Chapter Ten

I finally have a chance to crash in my room for a few minutes, taking a moment to close my eyes and breathe. I’m doing everything I can to keep my mind off the convo with Kyle earlier, and let’s face it, there’s someone who’s probably waiting for one of us to give up the details over what happened.

I mean, it’s not like we were gonna get to scrapping or anything like that, but even if it did, I’d hold my own. Kyle’s tall and built solid as hell, which is saying a lot for a seventeen-year-old boy. He doesn’t strike me as the type to fire off just for the hell of it, and I didn’t ignore his attempts to stay civil, despite giving him every chance not to do it.

I lay on my bed to get my head together before I FaceTime Zahra, doing a silent count before her face pops up on my screen. I’m still wondering why I get so nervous and so calm at the same time, but I don’t think about it anymore. She makes me smile, and that’s all I care about right now.

“Hi, Yasir, how did it go with Kyle?”

“Well, damn, Z, hello to you, too. It went…well. I mean, we both have our limbs, so I guess that counts as progress.” I chuckle for a minute as I think about how things eventually smoothed out. “I’m still trying to trust people, but it’s not a walk in the park.”

“Okay, so, I was low-key trying not to let this be the first thing I wanted to talk about, but when I didn’t hear from either of you, I started freaking out,” Zahra confesses as she bites her bottom lip. “I’m glad things didn’t go left, but part of me kinda wanted something to happen. It would’ve given me a reason to see about you.”

The convo between us feels like we’re out of sync, which has me concerned. I’m not used to her sounding so unsure of herself. Any plans I had to get any homework done have been pushed off to later tonight. I need to make sure she’s okay first.

“Yeah, he said something about hitting me up about his birthday party this weekend, so it’s a start,” I tell her. “Your bestie seems to be cool people, and I’m hoping I’m right about that.”

Zahra’s sitting there just bouncing on her bed, and it’s not hard to see she’s excited, but she’s trying to keep it in check. Now, that’s the girl I’m used to vibing with. “Yay, at least neither of you is in the hospital. I was checking TikTok to make sure you weren’t on the feed. I’m relieved, for real.”

I hesitate for a moment, unsure if I want to say anything, but I change my mind at the last minute. “So quick subject change… I kinda told my uncle about you earlier.”

She blushes so hard she turns the camera away. I hear her say something under her breath, but I can’t make it out. She finally turns the camera back to continue the chat. “Oh, wow, I really must be special now. So when’s dinner, and should I wear something subtle or just be me?”

“Actually, it’s lunch, and how the hell did you know?” I raise my right eyebrow, wondering how she managed to guess almost right. “Are you psychic or something? Do we need to have a different conversation right now?”

She shakes her head, placing an index finger to her lips. “Hmm, just a wild guess, pretty boy. Now that I think about it, I can’t wait to tell my mom about you. She’s been curious about my good mood lately.”

I don’t know how I get triggered or even why her mention of her mother causes it, but my mood changes in seconds. I ignore her confused expression so I can turn the focus away from me. “Tell me about her, if you don’t mind? Where are your parents from?”

She gives me a curious look, and I know I sort of changed the tone of the convo, but I just don’t want to think about my parents right now. “My parents are from the Island Republic of Kindara. What about your parents?”

Yeah, this isn’t going all that well. I don’t want to talk about them. “I don’t remember a lot about my parents. They died when I was really young, but…” Nah, I can’t talk about this anymore. I need to find a way to change the subject. “You know what, tell me more about your parents and Kindara. Where is it? I’d love to know more about it. Sounds like an amazing place.”

Zahra’s eyes light up, and I’m equal parts jealous and relieved. I can’t help but wonder where I come from myself, and the fact that she revels in her homeland is something I would love to have. “Kindara is so many different things to me, but even the word paradise doesn’t cover it for me,” she expresses to me, tapping her index finger against her left temple as she continues to think about what she wants to say. “As far as where Kindara is, it’s not far from the West African coastline, and we can get to anywhere from Senegal to Ghana.”

I lean back against the wall to get comfortable as she grins while thinking about the other things she wants to tell me about her home country. “Now, what Kindara is? Oh em gee, we might be here all night if I start up.”

“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” I reply, matching her excitement to keep her talking. “What is Kindara to you?”

“Paradise.” Zahra beams as she considers her words. “Everything that makes me fall in love with the island is there: the white sand beaches, the crystal-clear blue water that makes you feel like you can see almost to the bottom of the ocean, the lush tree line that surrounds the inside of the island. It’s the food. Her people. The animals that live in harmony with us there. The twin volcanoes that are named for the Vodaran fire goddess, Nahara. The River Ko, where you can float on a boat from the north side of the island to the south. Mount Kindara with its mysticism and legends that are said to be housed inside. Kindara is probably the most magical place on earth for me.”

“And what about your parents?” I continue to keep the focus off me for as long as I can, trying to find anything that will keep her talking and not asking questions. “Did they grow up on the island? I remember you said you’ve been here in Oakwood Grove since you were little.”

“Yes, but we spend the summers out there, and just about every spare moment we can. My parents are from the Kua village, on the southwest corner of the island. There are several different villages that make up Kindara, too. Kua is where the farmers grow the food and distribute it throughout the island. Then there’s the Mipaku. They protect the island’s perimeter and borders.” Zahra gets comfortable in her bed, and I breathe a sigh of relief, at least for a few moments. “The Wahunza, they forge the metals that are needed for construction in Drana Trini, the capital city, and all the larger cities on the island. The Sayansi village is the science and technology area of the island, where I hope to settle once I’m done with school. Then there’s Solara, which is the academics and scribes and the educators, and finally the Serykala, which is the government and politicians, and the Kabula la Maji, which is the Water village.”

She tilts her head toward her left shoulder, and I immediately feel a shift in the focus in the convo. “Do you know anything about Kindara?”

I shrug. That’s a nope from me. “Nana’s mentioned it, and she didn’t give up much information—at least, not enough for me to be curious. I’ve never really been outside of the States. Boring, huh? I mean, I’m sure you’ve been back to Kindara a few times, right?”

“Yes, I have. Maybe I can find a way to show you one day. It’s a beautiful island paradise,” she says to me, but all I can give up is a nod that’s not all that convincing. “Don’t worry. If you’re willing to learn, I would love to tell you everything I know.”

“I’d like that, I really would,” I reply. I’m serious, too. I love the way her eyes light up when we talk about her home country. “Maybe it might be somewhere I can put on my bucket list after we graduate.”

“Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way.” Her smile turns into a subtle smirk. “Um, so, I wanted to talk about what happened last night when we talked.”

I close my eyes before I say another word. I don’t want to say the wrong thing. “I guess it’s my turn to keep from looking like I’m out of sorts. Honestly, I don’t know how to explain what happened. I was so nervous that I guess I read the situation wrong.”

She waves her hand in a dismissive manner. “I want you to know that you didn’t do anything wrong, okay? It was…bad timing, maybe? I’m not really all that good at these types of things, either.”

I tilt my head toward my left shoulder, matching her curious pose. Why is she trying to take some of the blame? “That makes two of us. I was scared that I really messed things up.”

“No, not at all, I’m just loving the way things are flowing between us right now,” she reassures me.

I smile, like really smile, and I feel my dimples sinking deeper into my cheeks. “I guess I need to go. I have to create my oils for the next few weeks.”

“About those oils, though.” She closes her eyes for a moment, and I wish I could see inside her head to know what she’s thinking right now. “Why do you need to wear them? I mean, I love the way they smell on you, but I can sense something beneath the oils. It’s hypnotic, if that makes sense.”

“I guess that’s something else we can find out.” I get up and walk into the bathroom, carrying my phone with me so we can keep talking. “All I have been told is that I need to use them because there are people who would be able to track me down and take me out.”

She covers her mouth to stifle a gasp, and I instantly regret letting that information slip out. “Why would anyone want to kill you? Did your parents do something to someone?”

“Yeah, I’m starting to wonder if it’s all a shell game, to be honest. Whatever happened, it has nothing to do with me, but my nana is convinced that I need to be careful. Anyway, I made a few changes, so we’ll see how that goes.” I glance at the time and realize there’s some things that need to get done or I’ll be up way later than I want to be. “Enough of all that, I need to get busy and get some homework done, too. Can I check on you before bed? I still have to tell you about Kyle’s birthday party invite.”

“You better, or I’ll be coming for you,” she counters. “I can’t wait to hear about it. Sounds like it will be fun.”