Zero to Infinity

Shifting back into her human form, Jenny stood at the foot of the building. It was huge. She looked up so high, that she began to strain her neck. Her nape was touching her back. In awe and memorization, Jenny could not believe what she was looking at. It was breathtaking. Like the home of the gods. Glowing with what looked like a structure made entirely of pearl, the building stood at what seemed to be over seven stories high.

As the sun’s light glistened on the structure, Jenny felt an iridescent like feel take over her presence. Unable to formulate the words to describe what she was seeing, Jenny stood there in silence. There were colors of purples and pinks and greens and blues that shined and so many different tones and hues. She could not get enough of what she was seeing. The top of the castles corners were shaped like cones. They each had flags hanging from them with two slits of a point flying in the wind. There were waterfalls on all levels throughout her view. Ponds and and lakes glistened from right to left. It was unimaginable. She felt like she was looking at the castle in a fairy tale. The most beautiful colors she had ever seen. And what was so wild, she barely realized that there were two suns in the sky.

She saw so many different mythological creatures: Anubis, Griffins, basilisks, fawns and jackalopes, trolls, unicorns, and even Xiao’s. She didn’t know half of their names. But she knew they were not on earth. She saw a few animals she did recognize: peacocks, butterflies, ladybugs, parakeets, rainbow colored zebras, white Bengal tigers, pink swans, purple tortoises, and more.

She stood there looking at the animals with her eyes wide of wonder. Snapping her out of her mesmerizing trance, Zero began to navigate her towards the stairs.

“This way ma’am”, he said with such a polite tone.

“Ma’am?” What happened to Zero in his attitude, Jenny wondered. Even he could be kept in silence in his own space. Zero began guiding Jenny up the stairs to the door. There were no guards. There was no sign of any royal court to greet them. What kind of place was this. No butler or servant to escort us to who we needed to see? Jenny thought this place must be extremely strange to have such luxuries and no one to care for it.

Jenny was being afforded a luxury that no one would ever be able to compete with. Zero wrapped his arm around Jenny’s and she softly grabbed his bicep as they walked the halls of the castle.

“Zero you’re back”

A short man in stature, also handsome, runs up behind Jenny and Zero as if in a panic.

“Connor, what’s wrong?” Zero said with panic and his voice.

Connor? Jenny mumbled to herself. They really are not good at making names here are they? She was not enthused about his name either. Nothing about her ‘adventure-of-a-lifetime’ seemed to fall under her definition of adventure. At least not in the names department. The names were basic so she felt her adventure would be basic. So far, it wasn’t anything exciting. She almost got captured by Gordon but that didn’t happen. And other than Zero being able to shape shift, nothing exciting was going on.

Albeit, the castle was an amazing sight to see. But, so was something like that on the television. That could easily be created in someone’s sketchbook and turned into a movie. This was not the adventure that Jenny had hoped it would be. She was hoping that Channing Tatum would come and grab her up like he did Mila in the movie Jupiter Ascending. Or that maybe Mr. Zero was more like Edward and would soon become her Prince charming with a family of secrets. But she was not amused. She wasn’t bored. But definitely not amused.

“The matriarch, she’s missing. It’s been 3 days, sir.”

Such panic in his voice, Connor definitely held Zero in a place of regard. Was Zero a knight? Was he a prince? What was going on.

Missing? No one told me she was missing. How long have I been gone.”

“About 4 weeks earth time, sir.”

“Damnit”

Jenny could tell in Zero’s tone that this was not the time to be silly. She straightened up and determined that she would save her questions for later but follow along to what was going on. Because whatever it was, Connor was concerned and so was Zero.

The two men seem to care a lot about this matriarch. Whether she was a queen or a mother, whoever she was, it was clear that Jenny should probably be just as concerned. Zero looks over Jenny, and then begins to rub his forehead.

As he starts to pace, Connor says, “Sir, you’re the first one I’ve been able to notify. I haven’t been able to find anyone”

Find anyone? What were they talking about, Jenny thought. With the build of a bodybuilder, minus the legs, Zero was intimidating. Sure he might have missed leg day, but he did not miss arm day. And that would be enough.

“No sir.”

“This is not good. Seems like I just left this morning... was November notified?”

She thought she was hearing things. For a second there, Jenny thought for sure that she heard someone was named November. November?

“No sir. And Sir Marcus has not been back since 5 Theorian days, now.”

“Sir Marcus, November?” It was clear in Jenny’s tone that she was once again annoyed with the name choices. And unsure why this was such a big deal for her, but the nature of the adventure in which she was partaking in, was starting to feel mundane.

“Will you please be quiet for a second”, Zero interrupted with such abrupt sternness. “Grow up. This is not a time to be childish”.

Jumping back slightly, Connor looked up towards Jenny with a slightly puzzled look. There were so many questions he had but the only one he needed to know right then was, where is the matriarch?