(Author's Note - Zelda's point of view)
- 14th Street Washington DC.
After an hour of driving from Baltimore to a house in 14th St, Dimitri parked his car in garage, and took me inside. It was a tiny simple house in warm brown tone, he took out his keys, and open the door. His working room was surrounded by wooden bookshelves with one messy working table near the window. He pinned a giant world map on a large bulletin wall, and marked 2 places.
He prepared the tub, and then a wheezing horn came from outside, they're here. Dimitri, and I got outside, and open the 2nd garage door. Giles parked his van inside, and Elisa quickly rushed out from the van.
"I need to use bathroom!" She signed, and rushed inside the house.
"Go straight, and turn left" Dimitri shout after her.
(Author's Note - Elisa's point of view)
I vomited in the sink right after I got inside the bathroom. I'm pretty sure that I ate only one sandwich this morning, but still I manage to vomit out as if I've finished a buffet. I wiped my mouth clean, and quickly open the tap to washed it away as I can hear footstep coming. I opened the door as Dimitri, and Giles help the Asset get into the tub. His color finally turned bright again after an hour in the cooler.
"He'll be fine," Dimitri said as the Asset eating a seaweed in the bowl, "Just give him time".
I nodded as I watched how the Asset getting better in an instant, maybe because Dimitri have more things he needed here. Dimitri invited us inside his office, and wiped his dusty board.
"Alright, I'll try to summarize it as much as possible because our time is limit," He started, and pointed at the map, "This is where he came from, and this is where we are" he added, and pointed at DC, "We'll have to drive from here to Mexico city, and then from Mexico city to Panama, which would take around four-,".
"4 days!?" Zelda interrupted in shock. "Are you sure that the fishguy won't be dead before he get there?"
"I've prepare supplement, and check the hotel that safe for all of us, we'll be fine" he replied, and look down on the list in his hand "The only problem is the farthest we can go is Panama because it's mostly jungle, and-".
He suddenly stopped, and gasped in horror. What happened? We turned around and found the Asset poking at some equipment while his his body were still dripping wet.
"No! No No No" Dimitri said in as gentle as he could as he rushed to the Asset, "They are fragile".
We nodded as Dimitri rubbing his stuffs like they are his babies. We stepped back, but due to the water on the slippery floor, we fell back into a big piles of papers / It flows everywhere as Dimitri look at all the messy piles sadly / We hung his head, waiting for punishment before we heard...
"It's okay, it's okay, it's just papers" he tried to said with smile even his sound is like he's already crying.
Elisa picked up a paper from the ground, she quickly poke Dimitri and show him the paper / What is it? we wanna see! / We quickly stood up, and look at the paper it have 2 tiny twins of men in white coats / "Dr. Rupert Jeane & Dr. Nicolas Strickland" / Is Nicolas Strickland related to the bad man?
"Do you know them?" Elisa signed, and Zelda interpret.
"Not in person but yes, why?" he asked.
"Can you tell me something about this man?" She said at point at the left tiny twins: Rupert Jeane
Now we gathered around the dining room to keep the Asset out from Dimitri's room. He place a folder on the table, and read the first page.
"Dr. Rupert Jeane, born 1868 died 1925, graduated from Queen Mary University of London, and married Carrianne Jeane in 1886. He worked in the London Aquarium Museum 5 years, and moved to Baltimore after his bankrupted in 1923. He worked in Occam as co-worker of Nicolas Strickland, Richard Strickland's father." Dimitri said as he show some photos of Rupert Jeane, and Nicolas Strickland's photo together.
I can hear another click of puzzle in my brain...That's must be the reason why Strickland(Richard) were so curious with my old last name. This man(Rupert) worked with his father before, so it shouldn't be surprise if met his father's co-worker.
"And...how did he died?" Zelda asked.
"He went for a mission with Nicolas Strickland in Amazon with 2 geographers: Thomas Roberts, and Joseph Cox, they said Rupert and Nicolas were killed by monsters in the wood. Which obviously no one believe."
"Strickland" The Asset hissed immediately after I signed that name, "Told me he had a daughter."
"Let me check." Dimitri mumbled as he dig through pages, and finally stopped at the only page that have her picture.
The first thing I noticed in the photo even before her neat wavy hair was her huge glossy eyes. She was so young, she wore british upper class school uniform with a tiny hat, she must be around 16-18 back then.
"Jacquira Jeane, disappeared since 1920s" Dimitri said after he read the small article about her.
"For a moment I almost thought it's you." Zelda said as she look at the photo.
(Author's Note - Zelda's point of view)
"Nope, I can't afford what she wear" Elisa signed with a chuckle.
"and if she's alive she must be at least 20 years older than Elisa." Dimitri added before he put all the papers back.
"Then I guess Strickland just got the wrong person." She signed.
"He thought you are her?" Giles asked and pointed at Jacquira Jeane.
"Yeah I think he must saw her before and thought she's me."
At first I thought it was funny until everyone's laughs were silenced by The fishguy's furious hissed. He looked angry and… hurt?
"Why are you keep mentioning that bastard!?" He signed surprisingly quick, "He captured me, torture me, and still you forgave him!", He continues, without waiting for her reply.
"You chose him over me!"
We signed what we thought, how could she forgive him after everything? / We'll never forget how the bad man torture us with his stick, and words / We can still hearing his mocking in our head! if we don't have to follow the oath we would already end his life so all of this would be over!
"I never choose anyone over you!" She signed shakely in horror, "How could you say that!?"
"Since the day he stepped into our lands, I've been chained and beaten by him! and still you forgive him as if he never almost rape you!" her body shaking even harder at that word, "I should have known that you never cared about me!"
It's getting more, and more intense, Dimitri remained silent as Giles and Zelda shrinking back until they finally left the room /
"Never cared about you?..." she signed shakely as tears starting to glisten, "Then why the hell did I risked my job to BREAK YOU OUT!? why the hell did I took that GOD DAMN bullet for you!?" she stopped to breathe, "I know he have hurt us a lot, and we can't change what happened.", she signed firmly, "So what is the point of keep hating him when all he wanted is a chance to start again?"
"Oh! then I guess if another man rape you, you'll just go ahead and forgive him-"
We believe our anger would never end if we didn't suddenly feel the sting pain on our cheeks like a lightning strike onto our skin / The sound of her hand slapping on our cheek still echoes like a waves that spreaded across the ocean /
(Author's Note - Giles's point of view)
We can't hear the fighting but we can feel the bad atmosphere even from here. Zelda, and I looked at each other...how could it come to this? We waited in the working room with Dimitri until Elisa finally entered the room...Her eyes were so worn out as her cheek turned painfully red. She looked...awful, and suddenly her eyes fell closed before she fell back.
"Elisa!" Zelda gasp in horror as I rushed to catch her.
I scooped her up into my arms as she laying terrifyingly still. The fishboy rushed into the room and whined in horror. He quickly knelt next to her, and held her hand as he's chirping in horror.
"Is she okay?" Zelda asked as Dimitri place his hand on Elisa's forehead.
"She's not sick, she'll be fine," he replied, "Let's put her on the sofa".
(Author's Note - Dimitris's point of view)
We brought Elisa into my living room, and placed her on the sofa. Dues refused to go back to his tub as he sat on the floor near her, and held her hand tight.
"God, now I'm worry about her more than him." Zelda sighed, "She've been vomiting, having headaches, and get tired so easily lately, but I never thought it could get this worst."
Wait, why that symptom is so similar to...but they didn't have sex, right? I thought as I looked Elisa, and Dues. They are obviously closed, but even if they have could it really happen?
"Vomiting and headaches" I murmured, "But no diarrhea, and fever, right?"
"No, honestly she looked healthier, but it's like...I'm not sure" Zelda sighed.
"Did she eat a lot lately? like a lot" I asked.
This time both Zelda and Giles nodded. I rushed back to my working room, and get a stethoscope. I ran back to the living room and un-button few part of her shirt. Dues were pissed at first but Giles kept him calmed as I tried to listen to the sound I heard from her stomach.
It's silly because there's almost no explanation for this. But I've never thought that a fishman could be real, and now here he is. He could understand languages, and emotion so if he could knock her up, then it shouldn't be surprised. However due to their physical different there are chances that I might be wrong, but if my theory is correct then the only answer for this is…
"She's Pregnant"
Throw back to the first book! I know there's something strange to the character's name, because I'm planning to rename few characters from the 1st book to make it sounds more fit to the story. Guillermo said he based Elisa on Sally, then I'll base Elisa's mother's name on Sally's mother name, "Jacqueline Hawkins". I adapted it into "Jacquira" to make it more similar to Elisa(Both ends with "a") LOL
Let's not forget that the only people who know that Elisa, and the fishguy have banged before Dimitri found out she's pregnant are Zelda, and Giles. So if Dimitri would think it's crazy...or feel surprise...I think it's normal lol