Read Online Zoo by Tara Elizabeth - Free Book Online Page A

of
course, so I pluck one of its fruits on my way to check on
James. Will he be there today? I wonder as I try to focus on something positive.
At first I don’t see anyone except for Sue, his horse, but then I
see movement inside the window of the closest building—the very
building James lives in. A man’s leather-booted foot crosses the
door’s threshold, followed by another. Hope sparks inside me, but
then the man fully emerges from the building. It’s not
James.
    And the two people that come next are not
James either. In fact, they aren’t even men. They are two beautiful
girls with long brown hair, hourglass figures, and blue cotton
dresses. They cling to one another as they faithfully follow their
leader. They must be sisters.
    The man that appeared before them puts on a
brave face. He is a sturdy man with ebony skin. He’s dressed in
cowboy attire like James wears. He guards the women behind him as
they duck into the next building. I can see flickers of them as
they pass the windows and search the various rooms of the wooden
shack. They must not have found anything of interest because they
reappear within seconds.
    James must have gotten a mate as well. A
tinge of jealousy passes through me.
    I watch the man and two women explore their
dusty enclosure to pass the long morning. They don’t do anything
interesting, but the public seems to enjoy watching them as much as
I do. They crowd around the glass and whisper to one another. Some
of them point and others stand on their tiptoes to get a better
look. I decide the only good thing about the newcomers is that they
will draw attention away from our enclosure, at least until the
newness wears off.
    One of the women, the smaller of the two,
cries on her sister’s shoulder midday. I feel sad for her. This is
a horrible fate. The sturdy man shoos them into one of the
buildings so they don’t get in trouble. The crowds disperse when
they no longer have anything to look at in that enclosure. I no
longer have anything to watch either, so my gaze drifts to the
public and all their amazing clothing choices.
    There is a woman dressed like Marilyn
Monroe, with blonde hair and a white halter dress. Beside her, her
friend is dressed like Madonna; Madonna from the 80’s with pointy
cone-boobs and too much jewelry (I’ve seen photos). There is a
large group of children who are all dressed in what I would call
“regular” school uniforms. They are wearing plaid shorts and skirts
with white polo shirts. I wonder if they are mimicking styles from
my era or if this is normal attire for them today.
    I’m so engrossed in the public’s fashion
choices that I almost miss him today. He’s sitting on the same
bench he was standing on during the protest. He’s hidden behind the
group of school children, and I only see flashes of him as the
children move about.
    Once the school children eventually move on,
I have a full view of the tanned man. He’s dressed in a grass skirt
like the first day I saw him, and he’s wearing a braided crown
around his head made of some type of long, green grasses. He looks
exactly the same as the first day with only one difference.

KALE
     
    The man on the bench isn’t staring at me
today. When I follow his gaze behind me, I discover that he is
staring at Kale, and Kale is staring back.
    I march over to Kale, stopping just short of
him. I didn’t realize when he was lying on the ground last night
how fit he is. His body is muscular, but he isn’t bulky even though
he stands under six-feet tall. He has a strong jaw, almond shaped
eyes, and a wide, but not too wide nose. And he smells like our
waterfall, mixed with the scent of beach air and sand. I take a
step back.
    “ Who is that?” I demand,
drawing myself back into the present.
    Kale looks down at me. “How should I know?”
he answers.
    “ Well, you look like you
know him. Why are you staring at him?”
    “ I could ask you the same
question,” he fires back.
    I turn and look back out to