The Misbegotten

As it turned out, the girl’s conversation didn’t last long. After all, we didn't have much time. We had to get done what needed to get done before the rest of my family woke up. When I came from the bathroom, they stopped talking and got about the business of straightening the Loft and getting dressed. Twenty minutes later we finished.

I was wearing a loose fitting, pale blue t-shirt over a pair of denim shorts. My feet were still bare, because I didn’t expect to be outside anytime soon.

Ramona had put on another short, summer dress covered in yellow, brown and green pastel colored flowers. It complimented her figure, though it managed to look comfortable at the same time. She had begun to put on a pair of yellow and white leather flats, but decided against it when she saw I had put nothing on my feet.

Katie wore a pair of booty shorts that, had once been, a pair of jeans she’d cut herself, proven in the ends frayed and irregular lower edges. She had cut them pretty high, so when she bent over, the vestiges of her ass cheeks were on display. It made her fascinating to watch, because of the possibilities she was advertising. She had a loose, royal blue halter top over that. It left her back uncovered, so it was easy to discern she hadn’t put on a bra. The sexy little, bitch! Katie never wore shoes or slippers in the house, so she went barefoot as well.

My cousin had given Tirza a dark green, micro mini skirt, pleated around the waist and a girlie looking two-button polo shirt. Other than its’ feminine cut, it appeared no different than the thousand other polo shirts I had seen up to that point in my life. But this was seeing it from the front alone. Down the middle of the back, the shirt was cut so a three inch strip of Tirza’s back remained exposed. A series of horizontal strips of cloth sewn onto either side of the cut retained the garment’s shape. It was a cute top. Tirza’s perfect little frame made it even more alluring.

Unlike the rest of us though, Tirza had asked my cousin for a pair of socks to put on, because her feet were cold. It was one of the first things I had learned about my ex-girlfriend when we were going out. She had the coldest feet I had ever felt on a woman. I bet her feet would’ve always felt like they were in ice, if she hadn’t had heating implants inserted into the edges of the soles of her feet. When such cybernetic enhancements had first come onto the market decades ago, she was one of the first in line.

“So now what?” asked Katie as we gathered once more about the bed she and Tirza had slept on the night before.

For some unsaid reason, it was easier for us to stand around this bed than it was to stand about mine. It was a subtle, almost subliminal, undercurrent, but we felt it all the same. Though we hadn’t said one word between us, we congregated about Katie’s bed and sat down. Katie’s bed was safe, mine wasn’t.

“First things first, we are going to have to find Tirza clothes,” I interjected first. “Because, I don’t think Katie’s wardrobe is big enough to clothe the two of you.”

“Yeah, I only had a suitcase full of stuff. I mean, it was a big suitcase, but still it’s not enough,” agreed my cousin.

“But,” I added with a smile, because this part I had already thought out, “I think I have a solution to this little dilemma.” I trailed off with a dramatic lifting of my eyebrows.

“Really?” asked Ramona.

“Yeah,” I answered, clearing my throat. “You see my sister, Flavia, has two huge trash bags full of clothes stuffed way at the top of her closet my mom has yet to take to the Goodwill. They are all good clothes, but they are small for her, and -.” I smiled at my ex-girlfriend. “I think they will fit Tirza perfect.”

Tirza perked up, her face flashing with a broad smile as she glanced between the rest of us.

“Can you get them without your sister knowing?” asked Katie, her cute forehead pinched with concern.

That stopped the others as their collective gaze fell to me.

I breathed for a bit, settling myself to the natural internal clock that was the beating of my heart. “No,” I said, “but, I’ve been thinking about that too.” I spoke fast, seeing their enthusiasm dashed. “I think we are going to have to let Flavia and Johan know what’s going on, so they can help us keep Tirza hidden. And I’m not just talking about my parents.” I fell silent and let the ominous threat sink in.

“We’re gonna need their interference to help keep things hidden from Martin and Lucia, but Martin more. He’s a nosy little scamp who can sniff out deception like a twenty year veteran of the old FBI. Lucia is too young to articulate the things she might see on accident. But, if Martin catches so much as a whiff, he’ll blab to my parents in a heartbeat, and then we’re screwed.”

“But, do you think they’ll tell?” asked Ramona. Now her brow was as furled as Katie’s had been moments before.

“No,” said my cousin before I could reply. “Once they hear Tirza’s story, they won’t tell. And if they see that both Effy and I are serious about the subject, they’ll kick in.” Katie tossed her hair. The way she always did when she was about to make a point she whole-heartedly believed. “We might be one big, dysfunctional family, but when the shit hits the fan, we step up. We always have and we always will.”

“Yeah, Katie’s right, they won’t even whisper a word,” I said. I couldn’t help but feel the exact familial tug my cousin was experiencing, knowing what she meant. It was how we did things in our family.

“Then we should let them know,” ventured an avid Tirza.

“No, Teezee, you will let them know,” I countered. “You will tell them your story and that should do the trick.”

“He’s right,” admitted my girlfriend. “Hearing what’s going on from someone who has experienced this shit firsthand should make an impression they won’t be able to deny.”

Since when have you become so amazing? I asked myself, staring at Ramona like she had grown that third Total Recall tit all adolescent boys love to dream about. God damn wasn’t she sexy though?

“So,” began Katie, “where does Tirza hide when your parents or Martin come up to the Loft?”

“In the Attic,” said Ramona and I at the same time.

Tirza even pointed to a small door set into a section of the wall. It was next to the spot where the wall of the bathroom jutted from the lengthwise wall of the Loft. About four feet tall and half that wide, it had a small knob for a door handle. It was so inconspicuous most people never knew it was there until someone pointed it out.

“Oh,” Katie mumbled underneath a giggle.

I mimicked her mirth. “Yeah, Kat, if you’ve spent the night here without my parent’s knowledge, there’s a pretty good chance you will have learned about the attic.”

“I guess so,” she said, sarcastic, her hand on one hip, her weight on one leg. She was glancing between Ramona and Tirza, who both looked smug. Katie tried to hide it, but I could see she was a little envious of the other two.

“I’ll just have to make sure it’s clean in there first. If Tirza has to stay in there for an extended period of time, she’ll get her clothes all messed up,” I added, the thought just occurring.

“I’ll need a fan too,” supplied Tirza, her voice small, almost meek. She peered up at me, her cheeks still flushed pink. “It gets way hot in there, especially in the afternoons.”

My eyes widened. “Yeah, it does, huh?”

“Yup.” Ramona walked up to the door and gave the knob an idle tug. The door opened with a high pitched squeal, making us all wince. She turned to look back at us, eyebrows raised. “You’re gonna have to re-apply some baby oil on the hinges as well.”

I nodded.

“So now what?” queried Katie.

“We wait for my family to wake-up, whenever they decided to do so, and we’ll go from there. If my parents happen to leave on some errand, then we’ll get busy with the rest of the plan. If not, we wait; we sneak Tirza food and get whatever else she may need. However we can manage, we will.” I turned to look back at the digital clock on my nightstand. When I turned back my eyes sought out those of my cousin. “I think we should tell Johan and Flavia as soon as possible, because, to be frank, we’re gonna need all the help we can get. And, when we get them up here, we’re gonna have to cover all our bases. Katie when I’m ready with Johan and Flavia, I’m going to need you to keep Martin and Lucia occupied in the TV room. I don’t care where my parents are, I want them there so we can control the situation. Ask them to play the Xbox or something, ok?”

She nodded.

“If it’s late morning by then, Ramona, you can climb back down the tree and make your way around the house. Ring the doorbell at the front door, so it looks like you are coming over to visit. My parents won’t get suspicious, you’d just be coming over for a visit, it being summer and all.”

“Dang, Eff, you’ve totally thought all this through,” commented my girlfriend. After peering into the attic, she stood erect, closing the door, a slight twinkle in her eye.

I couldn’t tell if she was being playful or ornery. “I just want to make sure nothing else happens to Tirza, that’s all.” My eyes were still on the tiny figure of my ex-girlfriend before me.

She blinked in rapid succession as if she were fighting back tears.

“I promised to keep her safe and hidden - that’s exactly what I’m gonna do,” I continued after a deep breath. I almost reached out for her scent. Then, I stopped myself at the last second.

No, that would be bad.

We stared at one another for another three seconds or so. The urge to pull her smell into me increased dramatically as a troubled ripple of concern creased her brow.

She tilted her head to one side. It was like she was seeing me for the first time and couldn’t quite place if I looked familiar or not.

“Do you feel that, Tirza?” asked my girlfriend.

Katie frowned.

Tirza bobbed her head ever so slow, her eyes festooned to mine.

“That’s his power you are feeling,” explained the tall, vivacious young woman.

“I am not feeling it, Mona,” muttered Tirza. Her nostrils flared, drawing in one long pull of air. “I’m smell some -. No!” she exclaimed of a sudden. “Him. It’s him, but I can sense more of him, unlike before. This is different, this is him in totality – all at once, and yet… completely unique.” She broke our mutual stare. She shook her head as she felt for the edge of the bed and sat upon it. She wasn’t at all steady.

“Oh!” chirped Ramona. She clamped her hand over her mouth, having shouted louder than had meant to.

“What’s going on?” question Katie, talking an uncertain step toward Tirza.

“It’s her power, not Estefan’s I just sensed,” outlined my girlfriend. She spoke through her hand, which she hadn’t removed from her lips.

“My power?” squeaked Tirza, her voice uneven and shrill.

“Yes,” intoned Ramona. “You have a very, very unique and powerful sense of smell. It’s almost like Estefan’s, but used for a whole different purpose.”

“What purpose?” asked my cousin, sitting on the bed next to Tirza, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Estefan’s sense of smell attracts people to him. Tirza’s is more of a sense of tracking and identification. Once she smells you, she can tell where you have been by the scent-signature you’ve left behind.” It came out in a rush. She put both hands up to her temples and rubbed. She massaged her head like a licensed masseuse as if her explanation had given her a splitting headache.

“Scent-signature?” I squawked, the words tasted funny rolling over my tongue.

“Yup,” was all Ramona offered.

“Son of a bitch!” speculated the rude Katie. “She could be like the greatest tracker of all time.”

“Exactly.” The pain in my girlfriend’s head seemed to have reduced her to a monosyllabic bimbo.

“That’s kinda cool,” I concluded with a smile toward my ex-girlfriend. “At least it’s not all kinky and horny like mine.”

She giggled in spite of herself.

Then, Ramona’s phone chirped. She swayed over to the nightstand on her side of my bed, swiping at the Gorilla glass. “Just got a text from Leda, you guys,” she announced. “Her and Sandy want to come by a little after ten, is that cool, Effy?”

“Sure.” I shrugged my shoulders. “They need to know what we know, don’t they?” I glanced about the Loft.

All three of the girls were nodding.

“Cool,” I said, then I thought about what Ramona had said earlier. Five, maybe more… And soon all five were going to together with me under one roof.

I hope you’re wrong, Ramona.

That’s too much pussy.

She wasn’t.