The Zodiacs

27. Standing Still

"Zane," a tall girl smiled as they both approached. Her straightened black hair fell neatly to her shoulders, bouncing with every footstep before falling perfectly back into place. A tightly wrapped beige cloth hugged her chest, leaving the bottom inches of her pale stomach exposed and maintaining itself without any straps over her shoulders. To cover her legs, she wore a loosely draped white skirt that came to a flowy stop just above her knees.

"Nice to see you again, Isis," Zane nodded respectfully, pulling the short wooden door open for Asarte to walk through in front of him.

Isis's smile faltered when her eyes set on the approaching girl, slowly looking up and down her hidden body in silent judgement. Asarte noticed the growing discomfort, pulling the large cardigan tightly around herself as the only sense of modesty. "Who's this?" She asked.

Stepping up beside the quiet girl, Zane let the short barn door close behind them, casually readjusting the front of his shirt with a natural confidence. "Isis, this is Asarte. We had free time so I brought her here to see Shakla," he pressed his lips into a casual smile and raised his eyebrows for a brief moment. Asarte was beginning to grow accustomed to the boy's use of his facial features to convey his personality.

"I've never seen her around," Isis walked over to them, stepping directly in front of the silent Asarte with slightly narrowed eyes and a tilted head. "You're not from here, are you?"

"She's new in town," Zane responded before Asarte could begin contemplating the different ideas for how to answer.

Still, the girl in front of them didn't seem satisfied with the answer, pressing on in building jealousy rather than distrusting skepticism about what business Asarte had in their town. If she wasn't blinded by her dislike for the quiet girl as soon as she saw her walk in with Zane. "Why can't she answer for herself? Is she mute or something?"

"Isis," Zane warned, but Asarte's reciprocated disfavor toward the girl was already bubbling enough to prompt her own response.

It wasn't often she met someone so overtly unkind and disrespectful considering she spent most of her life locked in a house with a few sisters who barely spoke of anything but marriage. If they'd taught her one thing though, it was that rudeness shall mirror rudeness and respect naturally mirrors respect.

"I'm not speaking because I don't like you," Asarte responded, narrowing her own eyes ever so slightly like the girl in front of her.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as Isis turned toward Zane with a shocked chuckle, laughing at Asarte for her response. "She doesn't like me," she laughed. "You don't like me? You barely even know me."

Asarte nodded, unfazed by the girl's statements. "You're right, I don't, but you also don't know me. Yet you're being impolite and judgemental --so I don't like you."

Isis blinked at the girl in silent shock, trying to pretend like it was only Asarte bringing the unkindness to the conversation between them. She furrowed her eyes like the words pained her and turned to frown at Zane to show him her evident hurt. Asarte remained quiet, watching the way she pouted toward the boy in anticipation at his reaction.

Would he side with the other, much more attractive girl that he seems to have known for longer than he's known Asarte? Or would he defy all odds and stand in support alongside the girl he barely knew even though she was the one to blatantly criticize Isis first? She couldn't guess his reaction, making her fall into even more uneasy silence as she looked up at the taller boy beside her, waiting for his reaction.

But Zane only shrugged, nonchalantly placing his hands in his pockets as he looked between them, finally focusing his attention on Isis. "I mean, she's got a point," he said.