Paranoia (Zayn Malik) (editing)

Chapter 40: Efficient - The Most Efficient.

LUNA

For the most part, I am not privy to the conversation Zayn has with Loki behind the closed living room doors. I catch the odd sentence or two, particularly when it's shouted. I hear the thudding that implies something has been thrown, or someone has been shoved, but mostly, I am not privy to the conversation. I sit with Arabella, in the kitchen, both of us awkwardly trying to make our way through small talk neither of us seems to want.

"Do you not remember Evelyn's death, what they did to her?" Loki's voice becomes clearer and the sound of footsteps follows his voice.

"Fuck you, Loki. Are you trying to suggest that it didn't mean anything to me? She was my best friend, go fuck yourself." Zayn is not far behind, and soon they're in eyesight, stood at odds in the hallway outside the kitchen "Do you not think I understand why you've done what you have? Of course I do, but you have put the life of a dead woman in front of the life of multiple very alive ones, and you know what those witches are going to ask me to do when they get here."

"We don't have to listen to them, I'm fucking sick of listening to them." Loki throws his hands in the air.

"This isn't about you or your feelings about the witches, this is the governing coven coming to my fucking house for a formal audience on behalf of the ghost group, the one Luna is supposed to inherit in a week. You know if you had told me that you wanted revenge, I would've helped you in a way that didn't fuck everything up for everyone else. But that's all you care about, yourself." Zayn folds his arms.

"When have you ever helped me with anything?" Loki's face and tone twists in a way that seems to make the conversation take a turn "I have to think of myself first, because lord knows you won't. You've known Luna for two minutes, and already she's the most important thing in your life, I am your brother. For once, stand by my side."

Zayn lunges for him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt "You haven't stood by my side since we were fucking teenagers, don't you dare throw Luna in my face. You continually do things to fuck me over. You nearly cost me the only thing on this earth that makes me feel anything, so no, I will not help you declare war against the witches."

I move quickly to the hallway, I couldn't tear the two apart if I tried, but I can at least refocus them.

"This isn't going to help, they're going to be here soon." I remind them.

Zayn begrudgingly lets him go.

"Arabella, Loki is going to take you to the ghost group. They'll give you refuge there, while we figure out what is going to happen with the witches." He brushes himself off, collecting himself "Luna, they've requested you sit in on the meeting, they want a formal introduction."

I'm sure I look as stunned as I feel. I stop breathing until it becomes a practical issue, and splutter out an

"Oh."

"It'll be fine, I'm still the leader, they will be addressing me. We can't let them know we're dating, it'll look bad on you." He continues, plucking the keys to his BMW out of his pocket and reluctantly handing them to Loki and nodding towards the door "Go, now."

*

The three women that sit opposite us in the home office toward the back of the house - that I have never stepped foot in - are plainer than I thought they'd be. I expected some of the most powerful witches in the country to be grander. They are quite clearly related in one way or another, they all have the same sharp cheekbones that hold up their grey eyes and pinched noses, though their hair is all varying shades of a dirty blonde. They all wear simple clothing, neutral tones, loose, unremarkable. They are the kind of women that wouldn't warrant a second look in a crowd, but maybe that's by design.