The Green Guardian

Chapter 13: The Briefing

        Ms. Brook dragged Mateo to the maple tree where Evie met the camp crew the day before. For some reason, its leaves were extra beautiful that day. She let his ankle go, and he immediately stood up. Before Mateo could open his mouth to say something, Ms. Brook grabbed his head and hugged him to her breasts.

"My little Mateo Waeo," she whimpered. She kissed him all over his face, leaving lipstick stains, and on top of his head.

"Mamá, let go of me," Mateo begged. He pulled his head free and gave her an evil glare. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "When you hung up yesterday without saying 'Goodbye' or 'I love you', I knew something was wrong. Therefore, here I am."

Mateo looked like he was about to explode. "You mean, you just left Maria?"

Ms. Brook gently slapped his cheek. "Of course not, sugar cube. I brought her."

"You what?" Right when Mateo asked that, his fiancée appeared over a hill. She wore a nice outdoor uniform with a hat and bug net over her head.

A smile broke across her face. "Mateo!" She scurried through some flowers, her black hair flowing in the breeze, and stopped next to him. Maria threw her arms around his neck, but she bumped his belly in the process.

"Ow!" he yelled. He quickly pushed her off.

"'Ow'?" Ms. Brook flashed Mateo an angry look. "I knew it! I knew you'd get hurt! You're way too exhausted for this mission, you little...!" She again thumped him on the back of his head.

"I'm not hurt," Mateo argued, but right when he said that, his belly burned. He puffed out his cheeks to hide the pain. He exchanged glances with his mom and fiancée. "Look, it's way too dangerous for you two here."

Maria grasped his arm. "Mateo, please, we just want to help you. We couldn't sit around and do nothing. You need to lay low and get some rest."

"I appreciate your concern, but I don't need any rest," Mateo said. "Now, will y'all let me go? A briefing is about to start for a girl in my group."

Ms. Brook threw her hands. "Well, perfect. You can take a nap while it's going on."

Mateo blushed. "Seriously, Mom? I am a grown man."

She punished him by smacking his head for the third time. "You're hardly a man! You're going to take a nap."

Maria was on Ms. Brook's side. She clutched her heart and begged, "Please, Mateo, all we're asking is just ten minutes."

"I am a grown man!" Mateo ripped himself free from Maria's grasp. "Don't make me use magic on you guys! Just let me do my job."

"That's the thing," Ms. Brook said. "You love your job way too much."

Mateo tightly clenched his fists. "Well, it's the only way I can get away from you, Mamá!"

Ms. Brook froze. Her son, her own son, just said that. She looked like she had been pierced by an arrow.

"I'm tired of you still treating me like a child," Mateo added. "Just get out of here and leave me alone!" With that, he turned on his heel and marched away from the women.

Ms. Brook sniffed. She shook her head. "My own son."

Maria put her arm around her shoulders. "He didn't mean that, Ms. Brook. He's just tired. I'll try to knock some sense into him. Knowing him, he'll listen to me."