Z Children (Book 1): Awakening Read Online Free PDF Page A

was gold in the
town and, according to him, I was an uncompromising, irrational woman. I’d
overcome though, after more than two years of social awkwardness and a few
really great parents backing me up.
    I hadn’t been
able to keep the house. Gregory had kept his promise, having his lawyer put it
in my name, but the yearly taxes were insane and the property was too much for
me to manage. As soon as I’d put it on the market, he’d approached me about
buying it for half of its value. I’d refused, but he had power in the town. Not
a single soul came for any of the open houses. I had one viewing the second
month it was listed; the family was from out-of-town, looking to make a fresh
start in a small community. I’d been honest with them, saying that our town
wasn’t made for new beginnings.
    Six months was
how long it took me to realize that Gregory would never let anyone else buy the
house; so I’d sold it to him, walking away with barely enough money to buy the
next home- a lot less than his original offer of half the value. He lived there
now, with his new wife Bethany. He’d met her months after our separation and
they’d married the day after our divorce was finalized. They had a blue-eyed,
blonde son named Gregory Junior. He’d turn four soon. Gregory had gotten
everything he’d wanted—a fertile, obedient wife and biological child.
    I loved our
house now though, and Sophia and Marcel loved it, which was all that mattered.
It was just outside of town and we had three neighbors, all elderly without
young children. The house was small, roughly twelve hundred square feet, with
three bedrooms and a single bath, which would get complicated as Sophia got
older. She already loved drying her hair and playing with my makeup. The
kitchen was long and thin, but my dad had helped me knock down the wall between
the kitchen and living room. The long island we’d built could seat four people
on barstools- perfect for me, my dad and the kids. Sunday mornings were Sophia
and Marcel’s favorite day, because Grandpa Carl would come over and make
pancakes- ‘S’ shaped for Sophia and ‘M’ shaped for Marcel. He always added
chocolate chips. I never complained about the morning candy.
     
    ***
     
    This morning, my
dad had come over special, knowing the kids had a doctor’s visit. He said
chocolate pancakes were the right way to start off a day that involved needles.
I couldn’t argue with him there.
    My three
favorite people were sitting happily at the island, mouths full of pancakes,
butter and syrup. Sophia was swinging her legs back and forth. Marcel was
leaning against his grandpa; his little butt half on the barstool and half off.
I was so blessed.
    The time to
leave for the doctors came quickly and both kids groaned when my dad told them
to put on their shoes.
    “Grandpa, do we
have to go get shots?”
    “Yep. How else
are you going to stay strong and healthy, Sophia?”
    “Well,” Sophia
paused, her little mind working quickly, “then you need to come with us. You’re
old, Grandpa, you need more shots than me to be strong.”
    “Oh, I’ve had my
shots for the year,” my dad smiled, “but if you want me to go with you, I can.”
    “Really!” Sophia
looked at me, a wide smile brightening her face. “Can Grandpa come, mom?”
    “Of course, but
only if you go put your shoes on. Marcel’s already got his on like a good boy.”
I watched my little angel with the deeply tanned skin and long brown-black
braid swinging against her back, hop off her barstool and run to the hallway,
where nearly a dozen pairs of shoes were lined up against the wall. That’s one
habit I’d never been able to instill in the kids—putting their shoes up in
their closets after taking them off. I didn’t set a good example though, since
I just tossed off my own shoes and left them wherever they fell. I’d wake up in
the morning and line all the shoes up against the wall and by the evening,
they’d be all over the place