when I saw Zea walking slowly towards the car with her arms full of goodies. She smiled at me and threw the food in the back seat next to Anna. I finished filling up the car and got into the drivers seat with Zea next to me. We took off towards the next town, looking for a place to stay temporarily.

Each town we passed looked worse than the one before it. They looked shabby and pathetic. Of course, we weren't going to find one that seemed perfect, because nothing is perfect. I sighed and looked over at Zea. She was too busy feeding Anna a few snacks out of some of the bags. By the time we found a nice town to stay in, night had fallen and the temperature had dropped. I turned on the headlights and found a perfect place to rest until morning at this cute little hotel. I rented a room and helped unpack the car into our room. Anna was sound asleep in her carseat, which made her look adorable. Zea grabbed a pile of clothing and headed to the bathroom for a shower. I changed my clothes and sat down on the bed to relax.

I listened to the sound of the water hitting the tiles, relaxed my entire body. All the tension in my body disappeared as I completely relaxed. I couldn't help it. Water just seemed to make me melt. I only closed my eyes for a second before I was deep asleep. I felt the mattress give and bend as Zea laid down beside me. The night flew by with incredulous speed. When I woke up, Zea was making breakfast for us. I sat down at the table and smiled at her happily. I was so in love with her that my entire world revolved around her.

I ate my food quietly while Zea picked up Anna to change her. She seemed really tired and cranky. I made some cereal fo rmy precious little angel, humming softly to myself. Anna came running out of the bathroom and sat down at the table. I kissed her forehead and watched her eat. She shoveled the cereal in, enjoying the taste of her fruity pebbles. Zea sat down beside me and I wrapped my arms around her wasit, relaxing. "Do you think that this will be a good place to raise her?" She seemed to be thinking deeply about my question. "I don't know. The place seems nice, but who knows what the neighbores are like." I nodded and thought about it. She was right.

I really needed to consider if this was a great place to raise our family. I loved them very much and I needed to take care of everything. I wanted to protect them. I need to because it was my job. I exhaled slowly and thought about what I could do to keep them safe at all costs. Everything that I could come up with,w as stuff I do on a daily basis. It was just natural for me to be protective. Zea continued to entertain Anna while I looked for a more permanent place to live. I looked all over the town, wandering from street to street. Eventually, I stumbled upon a house that was for sale. I walked in and began to tour the house. Everything looked nice and very tidy. It was cute and cozy which was perfect for our small family.

I spent several hours talking to the real estate agent, bargaining for a better price. Finally she agreed at five hundred dollars down and several monthly payments. I called Zea to let her know that we now have a new home. She didn't pick up the phone, which made me worry a little bit. When I arrived home, Zea and Anna were taking a nap together on the bed. It was so adorable. I smiled and laid down beside them and wrapped my arms around them. I loved my family more than my own life. I sighed softly and closed my eyes, falling asleep as I relaxed.

My eyes flew open as I heard her scream. She was crying in the corner as Marcus atttempted to break in. I gave Anna to Zea and headed to where Marcus was. He was stuck with his arm shoved through a broken part of the window. I walked over closer and broke his arm. He cried out as the sound of his bone snapping echoed through the room. I pulled him away from the window and started to beat on him hard. Zea sat there staring at me as if I was going to hurt her. "Sweetie? Are you okay? Everything is okay now." She sat there, afraid to even move. I sighed and tried to hug her. She flinched at first, then relaxed into my embrace.