The Tale of the Blood Diamond by Tiana Laveen Page B

This was normal Zarkstormian behavior, but not human baby behavior, especially since he spoke in short sentences, and most of his baby teeth were already in. Jayme didn’t know much about small child development, but she knew this was abnormal. Her sighs of concern didn’t go unnoticed and Zachary’s daycare center teacher found the tiny tot truly astounding. Xzion had tried to assure her that he would be fine.
    He’d warned her before their son’s birth that his development would be this way, and though the Zarkstormian medical exam conceded he was not a warrior, despite his warrior lineage, Xzion had doubts. There was something about Zachary that he could feel , connect with on a deeper level, and to him, it felt ‘warrior.’ He had a hypothesis. His human side was hiding it. The information was buried deep within the toddler, and it would take special testing to extract it. He could look in the boy’s eye and see it; though the visual exam showed no three-fold laser, he still believed it was there, and may reveal itself later. One of the boy’s eyes glowed a bit brighter than the other, like all warrior children…
    “Zachary. Come here.” Xzion smiled down at his son who now maneuvered towards him. Holding the ball possessively, the little boy looked up at him, dark eyes glowing under the soft, yellow lights. Xzion reached down and picked him up. “You’re getting rather heavy. I take it you liked the spaghetti I fixed you for dinner last night, right?” He ran his thumb affectionately down the baby’s chin and backed away from the front door, allowing the screen to slam behind them. Making his way down the hall and into the kitchen, he flipped the switch. It bathed them in harsh, sterile light, like a medical examining room. Zachary whimpered. He covered his eyes with a tiny, puffy palm, and lowered his black, curly covered head farther into his father’s bare chest.
    “Heeeey.” Xzion ran his hand over the boy’s curls then turned the light back off. They stood in practical darkness. The windows weren’t drawn open, and the reflection from the large, stainless steel appliances was the only light that gave much perspective. “I’ve noticed the light has been bothering you lately. I want to check your eyes later.”
    He made a note to do such as he begun to prepare the boy breakfast. Keeping his son steady on one hip, he dipped low; retrieving a pan, then hummed a song as he grabbed various items from the refrigerator. He cracked eggs into the skillet, stirring them expertly with his one free hand while entertaining Zachary all the while. The boy looked into his face and grinned, occasionally laughing at the silly faces Xzion was making. After he was finished, he displayed the boy’s feast on the counter: a bowl of raisin oatmeal, two scrambled eggs and four slices of toast. Last but not least was a steak for Daddy, rare, bloody and ready for his consumption. He sat Zachary down in his high chair, turned on the radio and scooted the food towards his son. The boy picked up the spoon and ate like an adult, digging into his bowl and scooping the oatmeal in his mouth. Jayme had complained that their son had grown unusually quiet as of late. It was true. The seventeen-month old didn’t talk as much as he did previously and now when he did, the words were much clearer. The baby babble was disappearing and he seemed to deliberate before uttering anything, much like his father.
    Xzion and his son ate quietly, an understanding growing between the two. It was interesting for him to see his son’s human side, like the loud laughter at cartoons, which Zachary still very much enjoyed. He liked balls, trucks and cars. The Zarkstormian side showed in his mannerisms. He was rather robotic, extremely observant and didn’t cry a lot. Matter of fact, if Zachary cried, that meant he was in a world of pain. Otherwise, he sat like a perfect solider during his medical exams and when a needle was presented, he rarely