The Duties of a Leader

Zen

Zen went to Ruda to get the results, he'd almost overslept. After Alt's visit he'd spent all afternoon in Rintara with Lux for company. Lux was fun to be with, she had a hunky voice and a sexy everything else. Zen enjoyed the time he spent with her, and hours flew. He'd fallen asleep with her in his arms and had lost track of time. He ran to get his car and then drove to Ruda in a hurry. 

He finally got there and parked in the parking lot, getting out and jogging a little to the door. Once he reached Rudan Academy he played it cool and walked at a normal pace. He couldn't help but notice eyes looking at him, he was confused. The entire Academy atmosphere was that of gossip, shock and news. He thought about what Alt had told him the day before about the Dark girl who'd almost died and guessed that was the reason for it. Remembering it ruined his good mood. He walked towards the Main Hall and found Alt waiting for him, he turned to Zen, clearly stressed out. Zen looked at him confused.

- "Where the hell have you been? Don't you ever look at your caller?" Alt exclaimed, Zen frowned and Alt's eyes opened wide. "You don't know? You haven't heard about it? Do you live under a rock?" He exclaimed, the doors opened and Alt straightened up by Zen's side. 

They both walked in and the Electors welcomed them, the Seer wearing a smile and the rest with confused looked. Zen grinned, excited to know his new additions. 

- "So? Who'd I get?" Zen exclaimed, his eyes lit with excitement. Alt rolled his eyes beside him and shook his head. The confused expressions of the electors grew, so did the Seer's smile. She handed Zen the paper with the results. The Result papers were always the same, name, last name, original tribe, new tribe, which tended to coincide, squad and ranking, which was calculated over the total of examined, both Dark and Light. Zen took the paper from the Seers hand and read it intently. They were basically all the same, from green to green, and highly ranked. He checked out number one: JIA DANHISH, NAIADI, LENAS, WOLF, 1. Zen read it again. He looked up from above the paper, his face serious. "Is this a joke?" He asked. The electors looked shocked by his disrespect. The Seer only smiled wider.

- "I do not joke Zen, you know that." She said, her voice rumbly like she'd smoked a life of tobacco. 

- "This can't be right." He insisted. One of the electors spoke, offended.

- "Are you doubting the Seers powers?" He said, Zen rolled his eyes.

- "No more than you." Zen answered back, the man was about to respond but Zen dismissed him by speaking again. "Look, this can't be right. How am I supposed to train her?" He asked the Seer. The Seer lifted her white eyebrow.

- "Are you doubting your abilities?" She teased. Zen scoffed.

- "I can train her to be the best fighter, but I can't train to work as a team. It's like bringing a lamb dressed with a quilt to a pack of wolves. They'll eat her up." Zen complained, the Seer smiled wide.

- "Oh, she's no lamb, I assure you." She said. Zen sighed and shook his head. "In fact I think she may just be better than you." She said, Zen looked at her with a serious expression, Alt fought a laughter. "Zen, do you doubt my decision?" She said, her tone now serious. Zen shook his head.

- "No, Seer." He said. She smiled.

- "Good, because it wasn't long ago that I saw a young boy become a Squad Leader, and many people doubted my decision back then too." She said, Zen bit his lip and nodded. And was about to leave when she spoke again. "One more thing, you must go and get her to her home. She's not safe where she is, make sure she gets here." She said and after that dismissed them. Alt and Zen walked out the room.

Alt 

- "Well that went well." Alt joked. Zen shook his head.

- "I'm serious about me not being able to do this." Zen said, Alt looked at him confused, it was extremely rare for Zen not to think himself capable of anything. "A Dark in the second highest Light Squad… I have no idea how to make that work." He said, sounding extremely mature. It was the mixture between the child and the adult in Zen that had first surprised Alt, it was what had made him grow to admire him. How he managed to be a young boy and a man grown beyond his years all at the same time in perfect balance. It's what kept the Squad together and it's what made it the strong Squad it had become, making it grow from a mere average squad to the highest of the Light. He was an admirable man, and Alt respected him beyond words. He put a hand on Zen's shoulder.

- "If anyone can do this, it's you." He said, believing every ounce of his words. Zen gave him a crooked smile, still not convinced but grateful of Alt's loyalty. 

Alt turned to look forwards and saw Lin, she smiled at them when she saw them. A little weirdly at Zen, which hurt Alt a little, but he ignored it and walked up to her. He decided not to give her any kind of PDA, she hated it and even more if Zen was a witness. Zen walked beside him. 

- "Hey." Alt said, Lin smiled her beautiful smile, her perfect white teeth showing over her plump red lips and her green eyes brightening up. He loved that smile. He loved every smile. She passed a hand through her curvy brown hair and put a strand behind her ear. Alt looked at the paper on her hands. "So, did you like who you got?" He asked. Lin nodded.

- "Yeah, I got to fight them in the examination and I got a good feel about all of them." She said, Alt smiled. Lin gave Alt a crooked smile and then looked at Zen. "What about you?" She said, knowing what her question meant. Zen was completely out of it, which wasn't a rare thing, but he looked at Lin with intense narrowed eyes now, the eyes he got when he was being professional. 

- "You met her, right?" Zen asked, clearly interested. Lin looked at Alt for a second and then back at Zen, she nodded. "How was she like?" He asked, his tone invasive as it got when Zen had an idea in his mind. Lin made a face as she thought about it.

- "Uhm.. she… she's a great fighter. She's quick and agile and strong, she can read people very well and predict people's movements. She's very brave. And… original." She said, Alt was surprised to hear so much praise coming from Lin's mouth, he realised it wasn't praise, it was a truth. Zen looked at her with full attention. "And I… I think she's been through a lot." She ended. Zen frowned. 

- "What do you mean?" He asked. Alt payed Lin the same attention he always did, savouring all of her words and all of her movements. Lin bit her lip. It was what she did when she thought of a way of explaining herself. Her instincts often knowing things before her mind could put it into words. Nobody knew people like Lin did. Nobody. It was why what she was saying was so surprising. 

- "The way that Dark looked at her, they way they all did, even before all this. And afterwards, the way he attacked her… And she didn't even act surprised or hurt after he almost killed her. She just maintained the same, serious expression… " Lin spoke, still not working out the way to explain what she felt. Zen nodded intently. Alt could tell by his eyes he was working out a plan, a strategy. Zen maintained his studious expression.

- "Thanks." He said and walked away towards the exit. He turned to Alt for a second. "Meet me at my car and we'll go get her." He said before turning around and going to his car. 

Alt looked at him go with a smile, he noticed Lin looking at him and looked back at her. She had a special light to her eyes. 

- "What is it?" He asked, looking at her curiously. Lin smiled.

- "You really love him, don't you?" She said, Alt shrugged and blushed a little. He scoffed.

- "He's my Leader, I respect him it's different." He said, Lin laughed. "What?" Alt said defensively. Lin shook her head.

- "Never mind." She dismissed and stroked his cheek. She was good, with that stroke Alt forgot all about what they were talking about, the heat her hand sent invading him. He smiled crookedly, the dimple on his cheek sinking. He regarded her, her wavy brown hair, her big and round green eyes, her slim nose, plumpy lips, the light freckles over her nose and cheeks, her cheekbones, her thin throat, her clavicles, the bust under the white tank top she wore. Perfection. He reached down and kissed her lips, risking an angry reaction but being unable to help himself, he didn't get one. She kissed him back for a second and then stopped, bringing her hand down, biting her lower lip and looking around with a slight blush in her cheeks. Alt smiled at her. She was such a strong woman, a deadly fighter and yet she was so cute and fragile at moments like this, it made him love her even more. She looked back up at him and smiled a crooked smile, blushing harder. "Go." She said. "Zen's waiting." She looked up at him through those big green eyes it was impossible to go. "Come on… " She said, blushing and looking away. Alt smiled wider. 

- "One more kiss?" He dared to ask. Lin blushed harder and looked around, she got on her tiptoes and kissed Alt's lips only for a second. Nowhere near what he wanted but good enough. 

- "Go." She said, he kissed her forehead and walked away. 

Reviews

[Created to Write]

Your story is getting better each chapter I read.

In Zen's POV (point of view) you switched to saying Zed for a bit. Just to remind you.

[Evey]

Oh! Thank you! I'll fix it now, I do that sometimes, I don't know why!