text: Bridget Kathleen Strange imaginations This story is dedicated to anyone with a strange mind and who have wild imaginations and are too afraid to put them out there. He goes nothing. Holding nothing back. Enjoy.  
   
   
   Chapter one: Strange attractions 
     
   When I first saw him, Zalor Kain, he was dancing on top of a table with two other girls under both his arms. His golden blonde hair was a mess and pulled back, his bangs sticking to his sweaty face and his deep blue eyes looking tired as he moved his head this way and that. The music was uncomfortably loud and annoying. Why had I come to this party in this first place? A lot of these people mad fun of my small, soft bunny ears and my upturned pink nose. It wasn't normal for my race to have such small ears. The bigger the better, as they always say. Having small ears or a small tail, like, not being fluffy enough, meant that you were not bred right and if that happens then you bring shame to your family, which is ridiculous, because how is someone capable of controlling that sort of thing? Each race is different, though. Sometimes being small is a good thing, and sometimes it's important to be really big. For me, my race is complicated: having a small nose is good, well, I got that down, but having small ears is a bad thing. Having big feet is another good trait, but I unfortunately posses small feet. I'm lucky if I find shoes my size in my age group. Some of us are far off worse, though. But calling me a bunny would be considered an insult. We all have specific names. Zearos which means rabbit/rodant, that's what I am. Rambios, the reptile family. Jabos, the cat family. Teltos, the dog family. Mandos, fish family. Xeos, bird family. Geotos, which are races that have been mixed. That's something that is not smiled upon in most places. 
     
   There is one race, though, the fool of all of us, no matter if you're a Geotos: The monkey. The monkey is the fool among all of us, the trickster, the joker, which is exactly what Zalor is. Born from a long line of Geotos he has strangely found his way here to this party. I currently lay bent over on the floor after being pushed, my hands getting sticky from the food and drink that has been spilt on the floor. That's when I looked up and saw him dancing with those girls. The table shook hard and finally it broke. The three of them went tumbling backwards with a loud cry from the girls. For a moment I was worried and thought for a second if I should go see if they were ok, but sure enough the two Jabos girls stood up laughing and pointing at Zalor and then just walked away, leaving him there. Zalor was the type to bring the laughs, he was definitely the joker, but also the fool seeing how after awhile the others didn't think much of him. He wasn't exactly the life of the party, but he did bring people together. Too afraid to get back up, I crawled over to the broken table where Zalor lay half awake and drunk on carrot juice. He was a complete mess and talking nonsense. I didn't understand a word that came out of his mouth. I leaned over him, looking at his complex face. He had a fine jaw that was thin and smooth looking, a straight nose not too long or too short and it wasn't too thick or thin either. Zalor had a very pretty complexion and if done right he could easily wear make-up to make himself look like a girl, but his boy-ish body would give himself away at once with a second glance. He was lean and muscular from what I could tell and had really big feet. Hmm...did Monkeys have that big of feet? I stopped looking at his feet and went back to looking at his face. He was a pretty boy and I felt my cheeks get hot. Oh no! Zalor shot up and bonked me in the head with his. I fell back and he completely knocked himself out. 
     
   It was then that I heard the sirens and loud horns of the police. Everyone started to scram then and I was still on the floor. I was about to make a run for it too but when I saw Zalor still lying there I knew there would be serious trouble for him if he was caught, especially for who he was. So, I did all I could do and grabbed his arms, pulling him. I managed to pull him out of the house and on to the back yard just as everyone was leaving. For being a Zearos, we have strong legs, so pulling Zalor along was a piece of cake for me, besides falling all the time from everything on the floor and ground. I managed to get us behind a bush and waited until the police left. For being such a big party I figured there would be more police. I considered myself lucky and looked down at Zalor who was just starting to wake up. I put a finger to my lips to hush him and he continued to lay there just looking up at me with sleepy eyes. 
   When the police left I looked back down at Zalor, that was when I introduced myself to him. All he did was smile and say to me, "Nice ears." I was absolutely appalled by his rude behavior and bonked him on the head. He fell back on the ground, passed out again. For some reason I felt bad after hitting him; I guess I just don't know my own strength and I reached out to touch his face but held my hand back. It was getting late and I needed to get home and I felt terribly stupid for going to this party. Of course I felt bad for leaving Zalor there passed out behind a bush in someone's back yard, but what was I suppose to do? I didn't know who to call and there was no one I knew who knew him well enough to help out. I figured this was the best place to keep him. I did manage to save him from the police even if he won't remember. The truth is, I helped him simply because I found him absolutely fascinating. 
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   It was a Monday morning and I had just arrived to my homeroom class on the third floor of my high school. I was on my second year and no longer holding the title of a little Freshman, but unfortunately my ears would have something different to say. I wore blue ribbons in my hair to help hide my ears; my brown hair didn't help much either seeing how my ears were completely white. Tired from last night I walked to my seat next to the window on the first row. I stopped suddenly when I saw him, Zalor Kain. He was here earlier than me and the few kids in the class paid no attention to him, probably because of who he was. I stared at him for a few seconds as he continued to stare out the window, his head resting in his palm. The opened window blew in some fresh hair, pushing his hair back a little. "Excuse me," I said, finally walking up to him. "That's my seat." Zalor turned to look at me, not surprised at all. "Can I have my seat back, please?" Now he seemed shocked. "You're asking me?" I nodded. "Asking?" he questioned. I was a bit confused and looked over to the group of kids on the opposite side of the room. They were looking at us but only for a second and then went back to their conversation. I looked back at Zalor and gave him a quick smile. "Uh...yes?" I answered him. Zalor sat back in the chair and crossed his arms. "I didn't know we had assigned seats."      "We don't," I started. "I just really like sitting in the front. Most of us find seats at the beginning of the year and just stay there." I explained.  Zalor nodded a few times. "Ok. Fair enough." He stood up and that was when I noticed that his white uniform shirt wasn't tucked in and his tie was lose underneath his collar. "You might want to tuck in your shirt." I told him. He ignored me though and took a seat right behind my desk and continued to look out the window. I hung my book bag behind my chair and took out a book to read for the next twenty minutes. 
     
   As the classroom began to fill up the teacher, Mr. Greystone, walked in and everyone took a seat. He cleared his throat and gestured a hand to my side of the classroom. "We have a new student here with us today. Everyone meet Mr. Kain. Zalor Kain why don't you stand up?" I placed my book down in front of me and looked behind to see Zalor standing up. He looked extremly uncomfortable.      "My name is Zalor Kain. I'm from Gratos," he stopped talking for a moment seeing how a few kids were whispering with each other. Mr. Greystone didn't even bother to stop them. "I know what you are all thinking and it doesn't bother me. I'm only here because I have to be. I don't plan on making a lot of friends. Besides, I'm not very good at introducing myself so I'll just leave it at that." Zalor sat back down, leaving everyone in the room speechless. He said he was from Gratos, a dangerous place to live at least from what I've heard. I could tell that Zalor wasn't from the city from the moment I saw him and heard him speak. He was very different from the rest of us and not just because of his race but because of his personality. I guess you could say that was what sparked my real interest in him. He wasn't afraid of the others, at least that's how I saw it. He spoke his mind and didn't care what people thought of him. I found that to be a really admirable thing. Mr. Greystone cleared his throat again. "Mr. Kain, you might want to re-think the way you are dressed." he eyed Zalor's un-tucked shirt and then sat down. Zalor didn't say a word, only tucked his uniform in. 
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   As the day went on I dressed for gym class and because it was such a nice day we were outside. I pulled up shorts and tucked in my shirt and double checked to see if my shoes were tied nice and tight. I walked outside, already stretching my arms behind my back. That was the usual routine in gym class. Our teacher, Mrs. Kent, blew her whistle, singling us to line up so she could tell us what to do next. I knew what was coming and I didn't need to listen to her to know what she was going to say. Like always, on nice days, us girls were always split from the boys. "Track season is coming up, and I figured we can get a head start from all the other local schools and start practicing at least three times a week. Being outside gives us that advantage and will make it easier. So, hop to it and start warming up your legs. Girls one side and boys on the other." We were given our order and we did just as she told us to. 
     
   Everything was going smoothly until Zalor made his grand appearance. He was late and still had one shoe untied and he quickly tied it in a double knot. He was informed right away by Mrs. Kent about what we were doing. My heart was beating fast now and my stomach started to turn. "You going to be ok?" my friend, Grace, put a hand on my shoulder. "You look sick all of a sudden." Grace is a Teltos, and so it's natural for her to be concerned and know when something is wrong with a friend or family member. I guess Teltos' can just sense that sort of thing.  I finished up my leg stretches and said, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just hungry." She laughed a little. "Good thing lunch is next." I nodded and glanced over at Zalor. He noticed I was staring at him and he turned his head away from me. Was he looking at me first? I was so confused and wished this feeling in my stomach would go away. I lined myself up later on with a few other girls in my class and did a practice run around the track. I kept up with them for about half the track until I started to get tired. Ah dang! I didn't pace myself, so now I was making up for it and quickly becoming last in place and I did end up finishing last. This was an on-going thing so I was used to it. I was a sprinter, not a long term runner. As I was catching my breath I looked over at the boys who seemed to be doing better than us girls and Zalor was on his own. That's when I noticed how big his feet really were as he stood there in shorts rather than long jeans to cover up most of his big feet. He looked over at me and this time I was staring at him first. His long monkey tail moved from side-to-side and he smirked at me. I felt my tail get stiff and my ears perk up. My stomach rolled again and I bent over to hold it.      "Are you sure you will be ok?" Grace handed me a bottle of water. I gladly took the water and drank half it. I wiped my mouth with my arm and handed the water back to Grace. "That helps...a little."      "I think you should just stick to stretching today." Grace suggested. I laughed. "Nah! I got this. I feel that water working through me already. I'll be fine." I went back to start another lap and this time reminded myself to pace. 
     
   As I ran around the track at a regular pace, keeping my breathing level and steady I looked over to the boys side and some of them were just starting to line up on the track, one of which was Zalor. He got on his mark like the rest of them did and one student stood off to the side to let them know when to go. The boys always took it to the next level; always pushing themselves. As the boy gave them the go they took off fast. They would be coming up on me fast seeing how I was only half way around the track on my third and last round. Zalor was keeping up really well with the guys, in fact he was tying first place with one other student. It looked like he wasn't going to go down so easily and surprisingly enough he was passing the boy he was running beside. Zalor came up behind me fast on the track next to me, I felt the wind rush past me. Dang was he fast! The boy he ran beside passed me just seconds later and then all the rest came running by me in a bunch. Zalor's first place victory was short-lived though and the boy he was racing with walked right up to him and punched him right in the face. I stopped running and held my hands to my mouth. "Stop!" I surprised myself when I heard my voice yelling to stop. It grabbed the rest of the attention of the class including the teacher. The boys who just got done running circled Zalor and the other boy. I found myself running again to the group of boys and so did the rest of the class. The teacher was yelling, telling everyone to step aside, but I didn't and tried to break the circle apart. I was shoved back and fell right on my butt. I saw Zalor pick himself up and throw a punch at the kid. Ooh...bad move on his part. The teacher made her way inside the circle and broke the two boys apart. I knew what was going to happen next and Zalor would be taking the full blame for it.       "What are two thinking?" Mrs. Greystone yelled. "Just because we are outside it does not give you a reason to knock each other out. This is still school and this is still a classroom!" Everyone went silent. She turned to the boy who hit Zalor first. "What reason do you have to be in this fight, Norman?" The boy, Norman, touched his lower lip, which was bleeding now and glared at Zalor. "He punched me...for no reason at all." Zalor got a pissed and annoyed look on his face. He was about to say something but Mrs. Greystone stopped him. "Is this true?"      "Well...yeah, I did punch him, but he punched-"      "Enough!" she yelled. "I've heard enough." She pointed a finger at Zalor. "Go get yourself cleaned up and take yourself to the office." she then turned to Norman and said, "As for you...I want ten laps around this track before you can leave." she blew her whistle and everyone went off to practice again. 
     
   I watched Zalor leave, his shoulders slumped. I felt so bad for him and I knew what was waiting for him in that office and it wasn't pretty. My stomach pintched in pain again and I bent over. "Oh ouch!" I said. I walked over to Mrs. Greystone and told her what was happening and she allowed me leave to the restroom. This was all going better than I had planned. I wasn't sure if what I was doing was such a good idea, but it was the right thing to do. I ran right pass the girls locker room where the toilet was and headed straight to the office. I could hear Zalor starting the shower in the boys locker room as I ran passed it. I only had a few minutes to explain myself to the principle what really happened and then get back to class. 
     
   When I came rushing into the office the principle was busy on the phone but he saw my worried and tired expression he told whoever he was talking to over the phone that he would call them back. "Mr. Robertson!" I began.      "Calm down and take a seat." he brushed his white hair back and itched one of his long bunny ears. I couldn't though and I continued to stand.       "Something happened in gym class just now and the boy that is about to see you is not the one who started it. I saw the whole thing. It's Norman Pierce who is to blame. He got mad because Zalor Kain got first place on the track." I paced the room from side-to-side as I explained everything to him. He sat there quietly and listened to me and nodded, understanding.       "I will see to this mess is cleared up. Please, Anya, return to class now." I bowed and turned to open the door. When I did Zalor was standing there, his hand reached out to open the door. He was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. I felt my cheeks flaring up and I walked past him quickly, returning to class. 
     
   When lunch came around I found myself more hungry than ever. My tray was stock piled high with taco salad and two chocolate cakes, a chocolate and white milk and some apple sauce. Grace took a seat next to me and gave me a weird look when she saw my tray. "Hungry much?" she commented. I shoved half of my first piece of cake into my mouth with one bite and then drank some chocolate milk to wash it down. "Ah! Yep! Sure am." I smiled and finished the rest of my cake. I looked up suddenly, feeling like someone was watching me and sure enough someone was. My mouth was full of cake when Zalor walked passed me with his tray of food. He was looking right at me, no question about that. I had a feeling he knew what I told Mr. Robertson.       "Anya?" Grace said. "You have cake all over the side of your mouth." she laughed and handed me a napkin. I stopped looking at Zalor and wiped my mouth. After taking her first bite of food Grace turned to me again and asked, "What do you think of that new kid? What was his name again? Zavor? Zator?" I shook my head. "No, it's Zalor."Grace shrugged her shoulders.       "Oh. So that's his name? I was kind of close. So, what do you think of him? I mean, he is...you know..."      "A monkey?" I said. Grace nodded slowly. "The last time we had a monkey come to this school it was ten years ago. It was a girl and I heard she was picked on until she was forced to leave because it got so bad." I started digging into my taco salad now. "What happened in gym class today was not Zalor's fault." I started. Grace seemed surprised. "Oh really? Why do you think that?"      "Because I saw the whole thing with my own two eyes, that's why." Grace took another bite of her taco salad. "Hmm. Well, if you ask me, I think he's hiding something." she glaced behind her shoulder where he was sitting. I rolled my eyes and finished my chocolate milk. "We're all hiding something." I stated. Grace didn't have much to say after that and we finished our lunch in silence. 
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   Later on that same day I sat in the library working on some assignments during my last hour of school which was basically like another homeroom only it was forty minutes instead of twenty. I tapped the end of my pencil on the table where I sat, away from the others so I could concentrate better on my work. I was working on history, learning about the time when they were fighting to end the separation of mixed races and monkeys and us pure breds. They built an entirely new region for them during that time so that they would have a place to live. Gratos is only a few miles from there, where Zalor is from. His background is so much different from mine and the other kids here. I can't even begin to imagine how life was for him growing up in such a place. Perhaps Gratos and the neighboring city's are not as bad as some say it is? But now a days you see more mixed races walking about the city these days because of that fight to end the separation, Zalor is the first monkey I have ever personally laid eyes on. I've only ever seen pictures or videos of them, but never in person. Perhaps that's why I find myself so attractive towards him. He's so different and I really can't see the bad in him...if there is any. I sighed and sat back in my chair. I was at a stopping point and stood up to look for a book on the separation. There were only ever a few books printed about it and they usually lied somewhere in the far back of any book store or library. Some of us still think that the separation never happened and refuse to believe that they are living among the mixed. The real face of society is truly ugly indeed and I hope I never become one of them. 
     
   The back of the library is full of dusty books that have been sitting there for who knows how long as I followed the letters of the books and worked my way down to the one I needed. When I found the book I needed I snatched it up right away as if someone was going to take it from me. The dust flew up into my nose and made me sneeze. "Excuse you." I heard someone say.       "Thank you." I told them and turned around, expecting to see someone but I didn't. Just then, from the corner of the book shelf I saw Zalor leaning on it. His hands were shoved into his pockets and he had a little grin on his face. "Uh..." I wasn't sure what to say. He started walking towards me...oh no...he started walking towards me?! "We have three classes together. Homeroom, gym and study hour." I nodded. "Did you find what you needed?" he asked politely and I nodded again. "What's wrong?" I shrugged. "You scared of me?" I shook my head fast. "Then say something." he almost begged.      "Hi..."He laughed a little but kept his voice down just enough not to be too loud.       "Hi back. My name is Zalor Kain, incase you forgot."      "No, I remember who you are."      "Oh? I'm flattered." Zalor walked up to me fast and I put my book up in front of my face, my back hitting the bookshelf. He raised one arm and rested it on the shelf above my head. For the longest time all he did was look at me, his eyes serious and then quite suddenly he raised both his brows in a high arch and smirked; I gulped. He was so close to me that I could smell him and his scent made me weak in the knees. "I knew you looked familiar." he said to me. "You're that bun bun girl that saved me from the police at the party. By the way, thanks for helping out of that sticky situation in gym class. The principle let me go with a warning. Without your help, I'm sure I would have been sent home. Thanks!" Bun bun? My cheeks went red and I wanted to slap him but I couldn't bring myself to do it. For some reason I knew he meant it to be no insult to me, more like a nick-name.       "I'm a Zearos." I told him from behind my book. He chuckled a bit and placed a gentle hand on top of my book. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you." I couldn't back up anymore so I sank to my knees and he followed. "Aww. Don't hide from me." he begged, giving me the pouty face. All I could do was stare at him with a straight, tight face that was quickly going red and getting hot. I felt myself sweating. Why was I attracted to him? He was a monkey and I was a Zearos. Even being in the company of this boy would get me in trouble. My lame features got me into enough trouble as it was, yet I couldn't bring myself to walk away from him. I liked his voice and wanted him to speak again. "You sure you're not afraid of me?" he asked. I nodded. "You afraid to be found with me?" he then asked, a little more serious now. I glanced over at him. He was no longer smirking and the look on his face was more somber. I regrettably nodded, still behind my book. Zalor stood up and sighed, his hands on his hips. "I don't blame you. Almost everyone is uncomfortable to be shown around me, least pure breds like you. I guess I'll see you around then? I just wanted to thank you properly for saving me that night and for today. That was brave of you. No one has done that for me before. See ya." he began to walk away from me and I knew in my gut if I let him walk away from me now I may not have the courage to face him again. 
     
   Something in me sparked and I stood up. "Wait!" I whispered as loud as I could for being in a library and even then I surprised myself. He stopped thankfully and turned, he raised one brow out of curiosity. "I just...I just wanted to say...that you're welcome!" he smiled. "And also," I could not believe that I was saying all this. "I want to see you again. I don't care if you're not a pure bred." he seemed shocked at first and then he smiled. "Is it also ok to say that I find you really interesting?" This time he chuckled. "Well, I'm flattered yet again." I became extremely flustered after that. I never meant to blurt that out. "Er...what I meant was, I don't see the harm in seeing you again." Zalor walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "After school, meet me on the top roof on the south side. You know how to get up there?" I nodded. "No one ever goes up there, though." He winked at me "Exactly. I'd like to show you something."      "A surprise?" I said hopeful. He grinned back at me. "A big surprise. You will love the taste of it. I have a lot of different flavors to put on it and try it out that way. It's best if you suck on it first though to get the full taste. More enjoyable that way." What was he talking about? Food? I wasn't sure, yet I was curious to find out. "Yeah...sure, ok. After school then." 
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   After school I met Zalor on the roof on the south side of the school. There was only a light breez and the sun was out so it was nice and warm. There I saw Zalor sitting on a blue blanket with a brown bento box sitting in front of him. When he saw me he waved me over and I cautiously walked over and knelt in front of him with the bento box sitting in-between us. "I came up here once before when I was being shown around the school. I like it here." I smiled a little.  Zalor cocked his head to one side and said. "You know, I think that's the first time I've seen you smile."  I blushed a little. "Uh...thank you?" He laughed. "No need to be formal or shy. It's just the two of us." That's just it though, I thought. Just the two of us. Besides, I don't know how else to act.       "I'm sorry. It's how I've been brought up." He nodded to this. "Have you always lived in this city?" I nodded. "Ah. Wow...so much for you to see still. Don't ever let anyone drag you down before seeing the world first. In fact, don't let anyone bring you down even if you've seen the world a hundred times over." he opened the bento box and there inside were tasty treats, like bean paste buns, cream filled cakes, sweet and sour tarts and even some gummy fish with strawberry and cherry flavors. My eyes beamed with yummy goodness that awaited me. I was so happy that Zalor wanted to share this with me. "You want to share this with me?" He shrugged. "Why not? I can't eat this many sweets on my own. I guess my mom thinks I can down a whole bento box full of sweets like I used to when I was younger."      "Nothing wrong with that." I told him as he handed me a rice ball. "Are you sure? Its the only one." He nodded and chuckled a bit. "I snuck one during lunch, couldn't help myself." I brought the rice ball up to my face and licked the tip of it before eating it. Mmm. Sweet lemon flavor. I munched down and relaxed myself some more. Zalor took one of the gummy fish and threw it in his mouth. "You're different from the others." he said, grabbing another gummy fish.      "Good or bad thing?" He looked at me like I was crazy. "Good thing, of course!" I was relieved. "I don't mean to sound rude or anything but..." I started. "But you are the first monkey I have ever seen in real life." Zalor was about to take a bite of his bean paste but stopped. "Oh really?" I nodded. "I hope I haven't offended you." Zalor took a bite, some of the powder remaining on his lips. He wiped it off with his sleeve and then said, "Don't feel bad. In fact, I'm honored that I'm the first." "You are?" I asked. He nodded and finished his bean paste. "Yeah. It's totally fine. Also, you're the first girl who is a pure bred to talk to me...normally that is." "I don't think it matters what background you come from. We are all beings living in the same world. We all make mistakes and so, no one is perfect, so why judge others so harshly just because they don't meet societies standards?" I took another bite of my rice ball and then gasped, almost choking. I coughed a few times and then took a breath.      "You ok?" Zalor asked. I nodded, swallowing hard. "How rude of me." I said.      "How are you being rude?"      "I haven't told you my name yet. Its Anya. Anya Green. I'm a second year here." Zalor laughed again. "I knew that." "You did?" I was a bit surprised. Zalor explained himself more. "Today in homeroom when you placed your book bag on the back of your chair, your name is on it and what year you are. I'm sure your home address is on there too somewhere." I blushed again only this time from embarrassment. "Oh...You are observant."      "I'm observant in a lot of other things too." he said and winked at me. I bit my lower lip. "Hahaha! Don't worry." he told me. "I'm just messing with you." I was relieved...just a little, though. I looked down at my remaining rice ball and said, "I have a weird request." "Oh yeah? What's that?" "Can I...touch your tail?" This time Zalor looked surprised and then stood up. He turned to the side and I watched his tail wave back and forth like I had seen Grace's tail do so many times before, only it seemed to move more delicately. I stood up and slowly reached for his tail. "Careful...it can be jumpy." I looked at him, a little confused as he laughed at me. "No worries." I reached for his tail again and it moved each time from my grasp. It was turning into a game of catch now and I found myself enjoying it. I hardly even noticed Zalor laughing at me. Finally, I caught his tail. It was so soft...and thick; not thin and brittle like I imagined it would be. I pet it a little and felt silly for doing so. "You like it?" he asked. I stopped messing with his tail and stood up straight. "It feels different than how I imagined it would be."      "How did you imagine it?" he asked, sitting back down. I followed him and rested my hands on my lap. "Thin and easily breakable." Zalor grinned. "If that were the case I wouldn't have a tail anymore. You know how many times I hurt it? Too many to count."      "Have you ever broke it before?" He nodded. "Only once before when I was really little. My mom says the reason why I don't remember much of it is because of the pain."      "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." He shrugged. "It's all in the past now. I don't even remember what I was doing to have that happen to me."      "I guess it's better that way." I told him. I looked down at the watch on my wrist and saw the time. I had been sitting here longer than I thought. "Oh no!"      "What's wrong?" he asked and I stood up quickly.      "My parents always expect me back at certain time everyday after school unless I tell them otherwise. I have ten minutes to get home."      "Ok. I'll walk with you. I'm sure your parents won't mind you being a little late. How far is the walk?"      "Seven blocks." I told him. He gathered up all his stuff and stood up. "Stop worrying so much. You'll get there in time. C'mon, let's go." 
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   Zalor walked me all the way home. We stopped two houses away though before we parted. "Thank you very much for walking me home." I bowed. Zalor scratched the back of his head. "You're welcome. By the way, you don't have to bow to me all the time."      "But I..." He shook his head. "Anya, stop worrying. I realize it's how you've been brought up. But just remember that when you are around me, you don't have to be so formal. Just be yourself. Ok?" I nodded and he smiled. "Ill see you tomorrow at school." he waved me good-bye and I watched him go until he turned the corner.      "Good-bye..." I whispered to myself. That was just it though, what Zalor told me. I didn't know how to be myself. I've always watched everything I do, so worried about doing the wrong thing and getting in to trouble and letting others down. Zalor was already teaching me so much and I could already see myself changing. 
   
   
   
   Chaper two: Strange encounters 
     
   It wasn't normally like this: running down my neighboring streets on my way to school. I had been up late last night thinking about the day before and Zalor Kain. I was tying the last blue ribbon in my hair and holding a piece of butter toast in my mouth as I ran. I felt like a dork as my heavy book bag jumped up and down on my back. I stopped suddenly at a cross-walk as a car nearly ran me over. The loud honk made me scream and I lost my toast. I moaned because I had only taken two bites out of it and because my ears were ringing now. "Hey, watch it!" the man yelled from inside his car. I gave him an apologetic smile and went on my way, careful to not get almost hit again. If you're wondering, I woke up late, like I said before, I was up late last night for obvious reasons. I slept through my alarm clock and awoke to my mom shaking me and wiping my face with a cold wet rag. Thankfully I made it to my homeroom just in time. In fact, because of all my running, I made it there with a few minutes to spare. I saw Zalor sitting at the desk right behind mine and I noticed a few eyes were looking at me, but I paid no attention to them and I took to my desk and rested my book bag on the back chair and pulled out my book to read. I could feel Zalor looking at me and the rest of the class, but I kept to my book, feeling very uneasy. "You read really slow." I heard Zalor speak behind me. I blinked once, then twice. "Huh...?"      "You haven't turned a single page for three minutes." he commented. I turned the page out of embarrassment. I wasn't reading, I was just staring at the letters with a blank mind, worrying about what everyone was thinking. I did befriend a monkey yesterday and even stood up for him. Could it be that people are now looking down on me for doing so? "I guess I am a slow reader." I said to Zalor.      "Hmm," I heard him reposition himself. "You don't seem like the type to be slow."      "People can surprise you." I said. I knew he was grinning, only slightly, though. 
     
   The bell rang and the teacher walked in seconds later. He quickly took attendance and sat at his desk with his face in some papers, paying no attention to us kids. "Pst! Hey...Anya?" I heard Zalor whisper my name. I set my book down, putting my book mark in to hold my place. "Yes?"      "My mom made me more sweets...would you like to join me after school again?" I suddenly remembered my photography club. My mind had been so busy and thinking about other things I almost forgot. "I'm sorry." I told him. "I have photography club after school today. Maybe tomorrow?"      "Oh. Yeah, that works." he seemed a bit disappointed. "Guess I'll just make myself sick by eating it all to myself." I smiled a little at this. 
     
   Word was quickly getting around about me being nice to Zalor. Why was it so bad to be nice to a monkey? Yes, they were known as the fools and jokers, but why exactly? In history books they never fully explained WHY. I'm not sure people really remember the reason why anymore only that everyone has ostracized them for so long that it has become like second nature to ignore them when it comes to the pure bred. Maybe there was something wrong with me? When lunch came around Grace still sat with me. She had less food on her tray today. "Not hungry?" I asked. It was burger day and I had already taken a big bite out of mine and shoved a few frys in my mouth as well. Grace shrugged. "I need to stay in shape for the track season. I can't be eating food that will put me under." I sighed, knowing that wasn't the only reason. She was always afraid of gaining weight seeing how most of her family was following that pattern and she was scared to fall into it. I didn't blame her though. As for me, I could eat just about anything and lose it all within an hour and be hungry again.  Zalor came up and sat with us at the lunch table. Grace was more than shocked by this and she scooted her tray closer to me. "Excuse me?" she said. Zalor looked at her and said, "What?"      "There are other places to sit." she told him. Zalor thought about this and nodded and then said, "I know, but I chose to sit here. Problem?" I quickly chimed in. "No. Not a problem." I eyed Grace and then went back to eating. All she did was sigh and slowly eat her fruit. Soon Norman took a seat next to Zalor, his tray slammed on the table loudly, spooking Grace a bit.       "Must you do that?" she said, irritated. Norman paid no attention to her though and looked dead straight at Zalor. I watched it all. "Hi, Zalor Kain. What brings you to our school?" he ate a fry.      "Better education." Zalor said, keeping things civil.      "I'm sure there are plenty of other school out there with decent education to obtain."      "This one is the best, though."      "I still don't understand." Zalor finished eating the bite he took out of his burger and then spoke. "I studied very hard to get into this school. I could have gotten into any other school that is beneath this one, but I chose to go here. Doesn't everyone want a fair chance at a good education?" he had a valid point and spoke the truth, clearly. Norman wasn't sure what to say. The feathers on his back were puffing up and he ate more of his food. "Two days, Zalor. You've been here for two days. It's only going to get harder, trust me."      "Oh, I don't doubt that." Norman took up his tray and sat else where. I was relieved that no fight broke out. It seemed, though, that Grace had lost her appetite completely and went to dump her tray. I expected her to come back but she never did and I was sitting there alone with Zalor. "How long is your photography club?"      "An hour and a half." I answered.      "I can wait for you...if you want that is." I chugged down my chocolate milk. "Hmm. Yeah, I don't mind."      "I can save the sweets for the walk home then." He picked up his empty tray and left. I looked down at my half eaten food and sighed. For the first time in a long time I wasn't able to finish my lunch and I pushed it aside, a bit disappointed in well...everything. 
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   After photography class and heading out to the front of the school to walk home I saw Zalor waiting there for me; his little brown bento box resting in his hands. When he saw me he smiled and waved, greeting me. "Did you seriously wait out here for this long?" I asked. He shook his head. "Nah. I did some walking around the school. Ya know, it's a lot bigger than I imagined." I giggled a little. "How did you imagine this school?"  Zalor opened the bento box and let me have first pick. I picked up a cream puff and started munching on it. "I imagined it being about this size. Different color and shape though. More pointed and dark looking, but no. It's more flat than anything, and very bright." "Your imagination of the school sounds a bit scary." I told him, wiping some cream off the side of my lips with my thumb and licked it away. "So, is what you told Norman really true?" He nodded. "Of course. I have no reason to lie. My mom has brought me up better than that." I smiled a little. "You talk about your mom quite a bit. I'd like to meet her and your dad...if that's ok." Zalor seemed surprised to hear this. "Why, Miss Anya, you should at least take me out for dinner first before trying to get yourself in my house." he started laughing and grabbed a rice cake. I blushed again and grabbed some jelly beans, popping them all into my mouth at once. "But uh..." he started. "My dad isn't in the picture. It's always been just my mom and me. She has taught me everything I know." I felt real sheepish after that. "Oh...uhm. I'm very sorry. Please, forgive me?" Zalor waved a hand in front of his face as if to swat a fly away. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure my mom would love to meet you." Suddenly a very loud sound like a car screeching as it turned a corner came up from behind us. We both turned to look and sure enough Norman had half his body out the window and a drink in one hand. I knew what was coming and I was still too slow to react. A strawberry milk shake with banana bits in it splattered all over me. My ears twitched as I heard Norman yell, "Geotos monkey lover! Go to the outer cities where you belong!" he laughed and drove off with his friends, the car screeching the whole way down the street. I stood there, bewildered and pissed and shamed. If my ears were long enough they would probably be drooping right about now, but instead, banana bits slid down them and on to the side walk. I tried to wipe the milk shake off my face but the more I tried the more it got in my eyes and soon I just shut them and bowed my head.      "Those bastards." I heard Zalor say. "Let me help." He took a napkin from his bento box and cleaned the milk shake off my face the best that he could. I was able to see again so that was good enough for me. "Here." he handed me another napkin and and ate a banana slice off my shoulder in the process, as for me, I tried to clean the goop out of my hair and clothes.      "Ugh. It's everywhere." I said in defeat. "I can't go home like this."      "Why?"      "I don't want my parents to start asking questions. I also don't need them calling the school and storming in there. It would only make things worse." Zalor scratched the back of his head and looked to both his sides. "I think you should tell your parents." I shook my head quickly. "No. Trust me." Zalor sighed and then said, "Ok. Come to my house. My mom will wash your clothes and that way you will finally be able to meet her." It was a good idea and I was willing to risk being late. All I knew was that the longer I stood in these sticky clothes the worse my mood got. 
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   Zalor lived way farther than I expected. In fact we ended up taking a bus to get back to his place. He paid my way of course, but I felt extremely silly sitting on that bus with a strawberry milk shake sticking to me. When we arrived to his home I wasn't exactly surprised to find out where he lived. It wasn't terrible, just small. A tiny apartment complex next to a small park where a few Jabos little kids were playing. They waved to the both of us. My only guess to this friendly jester was because they had not fully come to terms about the truth of all races. They were still young and innocent at heart, not caring who anyone was as long as you were nice. Zalor invited me into his home, the smell of cookies came rushing at me. "You first." he insisted. I walked inside half expecting to see something a little more run down. Now who was being the judgmental one? I felt ashamed of myself and booted those nasty thoughts out of my head. "I'm home, mom!" Zalor called behind me. He took my book bag and set it by the door and led me farther into his home.  His mom came round the corner and we nearly collided. "Oh dear!" she said. "Who is this, sweetie?" Zalor looked just like his mom. Her golden blonde hair was done up in a messy bun and her ears were round and cute. Her tail on the other hand was much bigger and more fluffy than Zalor's. I now knew who Zalor took after by his moms petite body type; she was still a little bigger than me, though. She then realized the messy state I was in. "Oh uh. My...you're a mess. What happened?"     "Someone threw a milk shake at her after school as I was walking her home. What they said to her was worse though. This is Anya, mom."She smiled. "It is so nice to finally meet you. I didn't think it be this soon though. Still, I am glad. Come, this way. Let's get you cleaned up. By the way, my name is Rebecca." I followed Rebecca to the bath room where I saw a family sized bath tub. I hadn't seen one is years and very surprised to see one in this tiny apartment. I'll bring you some of my clothes while I wash yours. You just think about getting into that bath and clean yourself up." Rebecca was a very nice lady and the smell of those cookies were making me hungry again. 
     
   I sat in the huge tub with a bunch of bubbles surrounding me. I had washed my hair before getting in and just focused on relaxing for a few minutes, letting my body lather in all the nutrient salts I put in. I scooped up some of the bubbles with both hands and blew on them, watching them fly. I giggled, remembering that I had not done this since I was six. When it was time to get out I took up the long blue towel Rebecca left for me and dried myself off and rubbed at my ears a few times, making sure they were nice and dry; same with my tail. I put on the clothes Rebecca had left for me also. They were soft and very comfy, leaving me feel like I was wrapped in a cloud. As I stepped out I heard the two talking. I didn't want to spy on them so I made myself known right away, seeing a plate of cookies on the table with a table cloth over them. There was only one chair in the living room and a coffee table. Zalor and his mom knelt down at the table, waiting for me.      "Are you hungry, dear?" Rebecca asked. "I'm making carrot soup. It's almost done. You are welcome to stay and eat with us and then you can enjoy some cookies with us later on too if you like." I smiled a little, very pleased and happy to be invited and gladly took a spot at the table with Zalor on my left and his mom on my right. "Thank you very much. I would love to join you."      "Wonderful!" Rebecca clasped her hands together and then stood up. "I'm sure the soup is done, so I will get just that. I'll be right back."  I looked to Zalor. "Your mom is very nice." Zalor nodded. "Yeah. Thanks. She works too hard though. I'm surprised she's still up. She gets up at five every morning to catch the bus to get to work and she doesn't get off most days until five or six. I guess she finished her work early today."      "Where does she work?" I asked.      "Oh, various places. She cleans a lot. She used to cook, but that became too much of a hassle once we moved here. Now she just sticks to cleaning houses in the rich neighborhoods. It's the only place that pays well."      "Is it good money?" He nodded. "Yeah. We get by. Finding work in the cities outside this one is almost impossible." he sighed. "Life is better though, no matter the new struggles. We can take it." he smiled and just as he did Rebecca returned with our bowls of soup and a stick of celery on the side to dip it in. 
     
   This tiny and clean apartment left a homey feeling in my heart. I enjoyed it here not matter how little I had spent here in this quite little neighborhood. Despite the fact that I would be returning home late, Zalor had shown me once again many great things and had taken farther around the city than I have with my family or friends. He has opened my eyes to so many things, left me with questions I can't even begin to ask because I'm afraid I won't be able to stop once I start. I have lived such a simple and quaint life until he came into my life.      "How is the soup, dear? You like it?" Rebecca asked. Some of the soup slipped off my lower lip and back into the bowl when she asked. I licked up the remains of it and smiled. "Yes, its very good."      "Zalor tells me you befriended him right away." I bit my lower lip and reached for my celery. I nodded. "Yes, I did." I glanced over at Zalor. "He was sitting in my seat in the homeroom class. I asked him politely to move." I looked back to Rebecca. "We don't have assigned seats or anything, we just choose where we want to sit and usually stay there."      "Zalor told me. Thank you for asking nicely. Others don't normally do that." I dipped my celery in the soup and munched in it, chewing it carefully before I spoke again. "Its because of your race...isn't it?" I saw Zalor reposition himself from the corner of my eye. He always did that or scratched his head when something or someone made him feel uncomfortable. Rebecca only nodded once and took a spoon full of her soup before talking again. "We came here for a better life. Well...we found it." She smiled, but only for a moment. I remembered then about the schools' festival and I spoke on it right away to lighten the mood. "Oh! I just remembered." They all looked up from their food and looked to me. "The school is having a festival for its fiftieth year of being open!"      "When is it?" asked Zalor.      "Next week. They always hold it during the second semester. Don't ask why, 'cause I have no idea. Just how they do things, I guess. But, would you like to go? I'll be going with my friend Grace, of course. She won't cause you any trouble, I'm sure. People look to have fun at these kinds of events. There won't be anybody there picking a fight." Zalor thought about it for a moment and then looked to his mom. "Well, what do you think?" he said to her."I don't think its a bad idea. In fact, this will give you a chance to meet people on a good occasion. It just might be easier for you to make friends during this. I say go for it. You can always come home if something goes wrong." Zalor looked to me, but only for a second and then said, "I'll go. Next week, right?" he went to finishing his soup. I nodded, glad to be hearing this. "Uh huh. Next week on Friday. It starts at seven and ends at twelve-thirty." 
     
   Rebecca reached to turn on the radio sitting on a little book shelf. She messed with it some to get a station to come in and soon enough music started to play. "Oh, I love this song! Zalor, get up and dance with me." she got up even before she finished talking and started pulling on her sons arm. Zalor reluctantly got up with an embarrassed smile on his face and started to dance. I laughed, grabbing a cookie. I watched as Zalor lightly carried his mom around the room in a circular motion, humming to the music. Rebecca's face lite up like a bunch of tiny stars grouped together. She was happy in this moment and I saw for the first time what Zalor truly cared about: his mom and making her happy and always trying to make her life just a little bit easier even if it was just a simple dance. Suddenly Zalor hit the book shelf on their second time around and they stopped. The empty flower vase sitting beside the radio scooted to the edge. "Oh, careful, Zalor." cautioned Rebecca.      "Ooops. Sorry." He made a silly smile and pushed the vase back in place with his tail. The song was coming to an end, though, and Rebecca went to turn it down. They both sat back down and grabbed a cookie and joined me in consuming the sweets. "What year are you, Anya?" Rebecca asked me.      "A second year, Ma 'am."      "Oh? So the same as Zalor. I should have guessed. And how old are you?"      "Seventeen. I was born in May." Rebecca giggled a little. "You're seven months older than Zalor." I looked to Zalor. "Born in December huh? I hear being born during the winter brings good luck Especially during the first snow fall.      "And during the new years." he added, grabbing another cookie.I looked to the clock resting on the wall and gasped. "Shoot! Its almost seven-thirty. I need to get home!" Rebecca checked the clock just to make sure and she started cleaning up the mess seeing how late it was getting.      "Do you want me to take you home?" Zalor offered.I was about to say yes, but at the same time I thought about calling my parents, but what would they say and do when they'd find out where I was and who I was with?  I stumbled on my words. "I-I don't want you to have to take the bus all the way back home alone and I would never ask your mother to come along. I'm sure she's tired."      "Do you just want to call your parents then?" he suggested. I looked to see if Rebecca was out of the room and she was, cleaning up the mess in that tiny kitchen. I kept my voice down low. "My parents don't know about you."      "So?"      "If they knew I was with a monkey we could both get into serious trouble. More you than me. And the fact that I am so far from the main city would only raise their anger and questions. I don't want to bring that down on you...or your mother." I wasn't trying to be rude, I really wasn't. I only wanted to protect Zalor's feelings.      "Then just stay."      "What?" I was taken aback by his sudden offer.      "Just tell them you are staying with a friend for the night and not to worry. I don't know, make something up."      "You mean...lie?" I had never lied to my parents before. It felt like a major crime to me. Zalor nodded and shoved his hand in his pocket, pulling out a first generation cell phone. "Use my phone." He handed it to me and it laid small and flat in my hand. "Wow...I can't remember the last time I saw one of these. They actually still make these?" I said in wonder. Zalor sighed with some annoyance in his voice. "Just call." he said. I started dialing but the number was not my parents, it was Grace's. I needed to call her first to make sure I had a reasonable alibi to go by just incase my parents happened to call her. The phone started up and four rings later Grace answered her phone in question.       "Grace? Its me, Anya. I need you to do something for me."      "Like what? Whose phone are you calling from? Are you ok?"      "I'm fine. Just say I am with you incase my parents call."      "Why? What did you do?" I laughed nervously. "Nothing, I swear," It was more of what I was about to do. "Just tell them I am staying with you if they call, ok?"      "Who are you with?" I rolled my eyes. I wasn't sure how long I could keep this conversation going. "Just do this for me, ok? I will give you my fruit for a week if you do this."      "Make it two weeks."      "Deal." 
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   Zalor moved out of his room for the night and agreed to sleep on the chair in the living room. Rebecca was already informed and completely passed out in her room. I for one laid awake again, staring up at the ceiling which had glow-in-the-dark stars. Zalor's bed was not as comfy as mine but I was getting used to it. It smelt like him, obviously, and I regrettably admit to liking it. My little tail wiggled for a second as I tried to deepen myself into his bed. I closed my eyes and tried hard to fall asleep. I felt so foolish, yet happy to be here and doing what I had done when it came to lying to my parents. Zalor was definitely bringing something out in me I never thought I had. Tomorrow I would be arriving to school with Zalor; that would definitely raise some eye brows and I was beginning to not care anymore. 
   
   
   Publication Date: June 26th 2015 https://www.bookrix.com/-bridgy