Disclaimer: I certainly do not own Zero ((but he's sooo cute)) nor do I own many other things Louis Sachar and Walt Disney have made up. HOLES belongs to Mr. Sachar, THINGS-YOU-DO-NOT-RECOGNISE probably belong to me.

My Angel, My Only

Chapter Eighteen ll Etuc Si Orez

----------

They had to spend the next day picking onions for their journey back to Camp Green Lake. As Zero and Stanley moved around from field to field, Zero told him more about his past. He was explaining it to himself just as much as he was explaining it to Stanley.

"We weren't always homeless. I remember a yellow room..."

"How old were you when you... moved out?" Stanley asked, bending down and pulling up an entire onion plant. Zero was holding onto the sack, where they were putting the onions in.

Zero strained his memory.

"I don't know. I must've been real little, because I don't remember too much. I don't remember moving out. I remember standing in a crib, with my mother singing to me. She held my wrists and made my hands clap together. She used to sing that song to me. The one you sang... It was different though..."

He paused and tried to remember more.

"And then later, I know we lived on the streets, but I don't know why we left the house. I'm pretty sure it was a house, and not an apartment. I know my room was yellow."

The sun was slowly setting, and the sack was full of onions. The boys lugged it over towards the shadow cast by Big Thumb, and sat down to rest. They were leaving for Camp Green Lake next morning. They would've gone that day, but they had spent the entire morning picking onions.

Zero laid his head against the rock and drifted off to sleep. Beside him, Stanley tried to recapture the feelings of happiness he had had the night before. But those feelings didn't return. He just felt scared.

---

SPLASH.

Zero and Stanley had dunked their caps into the water hole. They were dirty, but Zero had been the one to suggest the idea because it might help them stay cooler when walking in the sun.

"Ahh --- ahhh --- ahh!" Zero doubled over and almost collapsed into the water hole when he tried to retrieve his floating cap. Stanley had caught the back of his orange jumpsuit before he had fallen in.

"Thanks," Zero breathed out, straightening up.

"Here -- I'll get your hat. You won't be able to reach it," Stanley said with a mischievous smile. Zero stuck his tongue out at him as the taller boy reached over and took out the dripping hat.

It was the next morning, and they were both preparing for their long journey.

For some reason, Zero felt excited.

"Let's leave the broken glass here," Stanley said, taking the three jars of water and placing them carefully in the sack with the onions, "I don't think we'll need to use them."

Zero nodded and picked up the shovel. Stanley's canteen was strapped around him, full of water.

The boys glanced at each other. They felt a sudden pit of sadness in their stomach.

"Ready?" Stanley said hesitantly.

Zero bit his lip. Then he nodded.

Stanley turned back around and looked at Big Thumb.

"Well Big Thumb, you saved our lives. We salute you."

With a laugh, Zero joined in with the salute. Then he whispered his own little farewell.

Holding onto the sack and shovel, the two headed down the mountain.

---

Zero was snapped out of his little daydream when Stanley pointed at a patch of weeds and said, "This is where I found the shovel."

Zero looked at it, then glanced back up at Big Thumb.

"That's a long way," he commented, wondering how on earth Stanley had even managed to climb up. Let alone with him on his back.

"You were light," Stanley said, though he sounded awed himself, "You'd already thrown up everything that was inside your stomach."

Zero couldn't see how that would make him any lighter.

They took another step down -- the next thing he knew, Stanley was sliding down the steep side of the mountain. Zero gazed in horror as the sack slipped out of Stanley's grasp and went rolling after him. Several onions spilled out and bounced the hill.

Stanley grabbed at a thorny vine and slowed himself down. Zero winced, then carefully climbed down to him. He picked up the discarded sack on his way.

"Are you all right?"

Stanley groaned and sat himself up, "Yeah." He picked the thorns out of his pants and beckoned Zero to give him the sack. They both peered in and, to their relief, saw that none of the jars had broken. The onions had protected them.

"Glad you didn't do that when you were carrying me," Zero said, helping Stanley to his feet.

Stanley smiled impishly, "I think we've lost a lot of the onions."

Zero shrugged, "It's no biggie. I saw them roll down that way--" he pointed forward, "--and that's the direction we're heading to, right? We'll probably see them as we go down."

He was right; they recovered many of the onions as they clambered down the mountain.

"O -- n -- i -- o -- n," Stanley spelt out, helping Zero carefully down a slippery part, "This one's hard."

"Ohhhh--nn," Zero said slowly, "Eee--oohhh--nnn."

They trekked down some white stone.

"Ohneeohn," he repeated, thinking hard, "Ohnion. What's that?"

Stanley smiled, "Onion."

"Oooh.... why is 'o' pronounced 'uh'?"

"You know what? I really have no idea."

They didn't say anymore until they had reached the bottom of the mountain.

"I hate the sun," Zero muttered. It was rising above the lake.

"Who doesn't at Camp Green Lake," Stanley sighed and shifted the sack to the other shoulder, "You thirsty?"

Zero felt like his mouth was coated with sand. But he wasn't going to be the first to admit it, "No. How about you?"

"No."

Zero had the distinct feeling he was lying. He smiled a little as they climbed down into the frying pan. It was easier climbing down than up, but still a challenge. They helped each other ease down the ledges, and let themselves slide down at other places.

The sun rose, as did the familiar haze of heat and dirt.

"You thirsty?" Zero asked, his voice raspy.

"No."

"Because you have three full jars of water, I thought maybe it was getting too heavy for you. If you drink some, it will lighten your load," Zero hurried on to explain.

"I'm not thirsty. But if you want a drink, I'll give you some," Stanley's voice sounded just as raspy.

"I'm not thirsty. I was just worried about you," Zero said determinedly.

Stanley smiled, "I'm a camel."

Not another word about water did they say as they walked across the dry lake. They were looking for any signs of the Mary Lou.

"P -- e -- n -- d -- a -- n -- s -- k -- i," Stanley spelt out. He didn't realise he had made a huge mistake before it was too late.

"Pen--dance--key," Zero repeated, "Pendanski."

He glanced up at Stanley wearily, wondering why he had given him that word.

"Sorry, I couldn't think of anything else. Oh! Here's a nice simple one. M -- u -- m."

"Mum," Zero said at once, without having to sound it out to himself.

Stanley smiled, "That's great."

They recited the alphabet after that, just to help time pass. Then they recited it backwards. That took awhile.

Then Stanley gave some words to Zero, except spelt backwards.

"O -- r -- e -- z."

Zero took a few minutes to think it out, "Zero," he finally said.

"Yup. Err... L -- e -- v -- o -- h -- s." It was hard for Stanley as well.

It took Zero about ten minutes to figure out that one.

When they had spelt another four words backwards, Stanley said, "Are you sure you're not thirsty?"

"Not me," Zero said, though it was killing him to say it.

Finally, they decided to take a drink.

"We'll drink at the same time," Stanley compromised. Zero agreed.

They both took a water jar each. Unscrewing the caps off, Stanley said, "You know, I'm not thirsty. I'm just drinking so you will."

Zero gave a grave smile of defiance, "I'm just drinking so you will."

They clinked the jars together and, each watching the other, poured the water into their stubborn mouths.

----------

---- A/N: Someone (confidential!) asked me why I bother with this fic (and why I even wrote it in the first place) when my other one (Inspection of CGL) is doing much more better and I should be concentrating on that more. Well, for one thing, I think Inspection of CGL is doing fine without me haunting it 24/7. :) Also, I love Zero A LOT, and I was appalled to see that there were hardly any stories about him on the boards. Mostly "girls go to CGL" stuff (some which are bloody amazing!), otherwise Squid/Zigzag angst. So I took matters into my hands and wrote out a nice, little, slightly-angsty story about 'lil Zero. :) And I hope you enjoy it! (Because I think it turned out pretty well.)

So anyway, thank you all for reviewing. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I started yet ANOTHER Holes fic, it's called "Too Late Now" and each D-tent boy's going to have a chapter for himself. The POV is done from their mother's/father's/guardian's. So yeah, read and review! :) I've only got Squid up so far, and I think that turned out kinda cute. Okay... lol. I see you enjoyed the hugs from Zero. :) And the cookies, too. Hehehe. Ooh, shat, I better go now!

Zero: Hey! I dwidn't gwet a turn to thay anythink--!

--MSQ. (Hip hip hooray, it's the holidays! Oooh... what a craptastic rhyme.)