Chapter Four

Zydrate, Zias and Queens

2056

Gianna looked out from her balcony, wistfully wishing to be allowed to walk about on her own for once. Unless Lucia went with her, she couldn't go outside unless it was the backyard. She only wanted to explore a little bit. Her mother and Lucia both ruled against it. Gia wished for only a little more freedom.

Returning into her bedroom and shutting the dark purple silk curtains, she looked over to her dog Duke, who was spread out on her queen sized bed. "Duke, if I went outside, you'd protect me, wouldn't you?" Duke barked at Gia, to confirm. Though she doubted he really understood her, she liked to pretend he did. Gia smiled and smoothed out her black skirt that was satin covered by a veil of lace and adjusted her black sweater. She inherited her mother's taste in clothing alright.

Gia crept out of her room and set her sights on Lucia's room, Duke following behind her. Lucia's room was on the opposite side of the hallway from her room and her mother's room, which was on the wall vertically to Gia. She quietly peered into Lucia's room, seeing that she was asleep; Gia decided that this would be her chance to explore a little bit more.

Quickly as possible she darted out the front door, Duke tailing her. She had really no idea where she wanted to go, but made a mental trail of how to get home. She just started to wonder about, letting the path she chose take her somewhere. Not ten minutes into their little escapade, she found someplace very interesting, The Graveyard!

Gia was interested in everything about her surroundings. She'd never been here, although it wasn't hard to tell what it was. Her mother came here to visit her friend's tomb, but Gia was never allowed to come. "It's not a place for children," her mother would warn. Gia scoffed. She was much more intelligent than the average ten year old, much more clever. She could handle a little graveyard.

Her and Duke wandered around for a few minutes, reading the graves, just taking it all in. Gia then noticed a man, with long brown hair, with colored strands through it. He was covered in pale make up and seemed to be… What was he doing?

He was taking a body out of its grave! Gia, crept a little closer, curious to see what exactly he was doing. However, gravity seemed to disagree with Gia being sneaky, and she tripped, making a loud thud.

"No need to creep Kid, I don't bite."

Gia, getting up, walked toward him, Duke leading protectively.

"What are you doing?"

"Working."

With that, he took out syringe, and smacked the needle into the corpse's nose extracting a blue liquid.

Gia cringed, this was disgusting. "What kind of work is this?"

"It's zydrate. Lots of addicts pay a good price for it."

"What does it do?"

"It numbs you, you won't feel a thing when you get cut up."

Gia understood. It was an anesthetic. Lots of people always liked to get touched up by surGENs. Amber Sweet for example, every time Gia saw her around she always had a different face. Her eyes, nose, cheekbones, and hair color would be different. Her mother and Lucia didn't like Amber very much. Gia did though. Amber was always nice to her.

"Don't they provide it when someone goes into surgery? They can't just slice them up with them being able to feel all that?"

"Good observation, Kid. This is an unfiltered, source. GeneCo makes it a little less intense. This is street grade, much better."

Gia absorbed this information. She watched him put the little glass vial away, looking satisfied with his zydrate amount.

"Kid, you better scram. Graveyards are patrolled by genecops. You don't wanna be caught by them." He warned. Gia nodded, and turned to leave the graveyard. She still wanted to explore though, so this trip wasn't over.

She made her way into another alleyway, seeing two people, a man and a woman. She decided she didn't want to go down this road, so she tried to leave but was caught by the woman.

"Graves, would you look who it is! It's Gianna!" she squealed.

Gia looked up to see Amber Sweet. Something clearly was up, she wasn't put together. Her eyes were glazed over and her make up smudged. She also didn't understand what the GeneCo heiress would be doing wandering around the alleys with a graverobber, who she recognized from earlier.

"Hi, Amber."

"Now, did Mag let you out of your cage?"

Graverobber looked perplexed at this, "Mag?"

"Mag. Mag is her mommy, didn't I tell you?"

"No!"

"Well, I mean you should've guessed! Look at her!"

"What's wrong with Amber?" Gia asked.

"Amber, dear Gianna, is addicted to surgery, as I'm sure you've noticed her changing looks. As I told you in the graveyard, she needs a little help with getting rid of all that pain. That's where I come in, or zydrate, I should say."

Oh, now Gia understood. She was addicted to the painkiller. Amber seemed oblivious to the conversation happening around her, while Graverobber looked confused.

"Wait, so if she's Mag's kid, then why did your Dad let her keep her, and more importantly, who is her father?"

"Why would Amber know who my father is? I don't even know!"

"Oh, Graves. Looks like Mag's got some explaining to do!" Amber purred, her arms draping over Graverobber's shoulders.

"Mag's baby daddy is my dear big brother, Paviche." Amber smirked. She looked about ready to pass out, but none the less looked satisfied with herself. Gia was simply shocked. No one had ever told her or hinted to who her father might be. She was clearly always curious, because she know it took two people to make a baby, and she was pretty sure the stork didn't bring her, like her mother said when she was younger.

"No way."

"Are you really that surprised? Pavi tries to fuck every beautiful woman. Apparently he finds Mag beautiful. Hence, Gianna." Amber mumbled. Amber detested Mag. She had the talent that Amber desperately wanted. People loved her, adored her. Amber wanted that. She wanted to be the star.

"Amber, Mag's hot." Amber scowled.

"I think I should go home now…" Gia stuttered. Duke was still protectively guarding her, distrustful of Amber and Graves.

"Don't you wanna give your Zia Amber a hug?" she giggled.

"Gianna Angioletta Defoe!

Her head snapped around to see a very angry Lucia stalking towards her.

"I cannot believe you snuck out! You could've gotten hurt!" Lucia observed the very high Amber Sweet and Graverobber. She could also sense that Gia felt awkward.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, I just ran into Amber here." Gia was not going to tell her mother or Lucy what she had just learned.

"Lucia, you must be a pretty damn bad nanny, if you let this kid keep sneaking off. I remember she did this as a baby too. " Amber scoffed.

"Lucy, you never told me that it was Mag's kid you looked after." Graves intervened. They knew each other?

Lucia smirked, "There's a lot you don't know about me Graves. Also, you didn't know Mag had a kid until just now! But, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I have to get Gia back now. It's way too late; she shouldn't be out."

Graves shrugged and smiled. Lucia took Gia by the shoulder gently, and commanded Duke to follow. They walked in silence as Gia contemplated what she was told. Pavi Largo? She had seen him around the rehearsals; she'd never really met him. Her mother wouldn't let her talk with anyone who wasn't necessary to speak with.

When they got the front yard Lucia turned towards Gia, blocking the gate.

"Gia, you cannot sneak away like that. If I lose you, I'll lose my head!"

Gia giggled, "She wouldn't decapitate you. Just maybe break your neck or beat you black and blue!"

Lucia rolled her eyes and smiled. "Alright, get in, get upstairs and get ready for bed. It's almost ten!"

Gia hadn't realized how quickly the time passed by. She hurried up the stairs and into her room and put on her cotton, sky blue pajamas, and grabbed a book and snuggled into bed. Her book of choice was "The Six Wives of Henry VIII". She loved learning about history, and the Tudors were her favorite subject. She particularly liked his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She was ambitious, intelligent and independent. Her only 'fault' was that she couldn't produce a living son only a daughter, Elizabeth, so just as Henry VIII did with his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, although in a different manner than she, Anne was disposed of and disgraced.

She immersed herself into the book, hardly noticing when her mother came in. Mag walked over and laid down on the bed, adjusting herself to be should to shoulder with her daughter.

"What're you reading, darling?

"The Six Wives of Henry VIII"

"I see. Who're you reading about?"

"Anne Boleyn."

"Ah, the adulteress witch."

Gia looked up at her mother, "No! She was not a witch or an adulteress. The accusations that led her to her death were false! Henry just wanted to be rid of her so he could marry Jane Seymour and have a son!" she fervently defended.

"I was kidding. Although, seeing you so interested in history is good. But, put the book down, I want to talk with you."

Gia marked her place hesitantly and put her book down, looking at her mother.

"Tomorrow, there will be a fair by GeneCo, commemorating my final performance, which will be that night," Mag explained to her daughter that she'd be leaving GeneCo after the next day's performance, Gia was excited, this must mean she could spend more time with her mother. "Now, if I say you can go, will you promise not to give Lucia any trouble?"

"Yes! I promise Mom, no trouble from me at all!"

Mag didn't look entirely convinced, "Alright, then."

Gia grabbed her mother into a hug. She hardly ever got to go in public because of the resemblance to Mag, but Mag wasn't worried about that. She wanted her daughter to have a fun, happy day… Mag rested her cheek on Gia's forehead, "Gia? Make me a promise okay?"

"Promise me you'll be the best you can be at everything. That you'll be kind and smart and honest."

Gia nodded, "Of course," although she was confused as to why her mother brought this up.

"Good. I love you Gianna. Don't ever forget it."

"I love you mama. Ti amo più di quanto ci sono stelle nel cielo."

Mag smiled, taking in every precious moment with her daughter.

"Now, bedtime!"

"Aw mom! You ruined the loving moment!" Gia teased.

Mag rolled her eyes and snuggled Gianna into her bed, safe under the covers, off into a peaceful sleep.

Author's Note.

Thank you so much for the reviews! They're great and keep me really motivated to keep writing. I hope I don't make Gia seem too smart for a ten year old, but I want her to be intelligent. Ah! So I hope to be writing more, as I got a new laptop, and I am on vacation and have finished my exams at school. So look for more chapters! And as for the little history lesson I got into, that will have more importance later on. I'm obsessed with the Tudors, so incorporating that is cool. ChidorixCixBritannia I have seen The Devil's Carnival. Love it! :P Keep the reviews coming everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Zia-Aunt

Ti amo più di quanto ci sono stelle nel cielo- I love you more than there are stars in the sky