ANATOMY OF A GIRL

part twenty-four

Sapphire's heart threatened to burst from her chest as she anxiously awaited Zak's arrival. The room smelled of chemicals and lemon, and she couldn't wait to leave. Just outside the door, she could hear people leaving the training centre. Footsteps against linoleum and whispers faded gradually. The quiet only coiled her stomach tighter.

Flair seemed to share the same thought: "What if he doesn't show?"

Flair had found the strength to leave their room and talk to Zak. Sapphire was glad for it. Flair deserved to hear the answers, too.

Ayden looked at Sapphire blatantly, before looking back to Flair. "Trust me, he will," he said. She knew she should be insulted, but she was a little flattered, honestly.

Minutes passed. Sapphire reached for Flair's arm. "How'd it go with your parents?"

Flair stiffened. A second later, she let out a breath and allowed herself to relax. A laugh escaped her lips. "About as well as I thought it would."

She squeezed Flair's arm, and was about to reply when she heard footsteps outside the door. She saw the shadow of two feet through the gap beneath the door. After a moment of hesitation, Zak stepped into the room. The oxygen in the room seemed to dwindle as Ayden locked the door.

As Leo stepped toward him, Zak's expression turned from confusion to anger, before his lips settled into a gelid line, and his eyes to an empty green.

"Why am I here?" came Zak's voice, scarily quiet. Her stomach clenched almost painfully. His eyes moved over each of them. "What do you want from me?" He said slowly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What makes you think we want something?" Leo smiled sweetly, energy radiating from him.

His face contorted in anger. "Well, I'm not quite sure if you noticed, Leo," he spat out his name, "but I was threatened by that bitch," he paused to point toward her. She turned her attention from him, and toward the wall behind him. "Locked in here by Ayden, and now, Flair is glaring at me like I strangled her grandmother. So, let me ask again, what do you want from me?"

Leo looked amused, "No need to be so hostile, Azakius." Zak growled at the sound of his full name. Leo smiled faintly. "To put it simply, we need you to tell us what happened at the lake the night that Arlo drowned."

Zak's jaw dropped at the question. Surprising Sapphire, he looked genuinely hurt at the insinuation. "How would I know? I wasn't even near the Black Lake."

Ayden looked like he was hanging onto a thin, fraying thread. A thread that might tear at any moment, and Zak wouldn't want to be in Ayden's vicinity when that happened. Zak's icy expression disappeared for a split second. In that moment, Sapphire saw the fear in his eyes.

Ayden's voice rose. "Goddesses, Zak, we know you were at the lake."

"And what if I was? You don't actually think I killed him?" He paused, turning to look at each of them once more. "You do," he said quietly. "You really think I killed him. Unbelievable. He was my roommate and friend, why would I kill him?"

He was met with silence. Zak must have known they wouldn't believe him ― no matter how many times he repeated whatever lies he told himself. He shook his head and exhaled deeply. He closed his eyes, muttering.

There was a sudden pull in the room, like something was tugging at her insides and tissues of her brain. She felt dizzy, felt herself fight against it. The dizziness faded and the pulling with it. She watched as Flair, Ayden and Leo turned away from Zak and made a move for the door. Their movements were mechanic, like puppets pulled by their strings.

Sapphire looked between them, "Guys, stop! What are you doing?" Sapphire grabbed the two closest to her ― Flair and Leo. They seemed to wake up with her touch, and Ayden seemed to stop upon hearing her voice. He shook his head once and turned back toward the rest of them, confusion rippling across his features.