74. Zeina
ZEINA
Zeina laughed maniacally until her stomach cramped. To anyone watching, she probably looked like she had lost her mind. Maybe she had. She didn’t care. She felt more like herself than ever before.
She let the laughter erupt from her chest in fits—at first, small and childlike, then grand, a burst of power. She felt the forest floor underneath her, the cool ground, the sticky mud, the leaves and branches that poked into the pads of her feet, the rocks that bumped into her toes.
She kept going. Kept running.
Beside her, the Hydra ran too. Launching up into the trees and back down again to meet her stride. Their long necks stretched, wings wide, eyes wild.
They didn’t say anything, at least not in words.
But Zeina could feel them. She could feel the elation, the freedom, the joy that pulsed through them and she fed off it, ravenously.
She had never truly known what it was like to be satiated until now.
She had been starving her whole life, she realized, but not for want of food.
For this.
For freedom.
She followed the Hydra until they were met with a crystal-water lake that opened up in front of them like a gift, and they dove in, sending water spraying in every direction.
How long had it been since the Hydra had felt the rush of water between their feathers?
Zeina stripped off her clothes until she was completely nude and joined them.
She had never been naked like this, so openly, but it felt obvious, perfect.
She didn’t know how to swim. She didn’t care about that either. She worked her way through the water as far as she could until it reached her neck, and her tippy toes were all that connected her to the silky, slimy bottom.
Then she watched as about a dozen more Hydras flew in, joining them, all squawking in delight. The reunion brought tears to her eyes and she let them fall, not bothering to wipe them away.
They were free.
She was free.
????
Zeina didn’t know how much time had passed as she lay in the shallow part of the lake on her back, her breasts bobbing in and out of the water, her hair floating around her head.
It’s time to go back.
She sat up and looked over to where the Hydra had collected on the shoreline. Dahlia looked over at her, eyes locked on hers.
No, she responded in her mind.
Your sisters need you, Zeina.
Zeina ran her hands back and forth on top of the water, feeling its soft surface caress her palm. She didn’t want to go back. She wanted to stay here with the Hydra. She knew now—she was wild. Her place wasn’t back at the Academy; it was here, with them.
Your sisters, Dahlia repeated.
They could visit her, she reasoned. Or she could visit them, in time. For now, she was quite happy here, where she was free. Why would she return to a place she had to hide?
Your journey is just beginning. You can try to fight it, but it’s useless; you must walk it, Dahlia said, as if reading her thoughts. This freedom is temporary. There are greater things waiting for you. Greater freedoms you have yet to know.
Zeina could have stayed. She wanted to stay. But something deep inside of her told her to go. To listen to Dahlia.
Without a word, she pulled herself out of the lake, shivering slightly. It was a hot day, but the breeze gave her wet body a chill. She slid her Academy uniform back on, pulling the damp fabric free when it stuck to her skin.
She looked at the Hydra, sighing.
“Where will you be? So I can visit?” Suddenly, she realized that the Hydra could simply leave. While she wouldn’t stop them, her heart squeezed at the thought of never seeing them again.
We will be around, Dahlia said, while Junie came up and nudged Zeina with one of her heads. Send Aria if you need us.
Zeina had to stand on her toes to reach Junie’s neck, and the creature purred, her eyes closing at the touch.
“That’s the spot, hey?” She giggled, and Junie chirped.
Zeina. Dahlia’s voice was in her mind again, stern and commanding.
“Fine. I’m going,” she said out loud, squeezing out her hair.