Hybrid Zone Recognition

by C. E. Glines

  “No.” My voice actually squeaked.

  He laughed softly and pressed a kiss to my forehead before pulling away and closing the door.

  Was it hot in here?

  Adam was content to leave me alone in thought as we drove, which I greatly appreciated. I had a lot to process.

  From the victory of obtaining Kenny’s DNA, to the complete worthlessness of it. The detainment, as Olivia liked to label it, by Adam. The painful crawl and climb through the tunnel and shaft. The stitches and concussion. Twice being stalked by Furries. The very existence of Furries and other astounding hybrids. My transformation into a hybrid. Another kidnapping. My battle with Pike. The escape of Millsap and what that meant for me and the Colony.

  What would happen with the Organization now that Julia was a suspected traitor? What would happen to the HCF now that Cain was gone? Where did I fit in to any of this? And then, there was Adam.

  It was too much to process for less than a week.

  “Hell of a week,” Adam commented.

  I was seriously going to have to learn not to project my thoughts or at least, remember that I wasn’t alone anymore. He’d probably read my whole list.

  “You forgot the scuba diving and the fall from the tree. And being near death. Seeing Juarez and Olivia in their tortured state couldn’t have been easy either,” he said.

  No, it wasn’t. “Hell of a week,” I agreed.

  “They’re okay?” I asked after a brief silence.

  He undid the Velcro on one of his pants pockets and pulled out a cell phone. “The cell service out here is spotty at best.” He handed the phone to me. “See if there are any texts.”

  I took the phone and pushed the message icon. There was one from Cedars. I read it aloud for Adam.

  “It’s from Cedars. On location. Juarez and Olivia recovering. All operatives accounted for. Lock down in place. Miranda says hi.” I chuckled at the last bit. “What’s he mean by lockdown?”

  “When I discovered Julia’s treachery, I issued the command for a lockdown. The long and short of it means that nobody gets in or out without my say so.”

  I handed the phone back to him, and he slid it back into his pocket. “We’ll reconnect with everyone tomorrow and get all the updates,” he said.

  So, everyone for right now was okay. That was a huge weight off my chest. Apparently off Adam’s too, his contentment was like a blanket over me. I didn’t mean to, but somewhere along the way, I fell asleep.

  I woke as we rolled to a stop in the driveway of an abandoned house. “Where are we?” I asked while stifling a yawn. Yuck. My clothes had dried and stiffened while I slept. Something just wasn’t right when your clothes crunched.

  “We are at a place where we can clean up before we enter the general population,” he said as he opened the door and slid out of the truck.

  I looked the place over again. Not sure how clean we could get in a place that looked as dirty as us.

  He opened my door and stood aside for me to climb down. As soon as my feet touched the ground, he grabbed my hand and led me to the porch where he actually knocked.

  I looked sidelong at him. Did he really expect someone to answer?

  A loud crash sounded from inside, and I jumped in alarm. He patted my hand and with a big grin on his face, shook his head no at me. I tried to peer inside the little windows at the top of the door as another crash sounded. It was followed by a long string of creative swearing. And still, we waited.

  I looked back at Adam and found that the smile had been replaced by the most contrite face I’d ever seen him make. I was completely baffled by his behavior.

  Suddenly, the door flung open, and a surly looking old woman with striking green eyes, wearing a wrinkled dress and apron and holding a large rolling pin, stood directly in front of us.

  “Well, looke what the cat done drug in,” she wheezed with laughter. Then she gave him a once over and cocked her eyebrow at him.

  It was the same look Adam had. I thought I might be looking at Granny Adam.

  “Ya look like ya done slept in a pig pen,” she said disapprovingly. Then she leaned in and sniffed him. “Smell like it, too.”

  He managed to keep the smile off his face, but not out of his voice when he said, “Always a pleasure, Granny.”

  Looking my way, she seemed to notice me for the first time. With a twinkle in her eye, she said, “Well, my, my. Ya done gone and got yourself a she cat.”

  Her smile of appreciation was quickly replaced with anger, and she whacked Adam with the rolling pin. “Ya finally get yourself a woman, and this is the way ya treat her?” She whacked him again. “You’ll never keep the gal this way.”

  I stood there gaping as Adam took what she dished out without so much as flinching. He would never have let me treat him this way.

  She roughly shoved the rolling pin into his chest and wrapped her arm tenderly around me. Muttering, “Boy ain’t got a lick of sense,” she led me into the house. I looked back at Adam for help, but he only waved and grinned at me while making little shooing motions with his hands.

  “I do apologize, Granny,” he said with fake contriteness as he followed us into the house. “But when I realized I was in over my head, I came straight to you for help in rectifying the situation.”

  “Ain’t me ya need to apologize to, ya dimwit,” she yelled back.

  Ushering me through another door, we stood in what was evidently her bathing area. She produced a brown paper grocery bag, popped it open and set it on the floor. I didn’t know anyone still carried their groceries in brown paper bags.

  “You can put those clothes in this bag right here, honey,” she told me. Then, she gripped my arm, and I looked away from the bag and into her kind eyes. “I’ll be back in a minute with everything we need to get ya cleaned up.”

  I was at a loss for words, so I just nodded.

  She left and I began to disrobe. I unlaced my shoes while standing because I didn’t want to dirty her floor any more than I already had. Pulling them off, I tossed them in the bag and then added my socks. Next came the jeans, which I had to peel off. The results were almost as good as waxing. Last of all was my shirt.

  I sighed sadly as I held my favorite t-shirt in my hands. Like my jeans, it was covered in dirt and blood, both from the deer and Pike, and some other colored stains that I couldn’t identify. I tossed the t-shirt into the bag and quickly followed with my undergarments.

  That was the second set of clothes I’d ruined since the Organization entered my life. Much more of this and I was going to request a clothing budget. That or wear only damage proof clothing. Maybe something in leather.

  Standing there naked, I looked like I had on some kind of freakish camouflage. I located a mirror leaning against the wall and went to stand in front of it. I didn’t realize my face was still covered in dried blood. Parts of it were flaking off like some kind of sick mask.

  The dried blood in my blonde hair looked almost black. There were thicker things attached to my hair also, but I didn’t want to pry at those too much. My overall image was gruesome, and I turned away from the mirror.

  It was kind of curious that Granny didn’t bat an eye at our appearance. Speaking of Granny, I could hear her ordering Adam around. I put my ear against the door to better hear the conversation.

  “Ain’t ya got no better sense than to take her on your missions with ya?”

  So, Granny was in the know.

  “I was rescuing her, Granny,” Adam said with exaggerated patience.

  I swallowed a laugh when I heard the snap of a towel followed by a small yelp. Granny was tough.

  “Don’t ya take that tone with me.” I heard the towel snap again. “Ya couldn’t do no better job? I know’d you was taught better-n-that. Don’t ya laugh at me, boy.”

  A rich laugh flowed through the air, slowly building in volume. I’d never heard him laugh like that before.

  “Put me down, ya overgrown cat,” Granny cackled.

  “
I love you, Granny,” Adam said.

  The words were spoken softly and with such heartfelt sincerity. I could feel the love he had for her. It was strong and unyielding and unlike anything I’d ever felt before. It was beautiful. I leaned my head against the door. I’d never heard or felt Adam so happy before.

  Granny sniffed, and her reply was considerably gentler this time. “Go on and use the shower out back now, ya mangy cat.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he said, and then I heard a screen door open and shut.

  Backing away from the door, I realized tears were streaming down my cheeks. He’d brought me to meet his Granny and let me be a witness to the love he felt for her. I was overwhelmed.

  Macy? You okay?

  It took me a moment to collect myself enough to respond. Yeah. What else could I say? Apparently, I wasn’t shielding any of what I was feeling from him. I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling. I thought envy might be the word—longing to be loved so completely. Wasn’t everyone?

  I could feel Adam’s mounting concern as I tried to sort it out. I’m fine, Adam.

  Macy.

  Really, I’m fine. I’m going to try shielding you, okay?

  Okay, he said slowly.

  I could since the disappointment in Adam, but I was not ready to have a discussion with him about what I was feeling. I visualized a slow film enveloping me, and then I imagined the film thickening until only words were getting through.

  How’s that? I asked.

  Can’t feel a thing.

  I couldn’t feel him either. I altered the shield to allow his emotions through. He was not happy with me. The tears, which had slowed, began to flow freely again. I was a mess, both physically and emotionally.

  A few days ago, I knew who I was and where I was going. Now, I didn’t know jack. Not the limits of my physical or mental capabilities. Not my employment status or what my future held. I didn’t even know where my next meal was coming from, and that was really important to me. It seemed like my life was completely out of my control.

  My mind kept flashing back to me holding Miranda as she cried about the intensity of her relationship with Cedars and her feelings of being overwhelmed. I wished she was here now.

  Is there anything I can do? His need to fix this travelled through our bond, adding greater depth to his words.

  I just need to find my footing. Everything keeps shifting on me. That would be funny, if it wasn’t so true.

  You’re going to be fine, Macy. In fact you’re going to be great. I’m so proud of you.

  His confidence in me was touching. Crap. I was crying again. On the other side of the door, I could hear Granny approaching. Got to go, Granny’s coming, I told him.

  She bustled through the door, carrying towels, soap that looked like it was from the fifties, and a nightgown that looked like it was from the Victorian Age. She paused when she saw my tears. Setting everything down on the counter next to the sink, she directed me to stand over a drain in the floor.

  “Now, now, child. Ain’t no need to cry. Everything’s gonna be alright. My Adam will make it so.”

  She drug a stool over the drain and had me to sit down. Turning on the water, which came out of a garden hose, she started with my hair. The water wasn’t cold as I feared it might be. But, honestly, with the state I was in, I’d have taken whatever shower I could get.

  I kept my head down and watched the dirt and little bits of gore wash down the drain. When she was satisfied I was thoroughly soaked, she turned the water off and began to work me over with the soap. Granny had strong hands. She also had a nice voice. She hummed softly to herself as she worked.

  Was it strange that I was sitting buck naked on a stool, in front of a total stranger as she washed me clean? Logically, in my mind, I thought it was, but it didn’t feel that way. It felt natural. She was Granny. Maybe it was a cat thing?

  She brought the hose up once more and rinsed the soap away. It left my skin with a soft citrusy smell. I thought I had just discovered the secret to Adam’s scent.

  Bringing the back of my hand to my nose, I inhaled. “Does Adam use this soap?”

  She seemed pleased that I’d finally spoken. “Something like it,” she said, “but more manly.” She picked up a towel and began drying my hair. “I’d brush it out for ya, but I reckon Adam for the job.”

  I stood while she finished drying me off.

  “Ya sure is a quiet one,” she said uncertainly.

  “I’m just tired,” I assured her as she slipped the night gown over my head and started tying things in the back. “It’s been a long week.”

  “I ain’t got no unmentionables for ya.”

  Did she mean underwear? I didn’t see the need given the depth of coverage this thing provided.

  “That’s alright,” I told her. “What you’ve done has been more than enough. Thank you.” Tears filled my eyes once again, and I wrapped her in a hug.

  She patted my back a minute before sniffing and shaking me loose.

  “Ya gonna let Granny take good care of ya tonight. Clear out them blues. C’mon,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Let’s see if that grandchild of mine got himself cleaned up.”

  She started to lead me from the bathroom, but then she paused. Taking both my hands in hers and looking deeply into my eyes, she said, “Ya ain’t gone and got yourself into some trouble, have ya?”

  I looked into her earnest face and had no idea what she was talking about. Thanks to Adam, I had gotten myself into huge amounts of trouble.

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” I said in confusion.

  “You and Adam ain’t expecting no little one, are ya?”

  My eyes widened at her question. “No, Ma’am. I’m a good girl.”

  I immediately felt stupid for my assertion. Good girl? When did I start thinking like that? My only defense was that she had me rattled. Granny was fierce in her own right. Her eyes were like twin spotlights, and I was squirming. I wasn’t guilty of anything, but I had a strong desire to confess to something.

  She continued to stare at me, deciding the truth of my claim before she gave my hands a final squeeze and let one of them go. The other she kept as she turned towards the door again.

  I heaved one giant sigh of relief. Under her interrogation, I was about to spill every thought I’d had about Adam, and they were not all G rated.

  “That’s good then. I weren’t sure with the tears ya been crying.”

  There was a scary thought. If me being emotional equaled kids, then I’d have had a whole houseful this week.

  I followed her back into the room that served as the living area. The house was a lot cleaner on the inside than it looked from the outside. It reminded me of a hunter’s cabin in the woods. Not a lot of amenities, but what was there was highly functional.

  The centerpiece of the room was a huge fireplace that took up one entire wall. I could feel the warmth of the fire from halfway across the room. I wouldn’t have thought a fire would be necessary in the summer, but I guessed it got cold at night in the mountains. Being from southeast Texas, my experience with mountains and fireplaces was essentially zilch.

  Adam was there too, seated on a small stool in front of the fireplace. He glanced up when we entered the room and smiled at our joined hands.

  “Ya’ll eat yet?” Granny asked.

  The look that passed across Adam’s face was comical.

  “No, Ma’am,” he answered guiltily.

  She looked at him in shock. “Ya ain’t fed the girl neither!”

  “I had a nutrition bar,” I offered in his defense.

  Don’t help me, please. I’m in enough trouble as it is.

  “That ain’t eating,” she said with exasperation.

  I wholeheartedly agreed, and I gave Adam a pointed look that clearly conveyed, “I told you so.” I was starting to really like Granny.

  She patted my hand and regarded me sincerely. “I’m gonna get ya something to eat child. Don’t you worry none.” Dropping my hand,
she headed for the kitchen. Without turning around, she called, “Adam, fix her hair.”

  I had no doubt she fully expected him to follow orders.

  Her muttering continued well into the kitchen. I heard bits of, “Girl done been traumatized,” and, “He ain’t taken care of her,” interspersed with swearing that would win first prize for its innovativeness. I had never heard Adam swear once. It was a strange juxtaposition.

  I glanced back at Adam, and he crooked his finger at me. “Come here,” he said.

  All of a sudden, I was nervous.

  He rolled his eyes at my hesitation. “I’m not going to bite—unless you want me to.”

  I ignored his insinuation and crossed the floor with my lacey white night gown swirling around my ankles. When I stopped in front of him, his eyes travelled the length of my body and stopped at my eyes.

  “Nice gown,” he said sarcastically.

  “It’s very…” I stopped and looked down at the gown. It was old? Lacey, straight jacketish?

  “Constraining?” he offered.

  No, I could move freely. I looked back at him. The disgust in his expression was obvious. He meant it was a barrier to him. That was true enough. It surely did prevent any accidental viewing or contact. One would have to be determined to get through this thing. I didn’t even know how to get out of it.

  Still eyeing the gown like it was a worthy foe, he slid another stool in front of him and patted the seat. I sat down with my back to him. Seemed like he always had my back.

  “I do,” he said seriously.

  I sighed heavily. Obviously my shields were back down.

  “You seem to pick up a lot of things I’m not aiming at you,” I complained.

  He grasped my hair and pulled it behind my shoulders. As he had before, he began to work through it a section at a time. “You project really well,” he said in explanation.

  I cringed, recalling Miranda’s words. “Like a digital cinema?”

  He snickered at my comparison. “Not quite that vivid. You’re getting better at shielding. You did it quite effectively earlier. We know you can do it. The fact that you shoved me totally out of your mind earlier today is also proof of that.”