CHAPTER 2:

Zaria’s Notebook

“Excuse me,” Zaria had mentioned. Standing in flip flops, mismatched socks, shorts and a random shirt she found on her apartment floor. She was holding a clipboard covered in stickers. And having her favorite pens. She was standing before Elle Summers’ house. The four bodyguards she saw yesterday were doing their job really well. Which was bad for Zaria. “My boss made arrangements for me to meet Elle.”  “It’s Ms.Summer to you, newspaper girl.” One of the taller body guards said. “Actually my name is Zaria.” The two spent a while arguing. On one side, the bodyguards had now been making fun at her. One even started calling her ‘Socks.’ ‘It’s just ‘cause they’re jealous.’ Zaria thought. The bodyguard continued to make sly comments with Zaria sarcastically retaliating. “Clay, please.” An older woman with blonde hair stepped out. Her voice was deep but calming. Clay—the one who had been calling Zaria names—quickly went back into position. “Good day, I am Elle Summers. And you are Zaria right? My interviewer?” Zaria nodded rapidly, her expression turned joyful. Ms.Summer gladly greeted Zaria in. But before Zaria entered, she looked at Clay and stuck her tongue out at him. His expression was annoyed and he scoffed as Ms.Summer and Zaria left. 

Ms.Summer gave Zaria a tour. Showing her almost everywhere. The kitchen, the many bathrooms, the dining hall, the more than two bed rooms—which Zaria remembered very clearly because she said that more than once—the many many halls, offices, living rooms. There were many many more. ‘Many. Funny word.’ Eventually, they got to a nice light pink room. “And this is my office.” Ms.Summer had noted, gesturing her hands and pointing to various things. Explaining almost everything. “No offense Elle but I’m kind of here to interview you, not your collections of Greek philosophers. Which I find semi-interesting.” Zaria wasn’t known for being subtle. Not before or after the incident. She was also known for ‘not being respectful to her superiors.’ “Right, right.” Ms.Summer waved Zaria over to the chair in front of her desk. “Please, have a seat.” Zaria sat. With her legs criss-crossed in the still chair. Not even a moment after Ms.Summer sat down, Zaria gets down to her business. Well, into her business. “Money. I heard you have a lot of it. How?” Crossing her legs gracefully, Ms.Summer hesitated for a second. Not a worrisome hesitation. But more of, she has never heard this question before. There’s a difference Zaria claims. “Well, my family was already a good and wealthy family. I mean, they were good people. Had good accomplices. They always set everything up for me.”  “That’s how the rich stay rich. Or should I say, the wealthy stay wealthy?” Zaria’s sly comments for some reason didn’t bother Ms.Summer like everyone else. She just chuckled a bit before continuing. Maybe she thought Zaria was joking. She wasn't. 

“I found my own company. I decided—” She cut herself off. Staring intently at Zaria. Zaria was now fiddling with her fingers. Clipboard and pen on the floor. She suddenly looked up when she noticed Ms.Summer not talking anymore. “...Are you going to continue?” Ms.Summer shook her head, a big grin plastered on her face. “You’re interesting. Aren’t you going to write anything down?”  “I don’t like writing things down. Makes me forget them easier. Why? Do you want me to write it down?” Ms.Summer paused. She had paused long enough for Zaria to notice a chill rolling across her arms. Not her own. But Elle Summers.

Zaria knew she was strange. She had heard it repeated to her many times. Friends, teachers, college professors, siblings, parents. It wasn’t uncommon for her to give people an ‘off-feeling.’ But she didn’t mind it. The people who got that off feeling and ran away, they were the Phylliidae of the human world. Running, hiding, camouflaging so well so that no one could notice them. So they wouldn’t be noticed by their predators. That's how Zaria felt. But—the people who got that spine chilling feeling about her and didn’t run away? Those were the Bullet Ants, the Wasps, and even the Praying Manti of humans. Most people don’t like them. But, the ones that stick around. And those were Zaria’s accomplices. Her friends.

“I made an app. One that allows mental health to be helped. Something you didn’t have to go to the doctor for and pay thousands. I mean, healthcare should be free I believe.” She lightly leaned on her desk and smirked. “It was a small project. I didn’t think it would get this much tracton.” “What about the lawsuit—” Zaria was then interrupted by a door. Not any door. The office door in which they were in. A lady. Black hair, brown eyes. Purple dress. Bursted into the room. “Ms.Summer there’s a prob—” She quickly shut her mouth when Zaria had turned around, in the weird position she was in. “Um–” She cleared her throat before she continued. “May I speak to you in private? This is very important. Very.” “Mh, well it does seem that way. You said it two times.” Zaria had mentioned, as she grabbed her clipboard and stuff off the floor. “Hey, I think I remember you from yesterday.” Zaria had made it clear while standing by the door. The woman, visibly confused, but clearly lying says, “I was off yesterday.” And Elle Summers made this clear as well. “She was not working yesterday.” Zaria bowed, as a joke, and smiled. “My mistake.” Quickly shutting the doors behind her, she could hear vast noises of talking while she was walking away. ‘I didn’t even get to ask her about the interesting part.’

Thirty minutes had slipped away, the soft, fluffy creatures hopping around on screen, offering her a comforting distraction from whatever was going on in her head. Zaria leaned back in her car seat, her fingers idly scrolling through the endless loop of bunny videos that filled her feed. Maybe it was the quiet little moments of joy, or maybe it was the fact that these bunnies didn’t care about deadlines, work, or anything else. Either way, it worked. For now. But like everything else, even bunny videos couldn’t hold her attention forever. 

Zaria sighed, the weight of the day already starting to creep in. She should’ve gone home, should’ve just taken the night off like most people would’ve, but the thought of sitting in her apartment alone, staring at the walls... Well, it didn’t appeal to her. Not tonight. She twisted the key in the ignition, the car’s engine rumbling to life. “Work it is then, dang—boss will not be that happy about this,” she muttered to herself, a small smirk tugging at her lips. “Oh well, he’s always angry about something. I’m okay with that.”

Actually, the reason Zaria actually likes her boss is not that far off from complicated. Zaria works, seven days a week, nine to five—but only on her time. She could show up early, late, whenever she wanted to. All she had to do? Option one: Complete eight hours of work. Every single day. Or, Option two: Every and any case; any famous people to put in the paper, anything that would get the company to sell more papers; she had to do. That was it. She did that, she was free to do anything she wanted. Weird deal, Zaria always thought. But deep down she knew, her boss really only counted on her to actually get the job done. I mean, she never owned him. Just, something deep down in her wanted to help him. Maybe it was the way he was always grumpy. Or the way his face would never reveal a smile. Never laugh. Never. Repetition was also one of her favorite things. Just like her job. She had many favorite things and her job was definitely one of them. People usually hate their jobs; but not Zaria. She always saw them as useful. Everything is useful. 

“So, you went to the house. Talked to Elle Summers for what? Seven minutes? And all you got was how she came up with her app?” His feet were tapping, his relatively expensive shoes hitting the floor repeatedly. “Mh, I think ‘ya got everything.” He held his breath before yelling out, “Are you crazy!? That’s it? And you’re proud of it!? I could have Google that sh-t!” Zaria’s deadpan expression made him calm down a bit. He was so heated he had stood up from his chair. Sitting back down, fixing his tie, and took a deep breath before speaking again. “Shaw. I did not ask for you specifically to go up there and not get me anything.”  “Oh. So, finding out that Elle Summers is hiding something isn’t anything?” Zaria said, her tone indicating she didn’t know when in fact she did. “That her staff knew something? Something they didn’t want me to hear? That I saw a woman who was not supposed to be working one day, was in fact there? That her bodyguards are rude pieces of trash, like stink bugs? That’s not anything?” Her boss sat in silence a bit before Zaria decided to get up. “Well, if that’s nothing then I apologize for wasting your time. I will not go back tomorrow to get answers and I’ll leave it to you.” Her voice, condescending but joyful. He knew that she was playing him. But, he still decided to pick up the controller to find out. “Shaw.” She stopped just before she stepped out. “You have until tomorrow or I’m putting you on paperwork.” Zaria's face was turned away but her expression was anything but neutral. She hated paperwork. It was always too boring for her. “You won’t be disappointed sir. I assure you, bossman.”

As Zaria was leaving, she was surrounded on both sides by her Bullet Ant and her Wasp. “Uh—are you—are you okay?” Her Bullet Ant asked, sounding confused and worried. “What she meant to ask is—why are you fighting with Mr.Louis?” The Wasp added on. “Bossman? We weren’t arguing. He was yelling at me and I was speaking respectfully back.”  “So you guys were fighting?” Zaria looked at Diana and Max, seeing that they were visibly worried, she reassured them. “Listen, yes he yelled at me and yes I took care of it. We’re on good terms now.” Zaria clapped her hands together and smiled. “Now, Wasp—please tell me you did not eat my food. Again.” They both looked around confused until Zaria gave Max a deadpan stare. “A wasp? That’s the best bug you could have come up with for me?” “You sting for no reason.” Zaria exclaimed, “Now did you eat my food?” Max looked annoyed, piqued, crossed, irked. Relentlessly, he shook his head ‘no’ and Zaria skipped her way to the break room. “That kid is crazy.” Max uttered, “Actually insane.”  “Shush Wasp, you’re just mad.” Diana uttered back, smiling and then following Zaria. Max hung back for a moment, but not before succumbing to their charm. He ended up following Diana, who was following Zaria. And Zaria was following whatever was taking her. 

It felt like Zaria had been jumping around a lot today. From Elle Summers house in the morning, and here late until the sun is getting closer and closer to going down. Like she was waiting for something or someone to happen. Maybe she was waiting for her brother to call. He always did. Just making sure she was okay. The conversation would start nice. “How are you? Still insane?” And end exactly the same way, “You are f-king crazy! How you you—” And then she would end the call. She couldn’t stand when other people repeated things. Well, she didn’t like when they repeated over a long period of time. Everyday for example. She could deal with tiny repetitions. Very very tiny. 

Her feet had been on her desk as she spent the rest of the day messing on her phone. Playing games, texting people, and other things. Non-important things. ‘I hope there isn’t a Click Beetle outside. I thought I heard Beatris talking about something. A bug that jumps when it's trying to escape, it ends up jumping so far. It might even run into you. Those things kind of creep me out.’ She thought her very boring eventful day was done. Another thing she liked, contradictions. Happy meltdown, calm panic, quiet screaming. She liked very small but large things. Small to others, large to her. Until her boring eventful day, turned normally weird.