44. Zeina
ZEINA
Zeina didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she was lost.
She thought she was running toward the outpost, but the more she searched, the more disoriented she became. To make matters worse, she was without a dagger, having left it in Lennox’s upper thigh. She sat down, back against a great oak tree, and sighed. At least she was far away from Ahmina.
A bush beside her fluttered, and a smooth skinned creature with long back legs jumped out. She stared at it, not sure what to expect from the plump, small creature. It simply croaked, its small black eyes staring back at her.
She reached over and cupped her hands, coaxing it to jump into them. When it did, she smiled and held it up in front of her face.
Zeina knew the risks, being this close to a creature—an unknown creature at that.
She had no idea what its magical ability was, but despite what logic told her, she felt certain it meant her no harm.
She waited for it to speak into her mind like Aria, but all she heard was her own thoughts and the sounds of the forest.
“Hello,” she whispered out loud. “You’re not going to hurt me, are you?”
Another croak.
She giggled like a little girl and set the creature back down onto the forest floor.
“Should I give you a name before you go?”
A stare.
“How about…” She thought for a moment. “Watson.”
She waited.
“Watson the…”
Watson the Snug Frog. His voice sounded ancient. Zeina was used to Aria speaking into her mind, but this creature's voice in her head still made her jump. May I show you?
She nodded.
Suddenly, she felt as though she were being wrapped in a warm hug by someone who loved her dearly.
She closed her eyes and soaked in the embrace.
She couldn’t remember ever feeling this way.
Normally, hugs made her squeamish, but this hug—this hug was euphoric.
When she opened her eyes, Watson was in the same spot, staring.
“Thank you.” She reached out and petted the top of his moist, bumpy head with her index finger.
With one croak, Watson hopped over and settled himself into the crook of her elbow, like he belonged there.
Smiling, she leaned her head back against the tree.
She had to figure out how to get back to the Academy.
As if on cue, a familiar buzzing sound floated above her and Aria dropped in from the sky, landing in her lap.
“There you are,” Zeina whispered, giving the bird’s feathers a gentle pat.
“How do I get out of here?”
Aria ignored her question, instead launching back into the sky, swirling around Zeina with her wings vibrating before landing on her shoulder.
Your friend is coming.
Aria wasn’t a big talker, so when she spoke, Zeina paid attention.
“I don’t have any—”
“Zeina.” Lennox appeared with his shirt tied around his left leg and her dagger in his hand. Zeina stood up, ready for a fight. “Topless isn’t your look,” she said dryly, and she meant it.
“Maybe if you hadn’t ambushed me, I’d still be fully clothed,” he said frowning. “Despite your aggression toward me—unfounded I might add—I’m here to take you back to the Academy. You won’t get in through the same tunnel; it will be locked now.”
“I’m not going with you.”
“I’m not going to turn you in.”
Zeina stared at him. Was he telling the truth? Or was this his way of capturing her and taking her to Adeyemi for punishment? She waited for Aria’s voice in her mind, but the bird stayed silent.
“Ah, I see you’ve found yourself a Purring Songbird.”
Watson had disappeared, but Aria stayed with her, buzzing around in between her and Lennox. Zeina braced to step in front of his weapon, but he simply turned the handle toward her. “Here’s your dagger. Don’t stab me again, yeah?”
“You’re not going to kill Aria?”
“The Songbird? Why would I kill her?”
“Because you’re a Slayer.”
Lennox rubbed his jaw, his face serious for a moment, before shrugging it off like some kind of joke. “If I was in a killing mood today, you’d be dead.”
Zeina glared at him.
“Are you coming or what?”
Zeina hesitated, brushing off the plant material that had stuck to her pants before finally agreeing.
The journey back took them twice as long because Zeina insisted they stop every few minutes to collect plant samples. When they finally made it back to the wall, the clouds had parted and the sun was shining.
“Here,” Lennox said as he lifted up a section of forest floor to reveal a trap door. Zeina descended underground with Lennox and Aria in tow, a rare flower tucked into her palm—its quiet chime carrying a promise of truth.
????
“So this is where you sleep?” Lennox busted into the closet where Zeina had settled a few minutes before. After returning to the castle, they had parted ways. She was certain no one followed her but apparently she had been wrong. “I wondered, since you obviously weren’t staying in Ahmina’s dorm.”
“What are you doing?” she hissed. “You followed me here? Get. Out!”
“Personally, I prefer a bed, but I guess I can see the appeal.”
Zeina pulled him into the closet and shut the door. “Shut up, you idiot. Someone will hear you.”
“I’m surprised no one has caught you yet.”
Zeina stared at the floor.
“Ohhh…” His face brightened. “Someone has caught you!”
“It’s not a joke,” Zeina said, crossing her arms.
“Come stay in my dorm,” Lennox said matter-of-factly.
“No.”
“You’d rather sleep with the cleaning equipment?” One arm was tucked into his pocket while the other gestured to her makeshift bed.
When Zeina didn’t say anything, Lennox sighed. “Look, Zeina. You’re going to get caught again. Maybe not tonight, but eventually. There’s a second bed in my room that’s empty.”
Zeina hesitated. A comfortable, warm bed was more than she’d ever had in her adult life.
“I promise.” He placed his hand over his heart. “You’re safe with me. I won’t do anything ungentlemanly… especially now that I know you have zero reservations about sticking a dagger in my leg.”
Once again, Zeina’s logic protested, but her intuition won.
Maybe Aria was right; maybe Lennox had become a sort of friend.
Aria had always protected her as far as Zeina could tell.
Ever since Aria came into her life and she felt real friendship for the first time, she craved more.
Her survival instinct screamed not to trust anyone but herself.
But a smaller, stronger, and quieter part of her longed for connection. For friendship.
“On one condition.”
Lennox raised an eyebrow.
“My friends can stay too.”
“Friends?” Lennox asked, confused.
Zeina pulled Watson out of her pocket where he had been snuggled up sleeping. She hadn’t realized he was there until they were about halfway back to the castle. She had gone to stick plant samples in her pocket only to find him there, hiding.
“Aria too.”
“The Songbird?”
Zeina nodded.
“You want to bring your little creature friends into a Slayer’s dorm?” Lennox laughed.
“You have to promise not to hurt them,” Zeina said, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.
“They’re creatures. They could kill you so easily. At any moment. Just because they look cute doesn’t mean—”
“—they won’t.”
Lennox stared at her, contemplating his decision. His gaze was intense for someone who seemed to be unserious about most things.
“Alright,” he said finally. “But if either of them tries anything they’re dead. And you better keep them hidden in there because the Slayers will be foaming at the mouth to butcher them.”
Against her better judgement she followed Lennox back to his dorm.
He quickly introduced her to the space and where to find everything.
Lennox had barely made it to his side of the room before she had tucked herself into the blankets.
Zeina sighed as she pulled the warm fabric up around her neck; the bed felt like a dream.
Aria had disappeared, settled on a ceiling beam no doubt, and Watson crawled out of her pocket, nuzzling back into the crook of her elbow.
“What’s your story, Zeina?” Lennox asked as he removed his clothing save for underwear and crawled under the covers of his bed. Zeina closed her eyes so she didn’t have to watch him.
“Let’s just go to sleep.” Zeina suddenly felt more tired than she ever had in her entire life.
“It would be nice to know who I’ve just let sleep five feet away from me. You could be some evil killer.”
“You’re confusing me with a Slayer.”
Lennox laughed.
“You should be used to sleeping next to killers,” she added. “This whole floor is full of them.”
“Slayers are predictable. It's the quiet ones who sneak around campus pretending to be someone else you gotta watch out for.” That made Zeina smile. Maybe she would share something. But how could she explain her life and how she ended up here, of all places?
“I’ve lived alone on the streets of Jarrah for most of my life. I ended up here by accident and decided to stay. Free food and all.” She kept it short, hoping Lennox would drop the subject.
Lennox propped himself up onto his elbow.
“What about your family?”
“I don’t have one. Now can we please just go to sleep?” She yawned.
Zeina was inches away from sweet slumber when Lennox said something that hammered at the outer shell of her heart. “You’re safe here, Zeina. I promise.”