Zatga: The Beginning: Part 8

Sabrina sprinted along the roof. The night was blind but there was the dim light of the silver moon. Afar, she could see the tall building, standing silently still as if it had been mocking her.

She jumped from the wall to the nearest balcony and quickly knocked the glass door. In seconds, a girl came to open the door.

“Xi!”

“Why, why.” Xi stared at her rather anxiously. “You always get yourself into troubles, don’t you?” She let Sabrina stepped inside. “Come.”

“I was looking for my sister. Do you appear to know-?” Sabrina was talking deliberately but suddenly paused.

There, on Xi’s bed, Bertha was scooping a nice amount of ice creams into her little mouth and stared at her indifferently.

“Hi, sis.”

That was all she got. “What are you doing?”

Xi came toward them. “She had eaten a lot of ice creams since she arrived. She’d explained everything to me. But she always stared at me and made me feel like being scrutinized. So I gave her ice creams and hoped it would stop her staring at me while I sent for your aid. She stopped her stares, thank goodness, but the bad news is she couldn’t stop eating all my ice creams.”

Sabrina grinned. “So you’re the one who’ve sent the Palace troops to help me?”

Xi nodded. “Exactly.” She patted her computers. “Told you these could save you for a lifetime.” She grinned, her face beamed with pride. “So it is working?”

Sabrina could not herself grin. “Like a gun. What have you done?”

“I hacked the Palace’s security system and raised the alarm. And sent a private word to the General himself. I assure you, you don’t want to know.” She pointed her computers as she said this.

This caused Sabrina to laugh. “But I am sure to thank you for saving my life.” She smirked. “They almost blew my head.”

By this, Bertha smacked her lips.

Sabrina and Xi turned their heads. “And you,” Sabrina hissed, “Why didn’t you go back to that damn place and lend me a hand?”

Bertha seemed to be enjoying this, for she took another giant scoop of ice creams.
“You trust her,” said she, pointing her spoon to Xi. “So I must trust her for helping you.” By this, Sabrina waved her hands desperately in the air.

“Stupid things to say.” But her face turned scarlet and she said no more.

---

The Palace was grand, as always.

Sabrina once again was staring at the Couple, finding herself thrilled without any reason. Behind her, Lento was walking toward her, papers in both hands.

“I keep my promise.” He handed the papers to her and let her examine it. “This is the family tree of the Royal Family we have copied for you.”

Bertha was standing silently behind them, near the doorway.

Sabrina fell into silent for a couple of minutes. But then she shrugged.

“Thank you. For everything.”

Lento, at first, was trying to stop her. But he changed his mind, for he knew stopping her would only take him to nothing.

“Good luck, then, child.”

---

Bertha trailed her from behind, accompanied her to the exit.

“So?”

Sabrina shrugged. “You already knew the answer before the King gave me these.” She was walking swiftly and surely toward the exit.

Little Bertha was still trying to follow her. “So does that mean we are the member of the Royal Family or not?” This caused Sabrina to stop her pace and stared at her.

“If we do, will you be?”

“No.” She shrugged. “I don’t fit these luxuries. And I won’t get along with the people easily.” So she realized that they would not be welcomed perfectly if they were, Sabrina thought. Smart girl.

“And nor do I.”

She paced toward the exit.

---

“So,” Xi was staring at her rather curiously. “What’s next?”

“What’s what?”

Xi turned her back at her and typed something. “I don’t know. Something. I can feel something big is coming up right now.”

Sabrina shrugged and stared at the bookshelves. A bird beat its blue wings, preparing to fly. The sky was clear and pale blue. And some clouds were hanging low. “I don’t know either.” She sighed and stared longingly to the sky. Lento’s last words when they were in Stern’s house had touched her deeply.

It’s my wife’s love for her children that I could never buy.

How many men in Zatga had acted like Stern? Merciless and ruthless, and this had made him strong. And how many men in Zatga had acted like the King? Weak and filled with love. But how many men in Zatga had grown without future like her? Torn apart between choices and doubts. Will you be strong, but ruthless? Or will you choose to be a weakling, but love was overflowed in you?

“When you are a thief, you’re a thief for life.” She sighed again and glanced at Xi. Xi was till staring at her screens. “I’ll keep thieving.”

This caused Xi to stare back. She opened her mouth to answer, but Sabrina hurriedly cut her. “But not a simple thief I used to be.” She stared to Xi and said, right now more surely, “Xi, how many men in Zatga noticed something called love?”

“My ears must have deceived me.”

“Xi,” Sabrina explained eagerly. She was thrilled with her new idea. “The King had taught me one thing: there is always something simple but you keep dearly in your heart, something you treasure in your life other than money and those luxuries. And there is always someone trying to ruin it.” Her eyes gleamed. “Xi, I want to be the one who change that! I will stop people ruining something precious from other people! And I will keep them safe and sound, so they can still believe in miracles, so they know that there’s nothing wrong with little sentimental things.”

Xi was staring at her friend, but now with pride. “And I wonder why the aristocrat can’t be as pure as you.” She typed again. “Very well. Do as you like.”

“But you have to help me!”

“I beg your pardon?”

Sabrina’s eyes twinkled. “You see, this job needs to be up-to-date! It needs information: complete information, easy-to-get and fast! You’ve told me I won’t be able to operate the computers without you, so I need you to help me!”

Xi shrugged and stared at the screens. “There are things I must do.”

“Bah!” Sabrina yelled. “Yes, yes! Go back to the computers! Go and cross those systems of yours! You are as heartless as Stern! I could never understand you!”

This caused Xi to stop.

“What was that again?”

Sabrina turned her back. “What?”

“The last thing you said. Come again.”

“I will never understand you.”

“No.” Xi added firmly. “Before that.”

“You are heartless as Stern.”

Xi inhaled deeply, as if she had been trying to control herself. “No. Something to do with the systems.”

“Just...” Sabrina said slowly, unsure to answer her. “Go and cross those systems of yours...” She fell into silence, waiting for Xi to burst.

But Xi did not burst. For her surprise, she grinned. “Cross the system.” Her eyes twinkled. “I love it.” The, to herself, she whispered, “Cross the system. Cross the system...”

Sabrina was totally dubious. “Xi?”

Xi turned to her and smiled. “Count me in. I shall cross the system for you.” She put a nice grin on her face. “But grant me that title: Cross. I’m Cross. The System. For it’s only me who could easily cross the systems.”

Sabrina burst into laughter.

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