Kiera and Peter San Marco had long wanted a child of their own. Kiera was unable to have children and, at some future point in time, the couple planned to adopt.
Long time Disturbed Ones, they both saw the collaspe of the government as a travesty. Rights and freedoms were taken away. People around them were being assimulated into the new, illegal government's mindset, led by a female President. The San Marcos knew that what was happening was against everything they had ever been taught, and further feared for their very survival because they were a mixed race couple. Interracial and interfaith couples were being arrested every day, and they were horrified by the stories they heard about what the government was doing to them.
It was this that led the couple to their first rally soon after the puppet government gained power. They were surprised by the hundreds of thousands of people who turned out to hear David, the self professed leader of the Disturbed Ones, speak about taking the country back from those who had stolen it. Kiera, especially, was interested in fighting back, because she had watched as her parents were arrested and led away to some remote location simply because they, themselves, were an interracial couple. Kiera's father was Native American; her mother was Hispanic and caucasian. Kiera had no idea where her parents were being held, or even if they were still alive. Torture was the preferred method to punish those who had unknowingly broken the racial and religious laws the illegal government had enacted.
Since they could not become parents in the usual way, and had decided to adopt at the time the illegal government was voted into power, they volunteered to take care of the children of fallen or captured Disturbed Ones. This is how they became the guardians of a two week old baby girl named Julia.
They knew of the death of Julia's father, Jacob Rossman, and the imprisonment of her mother, Jordan Terranova; they also knew of the bravery of Morbus, the disfigured bodyguard who rescued Julia from the prison hospital where she was born, and slated to be handed over to government sympathizers to be raised.
When Julia was brought over to their safe house, Kiera and Peter had been prepared for her, and had all the supplies on hand to take care of her for how ever long it took to find and liberate Jordan from her imprisonment.
From the outset, Kiera had become attached to Julia, who in time had the dark hair and dark eyes of her parents. Julia was truly a beautiful child and was a blessing to have the priviledge to raise, no matter how little or how much time it would take to find her biological mother.
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One night shortly after Julia's first birthday, Peter and Kiera learned that another child needed their guardianship. A four year old boy had been orphaned when his parents were murdered after attending a Disturbed Ones rally. There were no biological relatives who were willing to take the boy in, so the San Marcos were chosen to raise him. His name was Nikolai.
Nik was a good boy, and got along well with Julia. He seemed puzzled that his parents weren't coming to get him like they had so many other times. Peter had to sit down with Nik and explain what happened to his parents, and that he and Kiera would take care of him. Peter was taken aback when Nik asked,
"Are Julia's parents never coming back, too?"
"Julia's father isn't, but her mother is being held by the Bad Ones, and when she is able, she will come get Julia," Peter told him. "Until then, we're a family."
Nik understood and went off to find Julia.
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The San Marcos allowed Morbus, who had rescued Julia from the prison hospital, to see the little girl on occasion. While Nik was afraid of Morbus at times, Julia never was. Julia played games with Morbus just like she did with other adults. Despite his hideous appearance and his penchant for violence against the illegal government, he was extremely gentle with Julia. Almost like a father would be, Peter thought one day as he watched Julia play catch with Morbus.
"Maybe he had been a father before his disfigurement," Kiera told her husband one evening after the children were sleeping and Morbus had long since left their home. "I can't imagine he wanted his own children to see the monster he had become. But he is good with Julia. When she says her prayers, she always prays for Morbus."
"Perhaps Morbus is misunderstood because of his disfigurement," Peter said. "Looks count for way too much in society...at least the society that is currently out there. There should be more people like Julia and fewer people like Madame President." Peter almost spat "Madame President" because his dislike and distrust of her regime made him angry. Her illegal government was fully of "pretty people". Those who aren't as "pretty" were treated the same way Disturbed Ones and other undesireables were when they were captured. More torture, imprisonment, death.
Peter had to remind himself that Morbus was still human, no matter how grotesque his appearance might be.
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His visits to the San Marco home were never easy. He hated knowing that Julia was his flesh and blood, and not being able to tell her so. She was much too young to understand what really happened to her father.
Morbus kept a photograph of Julia on a table in his spartan living quarters. He had to remind himself that, just like Julia's games of "Let's Pretend", he had to pretend that he didn't have an emotional tie to the pretty four year old.
He wanted to tell her everything, but her age prevented him from doing so. Morbus was just happy to be near his little girl. She was the spitting image of her mother, Jordan, who was still locked up somewhere. Julia was not afraid of him like her "brother" Nikolai sometimes was. She accepted Morbus' appearance without question. Maybe that will be Julia's strength as she grows older, Morbus thought; that she could accept everyone as they are, and not as someone says they should be.
Even at her young age, Julia knew about what happened to her mother, and that Jordan was a hero. Morbus smiled slightly knowing that Jordan would be so uncomfortable being called that. Jordan's only motivation was to see the illegal regime toppled, and the Constitution be reinstated and the legitimate government be put back in power. Jordan didn't do what she did because of the the recognition it would bring, but because it was the right thing to do. Even at four years old, Julia knew that.
At the visit today, Julia had asked Morbus, "Morbus, when will my mama come for me? When will the Bad Ones let her go?"
"I don't know, Julia," he had replied, taken aback that Julia even knew about her mother's imprisonment, much less when she would be reunited with her.
"We are still looking for her. It might be a long time."
And with a young child's enthusiasm, Julia gave Morbus a hug. And it was that hug that had Morbus questioning himself about how much longer he could go on knowing that he was Julia's father, that he was not dead, that he wanted to be with her and her mother very much.
Sometimes, he wished that David would have just let him die.
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At four, Julia confounded her guardians on a daily basis. She had been reading shortly before she turned three, and now was reading the same books her "brother" Nik read in school.
Her math skills were just as impressive, and she understood basic chemistry and biology. She was also learning that the government in power was a bad government. People like the San Marcos, and David, and Morbus, and her mother were the "Good Ones"; people like the ones who wanted to put people in jail were the "Bad Ones".
At four years of age, Julia knew this.
Julia's intelligence concerned Peter and Kiera. They worried that it would be used for evil intent if the puppet government somehow were able to take Julia away from them. They didn't want to "dumb down" Julia, so they decided to withdraw Nik from the safe school and homeschool both children.
And homeschooling was now against the law for Disturbed Ones and other undesirables. But the San Marcos did it anyway, because it was the only way to protect Julia from the puppet regime and its followers.
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Every few months, David made visits to the homes of those who took in the children of imprisoned Disturbed Ones. When he visited the San Marcos, David was especially interested in Julia's progress.
He learned that Julia was extremely intelligent, and that made her a target. She was getting ready to turn five years old, when she would be expected to enroll in a school of some kind. David approved of the San Marcos' plan for homeschooling their school age charges. In the last year, Peter and Kiera had taken in two more children-- two brothers, five year old Joseph and seven year old Jeremiah. Their mother was killed and their father and teenage sister were in prison.
So Peter and Kiera were homeschooling four children under ten years of age. Since Kiera's profession was teaching, she taught the classroom lessons, and Peter trained all four children in survival skills. Even Julia learned to shoot firearms, use a bow, and live in the wilderness right along with the boys. She adapted to these new skills well.
David, Peter and Kiera sat down in the kitchen and discussed their care of the children, but it was Julia that David was most interested in. Kiera thought it was because Julia was the only girl, but Peter knew it was something more.
"Julia's academic progress is astounding," David said. "I'm very pleased that she is doing so well. I'm just concerned that she could become a target for the illegal government if they knew how smart she was. I've seen children snatched away from the safe schools and used as pawns in political war games. I don't want that for Julia."
"We're concerned about that as well, David," Kiera said. "That's why we're taking the risk in homeschooling all the children. But what do we do if we're found out? Certainly the school has noticed that Joseph and Jeremiah didn't return to school when they came to live with us."
"We want what's best for all the children," Peter added. "We know Julia is already a target because of who her parents are, which is why we didn't use her given name. She has no birth certificate because she was taken by Morbus so soon after she was born. So Julia only knows the name she is called by us. No school, not even the safe school, will allow us to enroll her without certification."
David said that their concerns were valid, and that if they wanted, Morbus would watch over the children from a safe distance. Since Morbus had a tie with Julia because of the way she was brought into the San Marcos' lives, David said that he would readily volunteer.
"Morbus actually suggested this to me," David said. "He feels responsible for Julia because he rescued her from the illegal government's plan for her."
"Julia likes Morbus," Peter said. "She sees nothing wrong with him. The boys, however, are sometimes taken aback by the way he looks."
Kiera said, "Maybe that's because she's seen him her whole life, so she's used to him, Peter." Peter had to concede that Kiera had a point.
David started to say something when Julia came into the kitchen looking for a snack. Upon seeing David, she said hello.
"Mr. David," she asked sweetly; "When is Morbus coming back to visit? I haven't seen him in a long time."
David cleared his throat before answering, and wondered if Julia figured out that Morbus wasn't exactly who he has led her to believe.
"Julia," David began; "Morbus has work he does for me, and sometimes he doesn't always have time to visit. But I will tell him you asked about him."
"Okay," Julia said. Then she asked Kiera if she could have some carrot sticks for her snack instead of a cookie.
And that was what David was thinking about as he headed back to the compound in the chauffered bullet proof car. Morbus has had an influence on Julia in a positive way. It was a good decision on David's part to allow Morbus access to his daughter. David knew that Morbus wanted to tell Julia who he really was, but held off because Morbus feared that the knowledge would hurt Julia in the long run.
Then, the conversation David had with Morbus just a few days prior to his home visits played in his mind.
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Morbus had been angry. During one of his workouts, he broke one of the machines. He'd become enraged at his own failings and destroyed everything in sight. He had to be subdued with a tranquilizer dart and hospitalized.
These episodes had been happening on an irregular basis since he was dubbed Morbus several years before. The leaders thought it might be the drugs Morbus took for the pain he often felt because of his disfigurement.
After one of these episodes, while Morbus was in the hospital, that David came to see him.
When David entered the room, Morbus' back was to him. Before David even had a chance to speak, Morbus said,
"David, why didn't you let me fucking die that night I brought Julia to Dan's house?"
David rarely was left speechless, but that question did it. He had no ready answer for Morbus, and he seized on David's silence.
"You know why you didn't let me die, David? Because you knew I knew where to find Jordan. All you wanted was to use me to get to Jordan."
"That's not fuckin' true, Jacob, and you know it!" David exclaimed. It was the first time in five years Morbus had heard his original name.
"I can't stand it that I get to see my little girl, but I can't tell her who I am?" asked Morbus in an anguished voice; "when every day she looks more and more like her mother. It's killing me, David! I'd rather be dead than to go through that emotional rollercoaster! My God, why must I suffer so harshly?"
"Do you want to die, Jacob?" David asked him. "Is that what you want? Do you know how much that would hurt Julia if you were dead? She is very attached to you."
"Shouldn't a little one be attached to her father, David?" Morbus shot back. "Besides, Jacob is already dead. He died the night Jordan screamed his name in disbelief. I've always been something else, someone else since then. Morbus is as good a name as any."
"You didn't answer my question, Jacob," David said. "Do you really want to die? If so, it can be arranged."
Morbus was growing angry. "Do you not hear, David?" he asked. "Jacob is already dead. Murdered during a rally before his lady's eyes. But somehow, I was allowed to live. I am Morbus the Sickness. Jacob Rossman no longer exists."
"Morbus," David said. "Do you want to die?"
"No." Morbus replied. "Morbus lives. Jacob does not."
"Then lets not speak of it again, Morbus."
David then turned and walked out of the room.
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