The Sensorians: Awakening

he said, leaving me no choice but to sit and ask for a mint tea.
He folded his paper away and signalled to a waiter who came straight over.
“A mint tea and another coffee for me, please.”
“Fancy anything with it?"  he addressed me.
I declined.  The waiter scuttled off to get our drink whilst Zack looked at me intently.  I wasn't sure where to look but decided to look straight back at him.  I wasn't the demure type of girl and was curious to find out why he wanted to see me, so I asked him straight up.  He actually broke his intense stare for a second and looked down.  When he looked up again I noticed a slight hesitation but then determination shone through in his eyes.
“I have some information that may shock or upset you.”
He paused to see my reaction I suppose.  I sat still, my heart beating a little faster.  What the hell was this going to be about? I considered getting up and leaving, running home and forget what I had started by coming here.  But I couldn't now.  I needed to know.
“Go on."  I encouraged him, to my own surprise.
How could my voice come out so confidently?
“Okay, here it goes..."  he seemed to mumble more to himself than me.
He moved his upper body forward so our faces were nearly touching.
“I know your father and he needs your help.”
His eyes took on a more guarded look and he was watching me closely.  I looked at him, my stomach turning, a wave of sickness hit me.
“What are you saying?"  I managed to whisper.
I must have looked panicked or about to be ill as he grabbed my hand as if to make sure I wasn't going to bolt.  Part of me wanted to do just that, but I knew I had to find out more.
I hadn't thought about my elusive father for a long time.  And when I did, the hole he left gaped open a little wider, so I usually banished him from my thoughts pretty quickly.  All I knew was that he disappeared when I was about two and a half years old.  I always thought he left because of my weirdness, that it had chased him away, even though mum always assured me that it had nothing to do with me.  That, in fact, we had had an extremely strong bond and that he had loved me very much.  She'd told me he was never one for commitment.  They had a very happy time together which she never had expected to last.  He was quite a few years older than her and she had always suspected there was a  dark side to him that she'd never seen and never wanted to either.
She practically knew nothing about him, just that she'd loved him deeply and that he had seemed to love her.  She never saw him again after he disappeared one evening, but he had left her that letter, telling her not to worry about him and that she would always be cared for financially as much as he could.
I don't know how long I had been sitting there in silence, staring into space but I suddenly became aware of his hand, still wrapped around mine.
“So, how, why....what do you mean?"  I stuttered.
Still not completely sure whether I really wanted to know, or whether I could even trust this Zack, who had come out of nowhere, suddenly claiming he knew my father.  And not only that, but that he also needed my help! I couldn't really wrap my head around it.  I could see Zack was trying to speak, but suddenly felt the need to get up and go.  I didn't owe my father anything.  I felt anger growing inside me, like a fire from the pit of my stomach, panic engulfed me.
“Do you know what.  I can't do this!"  I managed to squeak out.
I got up, needing to get away and get some air, but I had only made half a move when Zack, still holding onto my hands, more firmly now, moved closer and told me to sit back down at once.  His eyes demanding and in no way could I disobey them.  He had such a force field around him, but still, it was hard to explain why I stayed.

CHAPTER 6
I could see she started to panic and I had to take charge before she ran off.  If that happened, it would fuck up my chance to talk to her before she had time to think too much about it.  She might decide not to want to listen to the rest.  I told her to sit the fuck back down and she responded as expected.  It shocked her but she was lucid now and I could reach her again.  I wouldn't have to regret my decision to be upfront with her.
I had a little smile to myself with the prospect of telling my sister Zaphire, who'd find it extremely annoying.  She hated that side of me.  She frequently told me I was a dominant dickhead.
“Right, nice to have you back Eliza.  Are you ready to listen to what I have to say?”
She nodded almost imperceptibly.  I could see she was having a little internal struggle to understand herself.  Probably wondering why she was still sitting here, but definitely willing to listen.
“It's going to be difficult to take it all in, but bear with me.  It's very important that you know what's going on.  Not only will you be able to help your father if you decide to, it will also help you understand yourself better.”
I paused to gauge her reaction.  She looked less shocked and more curious now.
“Good."  I thought out loud and I carried on.
“Your father used to be an important man in our community...”
“What community, what...."  Eliza interrupted me.
I had to be strict.
“No questions for now Eliza, let me speak first."  I said firmly.
A glimmer of defiance sparked in her eyes, but I carried on nevertheless.
“He then