The Zodiacs

10. Shifting Perspectives

Lightly pushing the door open, the sight inside confirmed the rumors Zahra had heard in the cafeteria earlier. A skinny boy laid on his back, completely bare of any clothing aside from the towel draped over his waist to secure the only sense of modesty he had. It was unusual considering the lady she'd seen before wasn't granted such a covering while she was being tortured.

A large black nail was already punctured through his right foot and into the wood, covering his foot in dried blood. He must have barely been brought in by the single nail that was pushed into his body, while his other limbs were tied down with a sharp wire that seemed to also be cutting into his skin.

The boy's breathing was calm, his eyes closed as if he was resting. His black hair stood an inch or two off of his head, not long enough to fall back with his current posture. His dark skin glistened with beads of sweat that reflected the single candle in the back of the room. He had eyes that, even though were currently closed, seemed to pull all of the attention of anybody who looked at him because of their thick eyelashes and large shape. As if he sensed her, his rounded lips pressed together nervously when he turned to look at her.

Zahra lifted her hands up into the air to show her innocence. "Don't worry," she whispered, easing the door to half of a close to make sure nobody saw her. Master Omari definitely wouldn't be happy to find her down here a third time. "I'm not here to hurt you."

His hazel eyes followed her, but he didn't say a word as the girl slowly stepped closer to him. He didn't seem angry or nervous, just blinked at her with quiet curiosity.

She looked over to the mark just beneath his ear, evident to anybody who spared him a single glance. Two straight lines stood side by side, intercepting a longer curve on the top and bottom of the birthmark. "You're a Zodiac, huh?" She asked quietly, motioning toward the shape. "You didn't escape?"

He remained silent, watching her like a nervous child who was unsure whether to speak up or remain quiet. The boy didn't look much younger than her, but the young innocence that decorated his features made it feel like she was speaking to a child.

"I'm Zahra," she pressed her lips into a smile, looking down at him from her place above since her standing height made her taller than the horizontal boy. "What's your name?"

"...Aaron," he whispered, his voice scratchy. It seemed like he'd either been crying or shouting, but there were no traces of tears of his face. Neither was he flushed in any way as he should have been if the boy had put all his effort into shouting so loudly.

Zahra nodded understandingly. "Aaron's a nice name for a nice boy," she continued, although the question challenged her mind about why he would be on the table if he was so nice. But the fact that he was a Zodiac stopped her before she could continue on. "Why didn't you escape with the others, Aaron?"

He fell silent again, and Zahra realized the solid expression that overtook his features exposed his knowledge about the escape. If he was staying quiet, it's not because he didn't know about it, but because he didn't know about her.

"My brother's a Zodiac, too," she continued, wanting to earn his trust so he would speak to her. "He was born under the Pisces sign and has a matching birthmark like you, but it's on his abdomen. But he escaped with the others on the night of the Bintyani celebration. Why didn't you go with them?"

After considering for a moment, Aaron turned to her. "I was late," he whispered. "I went to get medicine for my mother and, by the time I returned, my brother had already left with them and I was too late."

"Your brother is also a Zodiac?"

The boy nodded gently, careful not to make any movements that would hurt his impaled foot or tug on the wire wrapped around his limbs. "Aharon," he told her.