Chapter 5

In a strange kind of silence, Mai sat in her daughter's room gently brushing her hair in the same manner she had when Jo was a little girl. In the week since the probation period started she'd been spending a lot of time with her daughter, who had reverted back to the sulky, moody state she'd been in before Crovell's return. Mai knew it was because her daughter wanted everyone's acceptance, but she for one was not yet ready to give it to her.

Spending so much time with Jo also allowed Mai to confirm something she'd half suspected before Crovell's return. There was no denying Jo looked better for having her powers back; her skin had a certain kind of radiance and her hair a beautiful kind of shine Mai hadn't seen since her daughter was thirteen. But her face still had the same slightly drawn look to it and her limbs still appeared painfully shallow. Mai had been searching for a way to bring it up with her daughter, but every time the pair of them started talking the conversation dissolved into Jo begging desperately for acceptance.

'Ni…' the hesitant sound of Jo's voice caught Mai off-guard. 'I think… I mean…'

'Ni what?' Mai carefully coaxed her.

'After… after Dad became the First, I went to see Ni.'

'Oh?'

She hadn't been expecting that. For a moment the silence between them returned and during that time her mind had sickly turned over a thousand scenarios as to why her daughter had gone to see Ni. None of them were good.

'I wanted him to help me get acceptance,' Jo eventually breathed out, 'but he refused. He said he had everything from me that he needed. He also… he also…'

'He also what?' Mai couldn't help but swallow hard.

'I think he also took something in exchange for everything he did for me. Or if not took it then, thinks he has some kind of claim to it now.'

'Do you…' she hesitated, before taking a deep breath. 'Do you have any idea what?'

'Either it was my soul,' she began slowly, 'or…' she placed a hand over her stomach.

'You only…' Mai chocked back the slight amount of disgust rising in her throat. 'You only did that with him once. That doesn't mean you're…'

'Oh, I know that I am,' she turned towards her mother, meeting her gaze with a serious expression. 'I know you hate to hear it, but… I am pregnant with my brother's child.'

'Jo, be clear with on this with me on this one; it's barely been a week since you and he… Are you sure?'

'Certain.'

For a few moments Mai couldn't help but take a few steadying deep breaths in. She wasn't totally sure how she was supposed to deal with that information. Sniffing slightly, she placed a hand in front of her mouth and blinked back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.

'You're going to need to…' she gulped a tearful breath, 'you're going to need to start eating then.'

'What?'

'You may not care anything about yourself Jo,' Mai turned her daughter's head so she could start brushing her hair again, 'but if there's a baby involved then you can't… I mean, you have more than just yourself to think about now.'

'But…' she could hear the uncertain frown in Jo's voice. 'What did you mean by start eating? I eat.'

'Of course you do,' Mai began to blink more rapidly, wishing she wasn't blowing the chance to have the conversation she'd been waiting for. 'I just mean…'

'I do eat Mum. I'm not… I mean, I… Maybe I wasn't, for a while. But… I mean…'

'I'm sure you do,' she coughed slightly, trying to keep her composure, 'I just…'

'Just what?' Jo's eyes turned towards her, with the same kind of desperation that had been in them for days.

'Just wanted to let you know that it's my turn to chaperone you and your brother today. That's all.'

'Oh,' she instantly looked disappointed. 'I… I'm not completely sure he knows yet.'

'About the baby?'

Mutedly she nodded.

'I'd lay off telling him for a little while then Jo,' Mai tried to give her the most sympathetic smile she could muster, 'he'd just use it as another reason to get you to run away with him.'

'I know,' she lowered her gaze, 'but I have to have this baby Mum. And I have to make you all accept that.'

'Why?'

'Because… because Crovell is not enough and because this baby is…' she trailed off.

'The baby is what?'

'You won't believe me until he's born,' a sad smile appeared to form at whatever thought she was having, before she flicked her gaze up to meet Mai's again. 'Everything would be so much easier for me if Crovell was enough; I really wish he was Mum.'

'Why isn't he?'

'Because Order needs acceptance to exist. And the acceptance of one is not enough.'

Kisara had somehow made it in and out of the Southern Palace without being noticed. And, as convenient as it would have been to have gone from there to the Northern Palace, she wanted to save the Ashmar place for last. Instead she made her way down to Earth, in order to deliver the message for the Moto. She'd just placed the letter down in the tray and slipped the one that was meant to return with her to heaven into her pocket, when his voice sounded from behind her.

'Can I help you?'

Turning she saw a boy with longish reddish-brown hair and hazily blue eyes watching her. The lad wasn't that much taller than she was and had a slightly off look about him, as though he was suffering from a prolonged but not life threatening illness. He was dressed in an off black tank top, that was at least two sizes too big for him and long blue shorts that were belted at the waist just to keep them up. For a moment she couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't just bothered to buy clothes that fit him properly to begin with, but almost instantly told herself off for it. The fact that he was or had not long ago been ill accounted for the ill-fitting outfit and she knew it.

'Hi,' her face filled with a nervous smile, before remembering what Seto Khoral had said about not being seen. 'Oh gee, I knew I wasn't the right person for this.'

'Wasn't the right person for what?'

'To work for Mr Khoral,' she sighed. 'He told me I had to deliver and collect all this mail without being caught. Well I guess I failed that miserably; I knew I should have recommended False to him.'

'Who's False?' The boy continued to eye her up curiously.

'He's like my oldest friend; we've done everything together since we were kids. In fact, we even named ourselves at about the same time. Kisara Kyriacou and False Gleasta.'

'False Gleasta?'

'It's this whole thing to do with his father killing him when he was a week old. Don't ask, I don't get everything False does. But… look I've got to go now. I've still got to…' she nervously held up the letter addressed to Drake Ashmar.

'Sure, go,' a polite smile filled his face, 'and don't worry, I won't tell SK that I saw you; just come back to see me when you can. The name's Lus, by the way. Lus Moto.'