Circle of Jinn (33 page)

She stares at me, her lips parted, waiting for an answer to what I assumed was a rhetorical question.

“Lonely?” I suggest.

“Exactly. One might even say
without a purpose
.”

Zak sighs. “Not again, Lai.” He looks at me. “She wants us both to stay here. Like we haven't been over this a million times.”

Laila flings a pair of black tights at him. “How about we do it once more?”

Catching the tights in one hand, Zak loses his usually even temper. “What part aren't you getting? That Qasim wants to harm the humans?” Zak places his hand on Henry's shoulder for effect. “Or maybe that the Jinn who will defy Qasim—of which there will be many, I assure you—will be hurt without our help? Oh, I know, it must be that my father's very life is in jeopardy.”

Laila rises to her feet and stomps through the socks. “And the only way to stop all of that is for the two people I love most in this world to risk their lives?”

The muscles in his neck bulging, Zak was ready to go on the offensive, but this stops him. His face softens and he pulls Laila between his legs, holding each of her upper arms and staring at the tiny specks of blue in her gold eyes. “You
love
me?”

Laila bites her bottom lip. “I—I—I was talking about Azra and my mom.”

At that, Zak starts to let her go.

Oh, no
.
I'm not letting Laila make a mess of this. I'm not going to let her act like me.

“Come off it, Laila,” I say, gathering the strewn socks and dumping them in a drawer. “You meant Zak. Now's not the time to play games. You don't want regrets.” I steal a glance at Henry.
Three days.
“None of us do.”

It was right here, in this room, at the start of the summer, where Henry spilled a box of Jenny's most favorite things and asked me to let him in. It was right here where I made the decision to share my world, my life, with Henry. It was right here where we became best friends who share secrets. And it is right here, right now, where my biggest regret will be over telling him the truth I've been keeping about his sister, the best friend I miss even now. But the trouble is, I don't know what I'll regret more: telling him, or not telling him.

Coward.
And I'm supposed to be able to stand up to the Afrit?

My father doesn't know me at all.

As Zak and Laila nuzzle into each other, Henry extracts his third-wheel self. He grabs the laptop before Laila sits on it, pushes himself back from the desk, and rolls his chair next to the bed.

“Thank you for helping us, Henry,” I say as I sit on the edge of Laila's soft mattress. “I know it's—”

“The absolute last thing I want to do? Help send you off to the bowels of hell? It's not easy being your best friend, Azra.”

“Is that what you are?”

“Is that what you want me to be?”

“Always,” I say.

“But not forever?” His dimples drill a hole in his cheeks and my heart. “I know you well enough to know there's nothing I can do or say to stop you…” He pauses, his eyes darting between mine. When I don't respond, he says, “Uh-huh, what I thought. So I might as well help you get the backup you need. The more Jinn that go in with you, the more chances we have of it not being you who gets hurt.”

Me not getting hurt at the expense of other Jinn. The uprising's more than forty here. Who knows how many in Janna. That's a lot of Jinn willing to risk their lives on the word of an exiled Afrit, on the plans of a failed candidate-for-Chemharouch Afrit, and on the talents of a hybrid. The untested talents of a half Afrit, half Jinn.

Talents we need to test. Which, apparently, is another thing Henry and Zak have been working on.

*   *   *

Mina's and Farrah's bangles presumably clank as they hit the wood floors. But since Zak and I aren't there to hear them, we can't know for sure. We've just recited Xavier's spell via smartphone. Once live, for Mina, and once on video playback, for Farrah.

Both work. This is how we'll be able to free all the Jinn here. We don't have to waste time or risk alerting the Afrit by making the rounds and apporting to them all, and when the time comes—if, I mean,
if
the time comes—that the rest of the Jinn in the human world need to be protected, need to be made aware of the (presumably) failed uprising and thus have their ties to the Afrit broken, the video can be played for them in Zak's and my absence.

An “absence” no one wants to give any name other than that.

It was Henry's idea, figuring at least every Jinn daughter has a smartphone. Turns out these devices we always thought would be the downfall of us Jinn may actually be our salvation. Whichever Jinn helped create them deserves her own holiday. My mother's right (
again
): We never know what our helping may lead to.

Henry sent a message to all the Jinn on the forum. In the morning, after we fill in the missing pieces for Yasmin and my mother's Zar, who are all staying across the street with Raina, Zak and I will do the spell for as many supporters as we can. Then I'll start practicing my Jinn mind control. Maybe even pay a visit to Farouk to see if we've unlocked enough power for me to use it on Afrit. The less surprises in Janna the better.

How am I thinking about this so matter-of-factly?
I don't know. All I know is that I have to. Otherwise I
can't
think about it.

We're nearly ready to challenge Qasim. Play our hand. And hope we've been dealt a good enough one that he folds. If not, Jinn will likely lose their lives. Like all the uprisings that have come before.

I know I didn't want to become a Jinn and live the life my mother lived, but this isn't exactly the alternative I had in mind.

Which is why I can't sleep. Even though it's the middle of the night, my brain refuses to cycle down. I climb out of Yasmin's round bed, and the crisp breeze still fighting the humidity gives me a chill. In her closet, I find a long black sweater. I slip it on over the lightweight romper I've been wearing for more hours than I want to count.

I pass through the living room, where Mina and Farrah are zonked out on the couches, tiptoe through the screened-in porch past Hana, who's conjured herself a fluffy, couture sleeping bag, and smile when I reach the bottom of the stairs and see the back of Henry's head.

He's sitting at the edge of the pool with his feet in the water. I plop down beside him, and he jumps.

“Sorry,” I say with a shrug.

“You should be sleeping,” he says.

“So should you.” I heat the water to hot-tub levels before dropping my own toes in. There are definitely benefits to my whole Zar knowing about Henry.

“I'm really glad you came today,” I say.

Today?
Is it really possible I was at the beach earlier today? Breaking up with Nate and finding Matin at my big black rock were just today? Speaking of, where is Matin?

Henry raises an eyebrow. “Glad I came, huh? Should I take that to mean you deliberately forgot to text me your selfie?”

“I'm not that manipulative.”

“No, not on purpose. Then again, ensnaring men
is
in your Jinn line.”

I use my powers to splash water in his face.

He rolls his eyes and groans. He then takes off his glasses and lifts his yellow tee to dry the spots. Which is how I notice his abs. He has, like, a six-pack. When did that happen? I look closer. Maybe it's more like a three-pack, but still …

He sees me staring and yanks down his shirt. “I'm not a piece of meat, Azra.”

When was the last time I saw Henry in his swim trunks, shirtless? Before everything happened with Nate's dad … before the circulus curse, which wasn't all that long ago. Surely he couldn't have gotten that ripped since then?

“Please tell me you didn't,” I say.

He squirms. “Didn't what?”

“This isn't a what. It's a who.”

He inches farther away from me.

“Who?” I repeat, placing my hands on my hips.

“Very good owl, Azra. What else can you do?”

I grab the end of his shirt, but he launches himself into the pool. The fabric rips in two. He surfaces, and the bottom of his torn shirt floats to the top of the water.

“Take off your shirt,” I say.

Henry crosses his arms in front of his chest. “I'm not that kind of boy.”

“You forget, I know that you are.”

Silence.

I was joking, but his reaction gives me an opportunity: the element of surprise. If it's good enough for the Afrit, it's more than good enough for Henry. I propel myself off the deck and into the pool. Henry takes off underwater, swimming into the deep end with the speed of a shark.

With my extra powers, I'm just as fast. Faster. I'm already at the end of the pool, hanging on to the diving board, when he pops up completely out of breath. He reaches both arms over his head and grasps the other side of the board. He's totally exposed. In one smooth motion, I shred his shirt from neckline to hem.

If it weren't for the lights in the pool, I wouldn't be able to see his cheeks turn pink. If it weren't for the lights in the pool, I wouldn't be able to see his toned stomach.

“Henry!” I swat his torso.

He sways but manages to hold on to the diving board. “I didn't ask her to, I swear! When you were with Raina, she was all upset, and I gave her a hug, and she, well, she insisted on thanking me, and it was the only thing I could think of, because I'm pretty sure what she had in mind no one would have liked, except maybe me … but only for a minute, and then I'd have to deal with you and everything so, yes, I let her.” He finally takes a breath and looks down to admire his abs. “Not bad, though, right? She's pretty talented.”

“
Mina
.” Couldn't be anyone else. “She should be. She's well versed in the male anatomy.”

“Damn, then maybe I should have taken her up on her first offer.”

My jaw clenches.

“Kidding, just kidding.” Henry tears the remains of his shirt free and tosses the dripping fabric onto the deck. We stay there, dangling in the hot water, until Henry says, “I'd have taken four buses, you know.”

My pulse thumps stronger. Must be the heat.

“I know,” I say.

“Conceited.”

“I know.” I can't help the grin that takes over my face.

Under the water, he nudges my foot with his. “It's good to see you smile. Sometimes it feels like we haven't smiled since the whole Anne Wood incident.”

I kick him back. “Really? You bring up the screwed-up wish granting that put me on probation
now
? Shouldn't you be reminding me of my successes, not my failures?”

“But it was a success,” Henry says. “You read her mind. You used mind control on her. You apped her all the way to Hawaii. Easily. You had no idea what you were capable of then. I was so impressed. So proud of you.”

“Before my mom and Sam arrived, that is.”

“They scared me sober.”

“Right, the beers. You drank Anne Wood's beers and had me conjure new ones.”

“And we danced.”

“Not we. You. And not well. I hope you're a better slow dancer, Henry, otherwise I fear for your prom date.”

Henry flips back his head to clear the clump of hair that's blocking his vision. He looks me directly in the eye. “I was hoping that'd be you.”

Me? Not Chelsea?
He must be joking.

I tease him right back. “Aw, Henry. Are you asking me to prom?” My arms have turned to jelly from hanging for so long. I drop down into the water and use my powers to float the yellow-and-blue inflatable raft to us. I heave myself into it, and Henry follows.

“I would have if I thought you wanted me to,” he says.

What? He's serious? And he's really choosing
now
to go down this road?

I stare at the bottom of the raft. Of course he's choosing now. Henry knows time is not on our side. But what should my response be? Saying I would have wanted him to isn't fair unless I mean it. And if I mean it, it's not fair to Nate and what we have and it's not fair to Henry because there's nothing we can have. I can't leave him with hope, false or otherwise. “Henry, I—”

“Forget it,” he says. He plucks the rope that runs along the top of the raft like it's a guitar string. Maybe in New Hampshire he'll finally learn to play the instrument that was just decoration in his bedroom here. He strums the rope again. “I just wish you didn't have to deal with all this. I wish there was something I could do.”

“If only we knew a genie who could grant wishes…” His tense smile doesn't draw out his dimples. Time
isn't
on our side. The only thing my response needs to be is honest. “You've already done so much. More than enough. I'm not sure I'd be helping you if the roles were reversed.”

“Believe me, I wouldn't be helping if I thought there was any chance of stopping you.” He tugs at his hair. “Aw, hell, that's not true. I'd do whatever you asked me to. I'd do anything for you, Azra, you know that.”

I say again, “I know.” And I do. But then,
what about Chelsea?
What about our swing-set kiss that was a mistake?

“Are you really okay to talk about this now?” Henry asks.

Crap.
I projected. Probably because subconsciously I want to talk about this as much as consciously I don't want to talk about this. But if we don't have this conversation now, we may not get another chance, so I nod.

His chest rises as he takes a deep breath. “Things between us have always been complicated.” He rolls the rope between his fingers. “In a way, I suspect me being with Chelsea is like you being with Nate. It's attractive in part because it's
less
complicated.”