Chapter Sixteen

WHY ARE THESE CHAPTERS SO LONG??? WHO LET ME DO THIS?! This one is over 3k too!

Chapter Sixteen

"Zana,"

"Zana you need to wake up,"

"Zana!"

Grunting I roll over confused and try to push the annoying voice away and I hear a yelp. Prying my tired lids open, I see a man in a button-down on the floor. Rolling back over I try to fall back asleep but the hand on my shoulder startles me and I raise a fist.

"Don't hit me again!" The voice yells startling me.

"Again?" I grunt out rolling back over.

Greyson's bright silver eyes stare down at me and I can see that I startled him but there is also the worry in his eyes. He untucks his shirt and shows me the massive bruise on his stomach, he doesn't have a six-pack, but his stomach is certainly flat. There is a bruise about halfway up his stomach that is about the size of my fist.

"Oops," I mumble before burying myself into the blankets.

"Zana you need to wake up, I was supposed to get you up hours ago, but you hit me," Greyson's voice pleads.

"I'll wake up when I'm ready," I grumble out and he sighs and leaves the room.

I doze in and out for a while and the things I'm starting to see, keep me under even longer. I see that woman's face again, but this time she is bleeding, half of her body is rock, the other half is limp and unresponsive. A long slice up her face is bleeding and tears are in her eyes. The man comes back into my dreams and the words he says to me are violent and full of hate.

A very sweet smell starts to interrupt my dreams and I wake up in a cold sweat. Looking around I realize that the smell is coming from the kitchen. My stomach growls at me and I start to hear voices in the kitchen. A faint burnt smell is evident but slowly being covered by my favorite breakfast food. Climbing out of bed I walk over to the kitchen where I see Greyson elbow-deep trying to make cinnamon apple pancakes.

"I think I am starting to get the hang of this," he says, and I'm surprised he knows I am here.

"I knew you would, you cook dinner for yourself all the time, pancakes aren't that hard," T's voice filters out from his phone.

"I haven't heard her stir yet," Greyson says, and I smirk to myself.

"Don't worry, when I need her to get up that always works without fail, it's probably her favorite food from what I have gathered," T says.

"You really love her, don't you?" Greyson asks and I can hear a tenderness in his voice.

"As much as I love you, Grey, she's like the little sister I never had, but always wanted," T says.

"I'm glad you took her in, dad really likes her spunk," Greyson says.

"If only he could have liked my spunk," T says snickering.

"It's a learning process for that old man," Greyson says amused and I slip into the kitchen and steal a pancake off the plate before plopping down at a chair.

"Sleeping beauty has finally awoken," Greyson says smiling at me.

"Told you," T says.

"Sorry for punching you," I mumble while I eat.

"I've certainly endured worse," Greyson says.

"Well I'll be home in a few hours, try not to kill each other, okay?"

"No promises," I call out grabbing another pancake.

"How about a plate, and a fork?" Greyson asks me, handing me both.

"Such a priss," I tease, and I see a twinkle in his eyes.

Greyson sits down with his plate of pancakes and we dig in. I devour the entire plate far too quickly. I barely ate half of my dinner last night and it four o'clock the following day. Grabbing our empty plates, I easily clean up all of the dishes and put them back where they belong while Greyson takes a few calls.

"Hi Cathleen," he says surprised.

"No, I'll be back in two days, is everything alright?"

"Oh, it's in the back room, we haven't used them in so long," Greyson says with a chuckle.

"Okay whatever she wants," Greyson says before hanging up.

"When you are up to it, I'm taking you out to get a few things," Greyson says casually, too casually.

"I'm not up for a shopping trip," I say simply.

"Then we can go tomorrow, or I can ship everything here," he says in the same neutral tone.

"What exactly is it that I need that you know about that I don't?" I ask him, taking a seat on the counter and he keeps the same professional level gaze he had when I first met him. I doubt he is taking me bra shopping which is the only thing I need right about now.

"Just some things that Thalia wishes you would have," he says bringing his sister into the equation. You can't soften me that easily Greyson Hayes.

"Oh?" I ask

"Can you please just get dressed?" He asks looking at my long shorts and a t-shirt.

"I don't even remember changing," I ponder.

"Thalia did it,"

"Well if she went through so much effort to get me into some comfortable clothes, why would I want to waste her efforts?" I ask and I can see the gears grinding in his head.

"Because this will be worth it, and I doubt T would care," he says switching to her nickname.

"You are not as slick as you think you are," I tell him with an annoyed smile and he groans.

"And what do you think I am trying to do?" Greyson asks rubbing his face.

"Let's see, a computer, right? Plus, a smartphone maybe?" I ask, but it is more of a statement.

"Maybe I just want to get you a replacement outfit since you destroyed half of yours after you ran off yesterday," he says and I see the calculating look, he's baiting me. Why do we always end up playing cat and mouse?

"I don't need one," I say.

"Please Zana," Greyson asks.

"I don't need you buying me fancy things Greyson! I have been doing just fine with the things that I have. You can't just sweep in here with all your fancy suits and expect me to accept everything you want to give me for some strange reason!"

"You are family now Zana! My sister adores you as if you came from our mother and that is important to me! I want to give you all the tools I can so that you succeed!" Greyson says standing up frustrated.

"I've done just fine without your help," I say.

"But things could be easier on you, you could do your homework anywhere and keep in better touch with T," Greyson says trying to be the logical one.

"I don't like gifts, especially expensive ones I don't feel I need or deserve," I growl out.

"You are just as stubborn as her," Greyson snaps and I laugh.

"Oh no, I am much worse than your sister," I say.

"I just want to give you the tools you need so you can do well in school! Dad already bought you a nice set of chef knives for school," Greyson says trying to calm down.

"Why?!" I yell at him frustrated.

"Because he lost his daughter once and then he nearly lost his life! We all know you pushed T to come home and he will forever be thankful for you because now he not only has one daughter but two," Greyson says seriously.

"I don't know how to be in a family," I say gravely, and Greyson looks shocked.

"I was beaten, abused, and left to die when I was twelve. I wasn't related to the man who raised me for all those years and most of my memories are gone, I have no clue what happened. T was the first person I have let in a long time, but that doesn't mean you can just buy your way into my heart Greyson. You have to earn my trust and my respect," I say seriously, and he leans against the table.

"I'm not trying to buy either of those things, Zana, I know I need to earn those things from you. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to give you the things that are standard for someone your age. I want you to go to school and have everything you need, I couldn't help Thalia the least I can try to do is help you," Greyson says and his demeanor breaks.

This was never about me, this has always been about T. The guilt in his eyes tells me everything I need to know at that moment. T walking out of his and his dad's life affected him and now he is trying to fix everything by helping the one person who T has found to be her family. Greyson doesn't say anything and just waits for me to answer.

"Do me a favor Greyson, don't make things that are about you and T, about me. I don't do well with complex family bullshit," I say honestly before hopping off the counter and going to shower.

The hot water burns my still sensitive skin, and there is a mass under my skin. It feels like the faint crystallization I get when I do things like try to hold up a bus, but it is inside of me instead. This is new and I'm not sure how to get rid of it, I'll just have to guard that spot for now until it goes away. Washing my body, the sensation of clean consumes me and I am relaxed. I sit down in the shower and rest; my body is still recuperating.

Zanelilah

The word or name drifts through my mind endlessly followed by the word Metac, I didn't know what either of them means but I would find out some way. I can hear someone moving around in T's room and a familiar voice catches my attention.

"Here Greyson, I'm not your butler you know," Cathleen's wry voice says.

"She doesn't want to go shopping and I want to teach her how to use them before I leave. If she doesn't use them, that's fine, but at least I tried," Greyson says.

"We both know why you are giving these to her," Cathleen says.

"You think you have me all figured out, don't you?" Greyson asks and I stick my head out of the shower wanting to hear more.

"Part of it is most certainly guilt over Thalia, but part of it is because you think she's Aegis," Cathleen says, and my eyebrows shoot up my face.

Straining my memory to last night I guess it would look that way, especially with the mass of crumbled black fabric I had around my neck. I wasn't expecting everyone to congregate here last night, so I let my guard down. I don't want to have this conversation with Greyson.

"The only way you are going to get close to your sister again and Zana is by being around them Greyson, and the team needs you right now with Macie leaving," Cathleen says.

"I know," Greyson says and the pain in his voice is clear.

Turning off the shower, I hear a faint shuffling and by the time I leave the bathroom, Cathleen is gone, and Greyson is on his phone making phone calls and checking in on patients. Looking at the living room table I see two boxes, still wrapped, from one of the fanciest tech companies in the world. Greyson ignores me as I go into the kitchen and stare out the window.

Slipping the window open, I crawl out of it and hold my tired body up and gently land on the fire escape. Yanking the window down, I close it three-quarters of the way before scaling up to the roof of my building. Sitting on the edge I watch as the sun slowly sets, and the air becomes crisper. My phone rings in my hand and Greyson's name pops up, I ignore the call. T calls me shortly after.

"Where did you go?" She asks me bluntly.

"I'm just on the roof T, I needed space to think," I say quietly.

"I know he can be a lot," T says.

"A lot would be an understatement," I grumble.

"He means well Zana," T says, and I sigh.

"I know, that's why I didn't leave completely. I just needed some space to think through some things," I reply.

"Are those your legs hanging off the edge of the building?" T asks amused.

"Maybe," I drawl out swinging my legs.

"What's on your mind, Zana? I can't help you if I don't know what is going through your head," T says, and I see her figure stopping a few feet from the building.

"I'm starting to remember some things," I say quietly.

"Like?"

"Have you ever heard the name Zanelilah before?" I ask her and there is a pause.

"No, have you tried looking it up?"

"No,"

"It's a pretty name though, where did you get it from?"

"You are going to think I am crazy,"

"Zana my brother is the leader of the biggest superhero group on the Earth and your skin crystallizes upon impact. Crazy is a part of my daily," T says.

"Do you remember when I made that crystal out of nowhere? There was this woman in my dream, and she called me that and then showed me how to do that," I say honestly.

"Zana?"

"Yeah?" I ask trying not to cry.

"Do you think that is a memory?" T asks me.

"I don't know, but things are coming back in fragments and I'm scared," I say as tears cloud my vision and my throat tightens.

"Let's start a journal for you Zana, that way you can write it all down," T says.

"A journal?"

"I've found that when I am having a bad day at work or if there is a lot on my mind, writing it down and just organizing it on the page just helps calm my racing mind," T says, and I nod.

"Okay,"

"Can you come off the roof now? I think Greyson is having a heart attack, he was afraid you ran away from home," T says laughing.

"I'm glad you know that would never happen," I say standing up on the roof and climbing back down the fire escape.

"See you in a minute," she says before hanging up.

Prying the window back open, I climb through and tumble to the ground, tripping on my untied laces. I lay on the ground for a few moments before looking up and seeing four perplexed faces looking down at me, one of which I didn't know.

"Hey, Grey I am glad you feel at home but is there any reason your three friends appeared out of thin air and are in my apartment?" I ask standing up.

"They were on their way here," Greyson says casually.

"Yeah sure," I say skeptically and T walks through the door.

"Well I certainly don't have enough food for six," she says before gasping.

"Is this the Aviva?" T asks excited and the pretty bi-racial woman spins around and walks over and hugs T.

"The one and only," Cathleen says with a big smile.

"Oh, that's Aviva Arlington," I say feeling like an idiot.

"Yes," Alexander says walking over and he goes to hug me and I let him.

"Nice to see you again Alexander," I say as we migrate to the living room.

"Where did you go?" Greyson asks exasperated and T busts up.

"She was on the roof," she says walking over and flicking her brother before going and putting her stuff down.

"So why are four-fifths of the Maverick Five in my living room," I ask sitting down by the TV and T curses.

"Zana!" She yells.

"Did she tell you?" Greyson asks standing up.

"Chill your tailored pants, it oozed off of you that you were a Meta and it was easy to figure the rest out," I say.

"Thalia! You shouldn't have confirmed her suspicions," Greyson yells.

"Put a quark in it," I growl at him and he glares at me.

"Both of you cool it, I don't need a fight in my living room especially because there would be a clear winner," T says, and I know Greyson would think it's him, but I know she means me.

"Well this was unexpected," Aviva says with a chuckle.

"It's an honor to meet you, Aviva," I say seriously and her eyes twinkle.

"The pleasure is all mine, I love when someone puts him in his place," Aviva says with a laugh and Cathleen nudges her rolling her eyes.

"I mean what can I say, apparently we are family," I drawl out annoyed.

"Well since you know who we are, why don't you enlighten them to who you are?" Greyson quips.

"I'm pretty sure Alexander and Aviva already know. I wouldn't doubt that Alexander figured it out during our fight and if Aviva could stop poking at me that would be appreciated," I say throwing her a glance and she smiles apologetically. The strange sensation that has been sweeping through my body has to be her doing.

"Sorry," she says.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" I ask her curiously.

"Your atomic structure is very different from ours; it mimics Cathleen's most closely because her body absorbs the shadows in the way that yours absorbs shock," Aviva says curiously.

"Thalia, why didn't you tell me she was Aegis? You would have saved me a lot of hassle in trying to hunt down this elusive superhero that no one seems to know anything about," Greyson says but he doesn't seem as frustrated as he should.

"It wasn't my secret to tell, it was Zana's," T says simply. The irony of the situation is not lost on me considering T told me the truth but didn't tell Greyson.

"Don't you guys have a city to be protecting?" I ask and Greyson grumbles.

"It can survive an hour without us," he says.

"Are you done acting like a child? I have to go make my nightly rounds," I say standing up and stretching.

"We are not done with this conversation," Greyson says.

"Then let me end it for you, I am flattered that you think Aegis is strong enough to join your team. But this is my home, and this is my city and I won't leave it. I also don't plan on leaving this apartment for a few more years, this is my home right now, T is my home," I say grabbing my mask from her room.

"How much did you tell her?" Greyson growls.

"Everything I needed to know," I say with a smirk before pulling my mask up and tying my shoes.

"You are seriously leaving?"

"I mean it's too early for dinner considering my last meal, as long as things are quiet, I should be back in two hours?" I guess; hugging T before slipping back out the kitchen window.

Almost all the Mavericks in one place! Macie leaving ties back into Faith's plotline.... one day she might get her own novella.

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XX Cc