“I need that remote,” Haley commanded as she held out her hand to Mr. Hood.

  “My student is here,” Mr. Hood replied as he drew back from the projection.

  “The remote, Sensei,” Haley ordered again and took a step closer.

  “Olivia! If you’re monitoring, I need your assistance, now, possibly even yesterday,” the director called out to the room.

  “You…” Haley’s face darkened before she dropped her weapon and leapt at Mr. Hood in an attempt to grab the remote.

  Mac shouldn’t have been surprised when the two tumbled to the jungle floor sending a cascade of dead leaves and disturbed insects up into the air. Yeah, they definitely had that many legs.

  “How are you even able to…?” Mr. Hood protested as he struggled to hang on to the remote, “Oh… that’s how,” the wild-eyed director finally figured it out.

  “Just let me have it,” Haley demanded as she tried to rip the remote away from the director’s panicked grasp.

  “Oh, I’ll let you have it,” Mr. Hood threatened as they rolled through the forest debris, a satisfying crunch emanating from each dead leaf in their path. It seemed the memories were rather accurately pulled from Mac’s mind.

  The two adversaries were finally halted by a large root, leaving the smaller Haley atop her opponent. She wisely kicked a leg out before he could roll them back the other way even as he clutched the remote tightly to his chest. “Amethyst, get over here and help me, already!” Haley directed to the stunned camo wearing lady even as she struggled to pull the remote away from the persistent defender.

  “I thought he was on our side,” the camouflaged woman replied hesitantly.

  “Let my teacher go!” Zac exclaimed he tried to push Haley off Mr. Hood. She hadn’t expected that.

  “I’m not trying to hurt him,” Haley turned sharply and grabbed Zac by the wrists to stop him from pounding on her. “I just need that remote.”

  “You dare… lay a finger… on one of my children,” said a new female voice in a very dangerous tone. “And you force yourself on the director who is one of the sweetest humans I’ve ever met.”

  Haley glanced down momentarily and belatedly realized her sundress was showing quite a bit more thigh than it was designed to. Her wide eyes darted back up and quickly found the source of the voice striding purposefully towards her. A slightly overweight woman pushing five-foot-one only because she was wearing platform-canvas shoes that looked like they had been decorated by a pack of six-year-olds with a full marker collection approached like a desert thundercloud. Her curly gold hair framed a heart-shaped face set with pink, kissable lips and narrowed eyes that flamed with anger so brightly their color was not readily discernable.

  “I can explain…” Haley let go of her grip on Zac to raise a finger. He clenched his fists at his side and stared at her angrily.

  “I’ve got nineteen children unsupervised in a fully equipped auto shop. You have until my claws are around your throat,” the golden-haired woman permitted as she dropped her hands to her side revealing various-length nails, obviously painted by children, chipped, split in places, and just plain in desperate need of a manicure. “Claws” was a fair word, possibly even a compliment.

  “This will be over quickly,” Amethyst commented to Mac with a knowing smile. “Probably should warn the others before… Do you have a radio?” Mac nodded negatively as Haley quickly stood to her feet leaving Mr. Hood curled up defensively around the remote.

  “What are you doing out of your lamp?” Olivia demanded as she strategically placed herself between Haley and Zac and somehow managed to look down her nose at the slightly taller woman.

  “I’ll just be… going… now…” Haley offered a weak smile.

  “Back in the lamp, Haley,” the shorter Olivia seemed to tower over her enemy.

  “About that…”

  “You were leaving,” Olivia reminded the wide-eyed woman.

  The AI faded obediently from the simulation with a look of terror on her face.

  “Kill the simulation before she changes her mind, please,” Olivia turned to Mr. Hood. A single mash of the button and trees faded from view leaving the room in its original condition.

  “Robin,” the golden-haired lady knelt down beside the director, took his hand in hers, leaned close and asked, “Are any other of my children in danger?”

  Mr. Hood nodded negatively and Olivia turned back to check on Zach still down on a knee, “You’re not hurt, are you?” She looked into both his eyes, then licked a finger before straightening Zach’s hair.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “I’m fine,” he replied as he failed to dodge her moist finger. He had been distracted by Mr. Hood hurrying over to check on the computers in the corner and now he had girl slime on his forehead. Hopefully it would wash off before the cooties took hold and killed him while he slept. Reggie had warned him. Poor Billy.

  She sighed then kissed the top of his head after capturing it deftly between her small hands, “I didn’t have all my options, there… I was a bit… concerned.” Zach furiously rubbed his forehead, likely spreading the cooties to his hands. He should have considered that, first.

  “My daddy’s here,” Zach looked back up at her with a grimace before retuning his gaze to his infected hands. “He wasn’t worried, so I wasn’t either.” Although he probably should be now.

  Olivia’s heart-shaped face angled up to Mac revealing curious golden eyes the same shade as her hair. He waved awkwardly.

  “You must be Mac,” it wasn’t quite an accusation, nor was it an invitation to eternal friendship. Although, Mac found himself hoping it could be the latter.

  “I wonder if I’ll die tonight or if it will take a few days,” Zach voiced softly.

  “Say something, laddie,” Amethyst bumped Mac gently on shoulder oblivious to the despair taking hold of his son. Was that an evil grin that ghosted across her face at the edge of his vision.

  Olivia stood to her feet, strode purposely toward him and stopped only when her toes had nearly reached his own. Apparently personal space wasn’t something she studied in school.

  Olivia put her hands on her hips and craned her neck to look up at him as she tilted her head to speak, putting a single, wide, golden eye on him, “Mac?” Her voice was an alto, nearly a tenor, which surprised him now that he mulled it over in his mind. There was just a touch of gravel in it like a teenager who had smoked a few packs a day before quitting. The accent was… unplaceable, exotic even.

  “Hi,” Mac smiled awkwardly down at her.

  She eyed him carefully for a moment as if she was used to making people tremble under her gaze. The nervous laugh was probably not what she expected, and she smiled a toothy grin revealing a collection of white teeth that weren’t quite exactly all where they were supposed to be, but close enough to make her genuinely adorable. “I’m called Olivia,” she announced even as she implied the question. No hand was reached out in greeting, but being that they were standing so close, that was understandable.

  “I’m… I’m… I’m…a… uh…” She was so close that Mac tried not to accidentally spit on her. That would be bad. Not a good first impression. Like showing up to your in-laws without the ham. He was forgetting something, wasn’t he?

  Even his dad was struggling. Could the cooties cross the room… like a blown kiss?

  “I believe this human is broken,” Olivia tapped the side of her head and declared to the Amethyst still in her modest nurse’s uniform. “He may need your services.” There was just enough suggestion in the tone… So, she was funny, too… And she didn’t like Amethyst. Could she be any more perfect?

  I’m not broken, am I? Zach wondered from his place behind her. I’m sure she didn’t mean to kill me, Zach tried to comfort himself as tears welled up.

  “This laddie is Mac,” Amethyst placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “He’s an idiot.”

  Wait, what? Mac turned his head sharply still at a loss for words.

  “You say this about every boy,” Olivia countered, still rooted in place.

  “He’s special.”

  Olivia glanced back up at him with that single, golden eye beneath her golden tresses. Was she blind in the other? Maybe just farsighted. That was a beautiful green eye-shadow she was wearing.

  “I know you can speak. I’ve heard you once already,” Olivia offered him another chance.

  “I’m sorry,” Mac stumbled. Completely oblivious to his softly sobbing son behind her.

  “Pleased to meet you, Sorry, I’m Olivia,” the woman grinned.

  He smiled widely, “Mac, the name is Mac. That’s my line, I’m going to want it back.”

  “But I stole it fair and square,” Olivia replied playfully.

  “No, I insist.”

  “It’s mine,” Olivia’s voice was suddenly surprisingly serious.

  “Okay, it’s yours,” Mac placed his hands on her shoulders like he was imparting a gift.

  She allowed his hands just a moment to rest before shaking them off with a minute twisting.

  The scent of her finally registered in Mac’s nostrils. He thought it had just been all the electronics in the room, but it was her. Like the scent of a summer thunderstorm combined with a mixed bag of scented markers. Where had she found that perfume? They didn’t sell it in the company store.

  Zach could smell the storm approaching. This was it. The cooties were man and vesting. His time was short. It had been good life when Fluffy wasn’t tormenting him, or those few days in the hospital wondering if his dad was going to wake up.

  Olivia glanced back down at Mac’s feet. Oddly enough, they hadn’t moved. She was about to comment as much when two small arms reached around her waist.

  “I’ll miss you, Miss Olivia,” Zach hugged her belly with a tear in his eye, and then pulled her backwards. No one could move her if she didn’t want to move. Except… she felt gravity shifting. There was a moment of terror as she lost her balance, and then her foot moved back an inch involuntarily to brace her. Her mouth fell open in shock as her eyes searched the ground for potential obstacles. She was still looking down so maybe the man hadn’t noticed.

  “Zach, it’s not nice to pull people off balance,” Mac commented to his son, “even if you’re thankful. Let Miss Olivia stand, please.”

  When Olivia’s eyes glanced back up demurely from under her golden curls, Mac was still rooted in place, smiling down at her… effortlessly. She checked his feet again just to be sure… It was Zach. If Zach hadn’t pulled her off balance… No. There lie madness. No small boy could sweep her off her feet that easily.

  Amethyst raised a triumphant, knowing eyebrow at her.

  “Are you looking for something?” Mac asked with genuine concern in his voice.

  “No, no, yes,” Olivia took another step back and offered a tiny curtsy that looked awkward in her grease-stained jeans. Her pink lips couldn’t seem to decide whether they wanted to smile or frown. There was a momentary panic that finally rose to the surface and she took a deep breath. Then nothing happened. Nothing happened. She just continued to stand there bouncing awkwardly like a scarecrow in a wheat field. Just who was this guy. The file was right. The file was almost never right… not exactly anyways.

  “Aarabeth, is that you,” she giggled haltingly.

  “Who?” Mac asked, as Amethyst crossed her arms confidently behind him clearly enjoying her discomfort.

  “I… I… I,” she abruptly raised a finger as if warding Mac off, “need to go check on the children.” With that she turned and fled from the room.

  “Why are you smiling?” Mac questioned Amethyst after turning around.

  “Let’s just say we’re even, now.” She then leaned towards Zach who sat listlessly on the floor knowing his life was over. “I’m a nurse today. I can cure cooties.”

  Zach’s face brightened as he looked back up at his savior.

  Then she kissed him on his forehead. “All better.”