Zed, Addison, Wynter, and Wayde walked back up to where their friends were waiting, both couples hand in hand. They all took a chance to relax for a bit, breaking into their snack supplies and getting a drink of water to refresh them as Eliza began explaining the next tests.
"Bonzo, if you want to try it, I think you should go next. Zed can take a break for now."
"OKZ," Bonzo said nervously, "But hurr gru?"
"Bonzo, don't worry, we all saw Zed was just fine, even without Addison with him, and nothing bad happened when Eliza took hers off either." Bree hugged him from beneath his arm to reassure him, "I know you're going to be just fine. You trusted Zed without his Z-band right?"
"Gra, of courz." Bonzo nodded.
"We all trust you to be in control too. And I want to see the real you, all of you that exists inside. I won't ever be scared of you either." Bree promised him.
"OKZ." Bonzo said, now looking more confident, but still nervous.
"OK then. We'll do the same thing, Bree do you want to sit with him at first like Addison did, or do you want to see what he does without you?"
"Um, what do you want Bonzo?"
"Zo gru, frrst." Bonzo said, gently squeezing her hand, "Juzt in caze, and ver iz diffarante, juzt ztay cloze."
"You know I will, and if you think you need me, just say it and I'll be holding your hand in an instant." Bree promised.
"OK then everyone in position, depending on how this goes either Zed or Bree will talk to Bonzo first, then we can try Addison. One of the wolves can go if we want, but I think if Zed is fine with you guys Bonzo should be too."
"Whatever you want Eliza. You're the alpha on this." Willa shrugged her shoulders.
Bonzo walked over to the rock and sat down. Everyone else kept their distance, though Bree was closer in case he needed her. She honestly had no idea what Bonzo would act like without his Z-band, would he be as protective as Zed was to Addison? Bree knew he loved her, and it seemed like being without the Z-bands let their more instinctive impulses shine through. Would Bree have to be a zombie whisperer like Addison was? Or would Bonzo act completely different?
Eliza turned off Bonzo's band, and they could all tell, as black veins started crawling up Bonzo's long, muscular arms immediately. His eyes darkened and his necklace shone with an emerald light. He let out one long ROARRR! But then shook his head and while still a little visible, most of the darkness faded from his skin. Bonzo glanced up and turned his head toward her, and Bree knew it was him looking back at her, and that none of her friends had anything to worry about.
"Breezka?"
"Bonzka, arrr gru grrood?"
"Gra, I zien Grrreat! Amarzing!" Bonzo smiled in happiness. He seemed almost giddy. He stood up and invited Bree to join him which she gladly obliged.
She sat right next to him on the rock and leaned into his embrace as he snaked one arm over her shoulder. She always knew he was strong. He was always a solid base and lifter for any cheer-related stunts, and so far his feats in field events spoke for themselves, but she knew he was a gentle giant that could both throw a discus easily over a hundred feet away, but also delicately knit a blanket without a thread out of place. She felt that even more now like she could sense the strength he had just unlocked, but he still held her just as gently as ever.
With his other hand, Bonzo reached down and grabbed a stick to start drawing in the dirt. Bree followed his movements for a few moments, but she had no idea what he was creating, and it looked quite intricate considering his only tool was a stick and the ground.
Bree chatted with him for a little bit, and his gaze constantly switched focus between hers, and whatever he was drawing on the ground. "Zada!" Bonzo said, interrupting her.
"Grat ez it Bonzka?" Bree asked.
Bonzo placed his hand on his chest. "Ez mi hart beatzin orrr gru." He moved his hand from over his own heartbeat, to placing it right over hers.
Bree looked down at his drawing one more time and finally realized it was indeed a very detailed drawing of a heart for being in the dirt. It was a little strange, but she knew exactly what he meant and she loved it even more, she wouldn't have asked Bonzo to change a thing about it.
"Thank you Bonzo, my heart beats for you too." She promised him, placing her hand over his. "So are you ready to talk to Zed?"
"Gra." Bonzo nodded vigorously, but he turned slightly and started drawing a new picture in the dirt as Zed approached.
"Grallo Bonzka."
"Grallo Zedski." Bonzo smiled back.
"How arg gru feelz? No Z-band feelz grreat rright?" Zed asked.
"Gra, amarzing! I zo many ideaz!" Bonzo then began listing dozens and dozens of ideas for everything from paintings and drawings to sculptures and new music. Even with her extensive practice with Zombietongue, Bree could barely keep track of what he was saying before he jumped to another new idea.
Zed for his part just mostly nodded along and let Bonzo continue, occasionally asking for clarification on something when given the chance when Bonzo every so often took a breath in between sentences.
"So, it appears Bonzo is even more happy than usual, and his zombie side is just as creative as him, if not more so. And he's still more lovey-dovey with Bree but not as bad as Zed was, not as aggressive either but being at Containment is always stressful." Eliza whispered.
"I think it seems like his zombie side is excited to be let out for once. So can you understand everything he's saying?" Wyatt asked. "I really should have joined the zombietongue class."
"Maybe every other word or so." Eliza chuckled. "So it appears that every zombie may react differently to the moonstones, is it like that for you wolves?"
"Yeah, some of us go wild at first, others can't stand the heightened senses, or just want to run forever or all kinds of things. Every wolf is unique, but by working as a pack we all reach our full potential."
"Yeah, I know, this is definitely going to take a pack. And he isn't acting hungry with Addison in front of him either." Eliza noted as Addison joined Zed in front of Bonzo.
"So far everything is going smoothly then. Does that mean you'll be next?"
"I suppose, but don't expect me to hold your hand, but I am putting you in charge of turning me off and back online."
"Don't worry I won't let anything happen to you. It will be just like last time."
"What? Do you expect another kiss Fido? That was a one-time thing."
"We'll see, I think your zombie likes me even more than you do."
"That bar isn't set very high, why do I keep you around again?"
"Because I'm handsome, super scruffy, and fine smelling."
"You know, when I go full zombie, remind me to kill Zed." Eliza grumbled.
"It's ok, I know what you meant, and you wouldn't do that, you're the smartest one here, you out anyone would be able to control yourself for sure."
They glanced back to Bonzo and everyone else when Zed took a step forward, and Bonzo's demeanor changed in an instant. "GRRRR!" He snarled at Zed as his eyes and veins darkened and he stood up barely two inches in front of Zed, his legs spread wide and fists clenched. Zed had the unusual experience of having to glance up at someone.
"Bonzo! You're ok, what's wrong?" Bree tried to calm him down by grabbing his wrist. Addison backed slowly away just in case, Not that she didn't trust Bonzo but if anything did happen to her, she didn't know what Zed would do, even with a Z-band on.
"Bag upz." Bonzo growled.
"OK," Zed put his hands up calmly in surrender and backed away a few steps. "Is this good buddy?"
Instead of answering, Bonzo leaned down and ran his finger in the dirt for a few moments. When he stood up again, he looked back to normal. "Ez fized!" He announced happily. "Ez OKZ! Lo Ziento Zedski." He apologized, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Um, Bree do you know what just happened?" Eliza asked, her hand had been hovering over the button to turn Bonzo's band back on, but she wanted to see if he could control it himself first.
"Yeah, Zed stepped on one of Bonzo's pictures. I guess that made him upset, but you're all good now, Right Bonzka?"
"Gra, ez grrood."
"OK, how about we take a break then." Eliza pressed the button again and within a few moments Bonzo slumped over just slightly and frowned.
"Hiz gonz." Bonzo whimpered.
"Who's gone Bonzo?" Bree asked, sounding worried.
"Zombie, hiz feliz to part oz mi. Feelz grood."
"I know, I felt like that too buddy." Zed nodded, placing his hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "Well, one thing we learned, if Bonzo doesn't have a Z-band, don't mess up his art."
"Lo ziento Zedski." Bonzo apologized again.
"It's no big deal, that's why we're doing this to learn more about ourselves and make things better for everyone. You did great Bonzo."
"Yes, you did." Bree gave him a quick kiss on the cheek that once again brightened his mood.
"What's next Eliza?" Zed turned back to his face his best friend and current taskmaster for the day.
"So Bonzo, just to be clear, you didn't feel threatened by the werewolves or hungry for Addison?"
"No, evarery thin ez finez." Bonzo reported. "No hungrrr or fearrr."
"Ok then, I guess it's my turn now." Eliza said, unlike her friends she couldn't hide her excitement, the sooner she could take off her Z-band forever, the better. She agreed that the moonstones felt like absolute freedom compared to the shackles and symbols of oppression that the Z-bands were. Both times she had been without her band before had felt absolutely amazing.
"Alright, if you're going full zom what's the plan?" Zed asked.
"Same thing, start with you, then a wolf, and then a human," Eliza ordered. "and Wyatt will be in charge of my band while I'm tested, got it? In fact, I say he's in charge period."
"Alright we get it, so just why is he so special?" Zed said with an annoying grin on his face.
"Because he won't panic at the first sign of danger like some sparkly cheerleader, and you and Bonzo would probably mess it up somehow."
"I find your lack of faith disturbing." Zed pouted.
"Well suck it up then Zed."
"You just don't want to admit the real reason, in fact, I can't wait to see how you act around Wyatt without any inhibitions, I bet you'll be just like me and Bonzo."
"Keep dreaming Z, Wyatt let's just do this, and Zed you can be first, and I promise I won't be kissing you, but I won't hesitate with anything if I agree with my zombie's ideas when it comes to you."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"OK Eliza, here we go."
Wyatt pressed the button and after a brief crackle, the screen on Eliza's Z-band faded to black, and black veins started crawling up her arms. But they faded again almost immediately. Eliza's face became a mask of concentration and then she smirked and yelled. "BRAAINSS!" Making everyone jump a few feet in the air.
"Ha, that was hilarious." She laughed out loud.
"For you maybe you almost gave the rest us of heart attacks." Zed pouted. "So do you feel in control?
"Of courz. Gra Zuck grral zig rag grll. Prroud Zombie!"
"Woah language!" Zed yelled, looking offended while at the same time Bonzo covered Bree's ears with his hands. Not that Bree or Addison understood most of what she said, whatever it was, they had not covered that in Zombie as a second language.
"What did she say?" Addison asked Zed.
"Oh trust me you don't want to know."
"You deserve it."
"So Eliza, I guess that means you feel perfectly fine?" Wyatt asked.
"Wyatzki." Eliza turned toward the sound of his voice and once again his heartbeat stood out from all the others surrounding them. Among the group of zombies, humans, and werewolves, his was sounding the loudest in her ears, and she even started to feel her own heart beating in sync.
"Yep it's me Eliza," Wyatt smiled at her, "how are you doing?"
"Great, Fido just great, and I indeed don't feel hungry or anything and my head is perfectly clear. The other me is with me and I feel like I'm whole just like last time."
"Um, Eliza I thought you wanted to start with me."
"Well I feel fine, more than fine, and I while I feel zombie me on the inside she is as perfectly happy as I am."
"Is it because Wyatt's here?" Zed teased her.
"Of course not, I can hear his heart so I know he's here, but he is not the one keeping me calm. I am. I am proud of my zombie heritage and I know that this is the real me, so I don't have to worry about anything happening."
"So do you want to test your theory? How about we let Wyatt take a walk then and see how you do without him here?" Zed challenged her.
"What you think I'm going to turn into you without Wyatt here to hold my hand? Zat chanze Zedski, no grrgh griz zooker."
"OK, I think we should note that zombie Eliza has a potty mouth, if I were saying even half the things you have already, Pops would wash my mouth out with soap."
"Good thing he isn't here then. Wyatt, go ahead, don't worry about me, I know I'll be fine."
"I know you will be. So who do you want me to leave in charge?"
"Willa, one alpha to another, I know she'll keep a clear head, not that I expect anything to happen."
"Don't worry, you're in safe hands," Willa promised as Wyatt handed off Eliza's phone. "You try to get far enough away that Eliza can't hear you but close enough for us to howl when you come back."
"You got it. I know you'll do great Eliza!" Wyatt howled once more before running off into the woods.
Eliza did feel a strong urge from her zombie side, she took a single step as if to follow Wyatt, but she just told herself everything her friends had just said and put her own stubbornness behind her decision to stay. She knew she liked him and he was special to her in a way she had never felt about anyone before, but she did not need him to stay in control. She was proud to be a zombie and she was ready to be everything she was always meant to be.
When she turned back to the rock to sit down again, and Zed walked up to her, she still felt the same as she always did, maybe her patience was a little shorter than usual, and her sarcasm and retorts were as biting as ever whenever he tried to make a joke. Her normal filter was down a bit lower which was saying something, so all her friends were probably learning every zombie curse in the book, but she didn't feel bad about that. If they didn't know what she was saying she wasn't going to tell them, and mostly it was directed at Zed, who from all his teasing totally deserved it. He kept bringing up Wyatt as if he expected her to snap and chase after him like she knew he would totally do if their situations were reversed. But she kept up her calm, sarcastic demeanor the entire time no matter what he said.
"OK Zed that's enough. I say it's Addison's turn now. Hopefully, Cheery Mccheerstein will be less annoying than you. Not that that would be difficult for literally anyone else."
"Alright." Zed agreed and took a step back.
"Hey Eliza." Addison waved.
"Hey Addison, you should try to control your boyfriend more, tell him to shut up sometimes."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that I guess. I'm so impressed by all you guys but especially you Zom-bae, you're acting just like yourself even without your Z-band, and if you can do it, I know everyone else will too."
"Thanks Addison."
"So, can I ask what you've been doing with Wyatt so far?"
"Sure. We haven't been sneaking off to the saferoom between classes like some people."
"We don't do that….that often." Addison said while blushing.
"Right. I don't know, we just hang out together, most of the time we've been working on this, we've gotten Froyo a few times. Nothing really big. Its been cool getting to know him, and I do really like him."
"You look good together Eliza. Maybe we could all go on a double or triple, or quadruple date sometime."
"So what? All of us accept Willa?" Eliza joked. "I don't think I'd trust Zed enough yet to try that, so maybe with Bree and Bonzo sometime or heck, you could leave Zed at home and I would have no complaints."
"Hurtful. I'm just dishing everything back at you that you always say to us!" Zed shouted.
"But when I do it it's funny, when you do it it's just annoying." Eliza shot back at him.
"We'll see what we can do, but I'm really happy for you if he makes you feel even a fraction of what I feel like when I'm with Zed."
"If you're trying to get some confession of undying love out of me, you'll be waiting a while. We're taking things how they come, not rushing into anything."
"I understand, I know Zed and I are far from the average couple but you do you as long as you're happy."
"Yeah, I am happy." Eliza nodded. "Alright enough about Wyatt, and none of you tell him I said anything. Stupid zombie me, making me trust you all for some reason, even Zed."
"Don't worry we won't share anything you don't want us too. I'll make sure Zed doesn't either." Addison promised with a smile.
"Oh, I don't doubt that Addison, whether he has a Z-band or not everyone knows he'll so anything you say."
"Guilty as charged." Zed called out. "I'm not ashamed."
"So do you want to do anything else?" Addison asked.
"I suppose just for safety's sake you can turn my band back on and bring Wyatt back. Even though I don't want to. The Z-band just to be clear. Since we still have a few hours there are a couple more things I'd like to do. Willa, you can turn me back online."
"Got it Eliza." Willa tapped the button.
Eliza shuddered as she felt the effects of the Z-band taking hold once again cutting her off from who she truly believed was her true self. She knew she wasn't a mindless monster, she wasn't a problem to be dealt with. None of her friends and family were. They were all just people, and they were different, but that was a good thing. They were all unique in their own way. They didn't deserve to be locked up and punished for being who they were, and now finally after 50 years, and for her sixteen long years of waiting and fighting for a change, she knew she had cracked the code. She could save everyone she had ever known and loved. So while she hated being under the control of her Z-band once more, she couldn't help her excitement as every single step they had taken today was bringing them closer to her goal.
Eliza sighed. "OK, I'm back to normal now. Feel free to call Wyatt back."
"And why is that?" Zed asked, but Addison elbowed him.
"That's enough for today."
"Why? When does Eliza ever stop because we ask her too?"
Addison whispered in his ear for a few moments, making Zed perk up again.
"OK, I'll shut up, for now." Zed grinned and held her tighter around her waist. Addison stood up on her tiptoes to place a quick peck on his cheek while grinning back at him and shaking her head.
Willa howled out into the sky. "Awwwooo!" Moments later a second howl answered back. "He'll be here in a minute or two." Willa reported.
Indeed just as she had said, Wyatt came sprinting back into the clearing with all his powers on display without any sign of being breathless. "So how'd it go?" He immediately jogged over to Eliza to stand near her.
"It went great Wyatt, even though I will admit I missed hearing your heartbeat nearby, I was totally fine without you."
"Of course you were. You're Eliza. You are just as strong-willed and focused on your goal as we were when we were looking for the Moonstone. There was never a doubt in my mind. You're the strongest zombie I know. On the inside at least, and that's what matters most."
"Thanks Wyatt, I even kept myself from killing Zed, and he was being so annoying. Trust me when I say he was in the most danger, I wasn't even thinking about humans or brains or anything."
"Well, if you ever do want to really teach him a lesson, just let me know. He's my teammate, but he won't get away with making you angry. Well angrier than usual."
"I will definitely take you up on your offer if I ever need it, but don't worry, I've got Addison on his case and we all know he'll listen to her."
"Oh definitely."
"So Eliza…" Addison asked, breaking her and Wyatt's attention away from just each other. "Is there anything else you want to today?"
"Yeah, since we're all obviously perfectly fine around people. I think we should try doing something more complex just to make sure our brains are still up to full capacity. For example, I want to try doing some stuff on my computer without my band. And I guess we already figured out Bonzo can still draw without his band on. So Zed, that means it's up to you again."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Don't worry, it's your favorite thing in the world." Eliza dug into her backpack. "Let's see how you do playing football, obviously if we do this I doubt you'll want to be benched from the team forever." She tossed him a football.
"You got that right. I'm in." Zed said as he caught it.
"Plus it will be good to see how you handle a situation that could be stressful and your adrenaline should be pumping. Basically what I want you to do is be running enough to get your heart rate up as much as possible, throw some passes, run some plays if you can with 2-3 people. Get pummeled a few times, just to see how you react."
"Well, I think I should be fine. My zombie side should remember playing football before, that was different than this will be but I doubt there will be any problems."
"Let's see you put your money where your mouth is Zed. So who wants to play?"
"We will." Willa volunteered all the wolves.
"Ooh, can I be the one to try to tackle Zed? This sounds fun." Wynter howled excitedly.
"Be my guest. Bonzo?"
"Zure." Bonzo nodded his head.
"OK, it will be Wynter, Willa, and Wayde vs Zed, Bonzo, and Wyatt. No powers at first, we want to see if Zed can stay in control and actually play well without using a zomboost. Bree and Addison can watch with me since Addison can't be involved obviously but we can still have even teams. Got it?"
"You got it Coach." Zed joked.
"Why can't I be involved?"
"You think zombie Zed would respond well to you getting tackled?"
"OK, yeah, you're probably right." Addison nodded.
A few minutes later the two teams were lined up across from each other, Bonzo had the ball and was ready to hand it off to Zed to make the play. Their goal was to run the ball between two trees about thirty feet away at the end of the clearing. Willa's team's goal was to put as much defensive pressure on Zed as possible to make sure he could handle it, and to see if he could still play football without his Z-band, not that this was really football since none of the wolves knew much more than the basic rules that Zed had just explained to them in the last five minutes.
"Set, hike!" Zed shouted, Bonzo passed him the ball and Zed started looking for an opening through the three wolves in front of him, they were obviously in more of a hunting formation than running a football play, circling him, their eyes focused on his torso, tracking his movements. With his Z-band off, he could tell how amped up they were to be doing this, and he was surprised by himself, looks like if there was one thing his zombie side understood, it was football. He didn't see the circling werewolves as a threat, merely competition and he was ready to show him what he had inside of him.
Zed ran forward, Wyatt a step behind him on his left to block. Wayde tried to lunge at him but Wyatt took him down instead while Zed leaped out of the way.
Zed sped up again and just narrowly avoided Willa's attempt to take him down by stutter-stepping and coming up short, even without her powers she had quick reflexes and was back on her feet in an instant but Zed was already running ahead. He could track Wynter's heartbeat rapidly approaching from the side, he didn't even have to turn his head to know she was getting close. He tried to juke step away from her but she wasn't tricked. She grabbed him around his waist and pulled him to the ground, making him let go of the ball and it bounced a few feet away along the forest floor.
"Awwooo!" Wynter howled in delight. "This is fun! Let's do it again. Wolf Strong! Awwoo!" After she was done with her celebration she offered her hand to pull Zed to his feet.
"Are you alright Zed?" Wynter asked.
"Oh yeah, I'm totally fine, but now you are so going down!" Zed said, but he was smiling. The tackle had hurt a little since he didn't have pads on but the soreness was already fading away.
"Bring it on." Wynter said right back.
They tried a few more plays both on offense and defense. Zed got tackled plenty of times, but he never felt angry or in danger or anything, he was having too much fun. And when he went on defense and had to tackle any of the wolves, he never got more aggressive than he needed to be. His zombie never flared up, and it maybe had something to do with Addison and Bree cheering on the sidelines, but he could tell even his zombie side was having just as much fun as he was.
"Alright!" Eliza called after Wynter helped Zed get up after tacking him yet again. "As much as I love watching Zed get pummeled on the football field since we can all see he's still perfectly fine I have one more thing we should try out today before we head home."
"What now Eliza?" Zed asked.
"We can see you can keep your powers down if you don't need them, but I want to see if you can call them and control them when you need them. Like how the wolves activate their powers when they need them. So wolves, you try to explain to us what its like when you use your powers."
"Gladly. Gather around." They all sat down on the forest floor as Willa began to explain. "So listen to me Zed, and everyone else. Using our powers is simple for us, but it did take all of us time to practice and learn. Our powers are activated by our emotions. They are the fuel that unlocks our full potential, but we don't run wild with them, we focus them. Our powers are a tool, and they are a part of us. But we recognize that they can be dangerous. Any emotion will work, while anger or fear may be powerful, they can burn out quickly or lead to you running wild. Which no one wants. You also need to know exactly what you want to do with your powers, have a goal, and be focused on that goal with your entire being, so that your consciousness and your wolf instincts, or zombie instincts are in total agreement."
"OK, I think I get it." Zed nodded along. "So how do I start it?"
"Just think about using your powers Zed, and if you're like us, your body and your moonstone will respond to your commands. It may be difficult at first but the more you practice it will feel just the same as telling your body to run faster instead of walking."
"OK."
"I believe you can do this Zed. Show them how you're a super zombie." Addison whispered in his ear.
"You know it." Zed stood up and walked some distance away from everyone else and closed his eyes. If he needed an emotion, he knew which one to use. He pictured Addison's beautiful smile in his head, remembered the feeling of her hand in his, the taste of her lips. His endless love and adoration of her, and the limitless happiness she brought him every single day. He thought to himself, let's show her what I can do. He could hear his zombie side in total agreement. He opened his eyes and could just barely see his moonstone glowing emerald around his neck, but unlike the other times, it stayed glowing. His breathing became harsher but not as bad as when he was full-zom before. He could see the black veins crawling up his arms, and he was sure his eyes were black. But still, he didn't feel any hunger, anger, or fear. He only felt happiness because Addison was his anchor keeping him in control on the inside, but also on the outside when his gaze caught hers smiling at him in happiness and he smiled back.
"Do you feel good Zed?" Addison called.
"Yes, I do." Zed's voice was much deeper and tinged with a slight growl, but he wasn't stuck in zombietongue or speaking only in snarls, so that was good.
"Show us what you can do then, Handsome!" Addison cheered.
"Who's the zombie? I'm the zombie!" Zed yelled out. He walked back over to the large rock they had all been sitting on before. He knew he alone had no chance of lifting it, but thinking about the cave in. He thought he might have a chance. He found handholds around the edges, and with all his strength started straining his all his muscles to move it. He could feel it slowly, ever slow slowly shifting as the ground and gravity lost their grip and after a few seconds he started to lift it up, higher and higher until he managed to raise the edge he was holding up to his shoulder height. Then he quickly let go and backed out of the way. Letting it fall back down to ground with a heavy-sounding THUD!
"You still OK Zed?"
"I feel great! That was awesome. Who's the zombie? I'm the zombie, and this zombie is strong!"
"So you definitely have zombie strength. Wyatt, do you think you guys would be able to do that?" Eliza asked the wolves.
"I'm gonna have to say no, not on our own." Wyatt smiled while shaking his head.
"Willa, how would you feel about a race?" Eliza asked her.
"This should be fun. Full powers?"
"Of course. I want to see you kick his butt."
"Whatever, I'm excited." Zed was still smiling.
Willa drew a line in the dirt that they both lined up behind.
"Where to?" Zed asked.
"You just follow me, you may be zombie strong, but there is no way you're beating me in a race in my woods."
"Let's see what happens. Addison, do you want to do the honors?" Zed called out.
"Sure. On your mark, get set, go!"
Willa and Zed set off straight away, their necklaces shining blue and green respectively as they drew on their powers. They kept pace with each other for the first hundred feet or so until Willa put on a burst of speed and started pulling ahead. Zed knew he was already running much faster than any of his track races, but Willa was still in a league all her own. Before he knew it Zed was forced to start tracking her by her heartbeat ahead of him instead of using his eyes after she turned around a tree and he lost sight of her.
He eventually followed her back to everyone else where she still wasn't even breathless, while he was panting a little, but he could feel himself quickly recovering too. "Good race Willa." Zed panted.
"Good job Zed." Willa replied.
"And you still feel fine? Addison asked, walking up to him and giving him a side hug that he happily leaned into."
"Absolutely. Any other tests Eliza?"
"No, I think we've done plenty for today." Eliza tapped her phone and Zed could feel his Z-band returning him to normal once more. But even with all his exertions he didn't feel as beat as he normally did whenever he used his powers before. He knew it had to be from the moonstone.
"I'm ready to head back, but it would be great if you two could try to write down anything you can think of about all the stuff we did today before you forget." Eliza handed both Bonzo and Zed a notebook and a pen from her backpack.
"You got it Eliza." Zed promised.
Everyone gathered their things and started heading back towards Seabrook, Bonzo, and Zed both dutifully filling their notebooks with everything they could remember. When he finished he passed it over to Eliza and then went back to walking hand in hand with Addison.
"So, was I really great all day? Because I felt great all day, but what did you think?"
"You were amazing at every step, just as great as everyone else was."
"I didn't scare you did I?"
"No, you never will. All the times you've gone full zom I was always scared of what would happen to you, not what you would do to me or anyone else. I know, as you say, your zombie side is a part of you, but you know you aren't an m-word, just as much as I know it. In fact…"
Zed glanced down at Addison to see her cheeks had started blushing and she was nervously biting her lip.
"What is it?" Zed was confused now, and also very curious at just what she was thinking about. She always looked adorable, but Zed loved it when she was blushing and he knew it was because of him.
"When I wasn't worried about anyone hurting you because you were full-zom or distracted by a cave-in or anything, I…suddenly all I could think about was how hot you look when you go full zom."
"Really?"
"Yes, really, all your muscles get taught, especially when you were lifting that boulder or finishing your race, and fine whatever, even something about your breathing, it was all I could think about. You are always handsome, but I don't have the words."
"Not hideous at all?"
"Sure let's go with that, the opposite of hideous. You're my zombie, you had no idea how much I had to stop myself from tackling you when you were playing football earlier, even then you looked delicious."
"Well, trust me, I was the exact same way the entire time. I was focused on everything we were doing, I wasn't hungry, I promise, but I had to constantly tear my eyes away from you. And your heart was the most beautiful music in the world keeping me grounded the entire time. One thing both sides of me will always agree on, you are the most beautiful girl on the face of the planet. And you are absolutely delicious. Oh, I mean gorgeous."
"I feel the exact same way. In fact, maybe we can see what you can do when it's just the two of us sometime. Remember last November?"
"What happened…OH, that, I would love to try that again, or what happened this week if we somehow get the chance, but if your parents even agree to our Z-band plan, they will never give us another chance like Christmas again."
"Probably right, but I know we'll find a way. I love you Zed, inside and out."
"And I love you too."
"We're going to show the whole world, just how amazing you and everyone else is when they get to be who they are meant to be. No one will ever have to hide themselves ever again."