The Zodiacs

37. The Line

Zahra spun around, her sword ringing against Akil's attack just in time to keep the blade from slicing through her arm. Even though she found it daunting, the instinct to celebrate her new accomplishment was forced aside when he threw his other hand toward her --wielding another dangerous dagger.

Her hand shot up to wrap around his wrist, but she hadn't put enough strength into stiffening her arm. Zahra yelped in surprise when his strength suddenly pushed her back, her feet remained on the ground as her grip tightened around Akil's wrist.

He leaned forward to match Zahra's dramatic bend backward, struggling to hold her weight and keep her from falling into the hot sand beneath them. "You're heavy," he breathed, already feeling the uncomfortable pain building in his lower back with every tug Zahra forced onto him to keep from falling.

"You better not drop me," she warned him threateningly. "I just washed my hair this morning and I'll kill you if I get sand in it."

Akil glanced up at her hair with an unimpressed frown, the same nonchalance overtaking his cool expression. "Your hair's blonde now," he looked over her natural roots and fading black at her edges. "Nobody will even notice."

"Watch it!" Seth called over from his spot on the large boulder a few feet beside the two.

Zahra dropped her head backward until the tips of her hair brushed against the sand and Akil lifted his gaze toward the cave's entrance; both of them redirecting their attention to the girl skipping excitedly out alongside the floating boy. Layla hadn't seen them yet as she threw her head back to laugh with Aaron.

But she was beginning to slowly turn herself toward the two and Akil didn't seem like he was going to move away from Zahra when she glanced up at him. He was just watching the girl with narrowed eyes.

"Move," Zahra shoved him away, falling to the ground with a pained grunt that blew the desert sand around both of them in a light cloud.

Layla turned toward them at the sound, her smile flattering momentarily when she noticed Zahra on the ground. But the bright grin quickly returned to her lips when she met Akil's serious gaze and happily waved her hand over her head. "Hi handsome!" She shouted, the happiness in her gaze not flickering in the face of the reactionless coldness on Akil's face.

But it never did. Layla never seemed to let the fact that he wasn't attracted to her in the same way affect the overwhelming elation she experienced every time her eyes landed on the boy. Everybody seemed to notice it, even Akil noticed it, but he didn't bother to give her a reaction.

"Don't be a jerk," Zahra grumbled, lifting herself off the floor and trying to clean the sand out of her hand. She threw a passive glare at the boy in front of her for being so unkind to the person most enthusiastic about his presence. "She likes you and she's being nice to you, the least you can do is smile back," she said, waving back at Layla.

"I'm not going to lead her on," he answered, turning away from the distant girl until she was waving at his back.

Zahra raised an eyebrow at his response, lightly shoving the boy. "You're not leading her on with basic human decency, you donkey. It's called being decent for a reason," she scoffed, running a line through the sand beneath them with the edge of her sword.

Akil didn't respond, only grumbled silently in dissatisfaction and walked off, taking his signature stroll around the mountain's side a little earlier to avoid any more conversation regarding the girl who made him uncomfortable. Everybody seemed to love her looks and personality and everything that could possibly be witnessed about her. Akil didn't.

Watching him walk off, Layla and Aaron quickly moved to Zahra's side with an air of anticipation. "Did he say anything about me?" She leaned forward impatiently, pressing her lips firmly together in an attempt to hold back her wide grin.