Chapter 10

I woke up the next morning feeling like I wanted to explode. My ankle itched horribly, making me wonder how many times Stormbringer had woken up in the middle of the night and tried to destroy the hotel room. It was a familiar feeling, though it hadn’t been that bad for a while. I chalked it up to my nerves; Stormbringer loved to express what I was feeling, especially when I don’t want to.

I stepped out onto my balcony, and the view took my breath away. The restaurant had been laid out to take advantage of sunsets, but my room faced the east, away from the water. Still, there was something about the sunrise peeking through the rows of identical, concrete buildings that made them almost look beautiful. I nearly sent O’Connor a thank you message right then and there, but I realized just how early it was. He’s probably already awake, but it can wait. No sense bothering him.

I knew the best way to work off my nervous energy was a quick run. It was a risk taking off the magic disruptor, since my magic reserves were back at full capacity after a good night’s sleep, but I couldn’t manage more than a walk with it weighing me down.

I got into my running gear and decided that there was somebody I did want to bother. The night before had been…

A quick burst of wind whirled around me as I remembered that kiss, blowing my freshly-brushed hair every which way. With a sigh, I set about brushing my hair again, contemplating the situation.

It was strange; I’d never thought of Scarecrow that way before, but dang if he hadn’t managed to make himself my type. Some part of me wondered I was latching onto Zack because he was a familiar face from back home. If Soren hadn’t been British, I wasn’t sure if I would have been so fond of him, especially after some of what he pulled. That didn’t seem right, though; Zack had been nothing but wonderful so far. The fact that he wasn’t a stranger was just a bonus. It wasn’t like I was falling for him, was I?

I barely kept Stormbringer under control as that kiss ran through my mind again. I didn’t want to have to do my hair a third time. Fine, so I had it bad. I had earned a little happiness, darn it, and I was looking forward to our day together.

Setting aside my hairbrush, I preened one last time in front of the mirror, making sure everything was just so. I’ll admit that I don’t wear the most modest clothes when I go for a run, but I swear, it’s for comfort and ease of motion. Well, mostly. Zack would probably appreciate what I saw in the mirror even more than I did, which suited me just fine. I didn’t only run for my health, after all.

A knock came at the door, startling me out of my self-admiration. Zack was waiting for me, decked out in shorts and a tank top. I think he was surprised by just how fast I opened the door.

“I guess that answers my question,” he said.

“Hm?”

“I was about to ask if you fancied a run, but it looks like you’re ready to go, yeah? The beach shouldn’t be too full this time of the morning,” he said, jerking a thumb behind him. “Are you game, or do you need some time to yourself?”

I didn’t want to seem too eager. That didn’t work out, since I blurted out an immediate yes, but I didn’t want to.

Once we were at the ground level, he led us to a path that wound around the beach. I found that I didn’t have to slow my pace for Zack’s sake.

“I don’t remember you being a jogger,” I said.

“I got in the habit during basic training,” he said. “Good way to clear your head. Thought it’s more fun going with someone else, yeah?”

“Absolutely.” I was almost suspicious; everything seemed to be going too well. I hoped Zack didn’t turn out to be a stalker or a serial killer.

Zack had been right; the beach was mostly deserted that time of morning. The sun hadn’t been up long, but it was making up for lost time; the muggy, tropical air had me sweating before we even started. Zack seemed comfortable, so I didn’t complain. I saw to it that a steady breeze came in off the ocean, which helped me tremendously. It was nice for Stormbringer to pay its keep for once.

The bay in front of the hotel was gorgeous, and I could see why Labuan had been a tourist trap in the old days. Whoever was in charge of that section of beach had made sure to keep the urban sprawl at arm’s length. A long line of trees separated the hotel complex and the surrounding buildings from the ocean. The jogging path cut through the miniature forest, out onto the beach and back again, making for a nice variety. I had thought that everything would be palm trees in this part of the world, but the trees and bushes were varied. Some wouldn’t have even looked too out of place back home. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved to see something more familiar, or let down that it wasn’t more exotic.

We kept up a steady conversation as we went along our way. Well, I kept it up; I tried not to shut him out, but there was so much to catch him up on! Stephen’s wife giving birth, Dad’s new job in the civil service, really, a million things had happened since he’d gone back home.

“I didn’t even know Stephen was married,” he said. “Good on him.”

“Did you and Albert never talk?” I asked, looking at him incredulously.

He shook his head. “No, we did all the time, up until… you know. We didn’t get into that sort of stuff, though.”

“What did you two talk about?”

It was hard to tell while we were jogging, but I’m pretty sure he shrugged. “The usual stuff, yeah? Sports, video games, movies, girls.”

“I don’t get it,” I said. “How can you be friends and not know his brother was married?”

He chewed on that for a while as we kept up our jog. “Can I get away with saying it’s a guy thing? That’s all I can think of.”

“I’ll let you off this one time,” I said, snapping him a cheeky wink. It was true enough, too; it’s not like Soren, Hiro, or my other guy friends at the school talked about their homelives much, either. Oh, well. I liked sharing anyway, and he seemed interested enough.

The path eventually looped back to the hotel, but Zack didn’t stop there, instead guiding us into the tourist district. “You said you needed to pick up a few things, yeah? Let’s do that while it’s still cool out.”

“This is cool?” I blurted out.

“Welcome to Labuan,” he said with a smirk.

The various stalls and shops looked more inviting in the light of day than they had driving through the night before. It was early yet, but a few of the locals were putting out produce or seafood in preparation for the rush. I didn’t know what the exchange rate was for Ringgit, but everything seemed expensive to my eye.

The shopkeepers looked up from their work to watch us pass. I was used to turning a few heads when I was on my run, since the tight shorts were designed for comfort instead of modesty. They didn’t seem to like what they saw, though, which surprised me.

“A lot of people around here are a bit traditional, yeah?” Zack said when I asked him about them giving me the evil eye. “They know you’re a foreigner, so they won’t say anything, but you’re a little exposed.”

“Oh,” I said, suddenly feeling bashful in my running attire. No, I told myself, I wasn’t wrong. They were just prudes. “Wait, what do they think I should be wearing around here?”

He pointed to a middle-aged woman sweeping a storefront clean. “They call it a baju kurung.”

I’m sure I stared at the woman too long, but I was surprised. “Bloody heck, that’s covering the whole body, plus she’s got a shawl on! I felt hot enough in my uniform! How do you survive around here?”

Zack smirked at me. “It’s mostly silk, so it breathes. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t disapprove at all. I’m just reporting.”

I’d think not, after the way you kissed me last night. I kept that to myself.

We eventually came to a small shopping center, just outside of where the signs switched from a mishmash from around the world to just Chinese and Malaysian. I noticed I was getting more dirty looks as we went, and I wondered if it would be easier if I did cover up. I already felt awkward enough having to rely on Zack to translate the signs so we found the right shop; I didn’t need to stand out ever more.

Sometimes I feel like growing up with so many brothers gave me an unfair advantage. It was like having the enemy’s codebook. I knew how to avoid being that girl, just because I overheard them complaining about their girlfriends and wives all the time. I didn’t always understand it the first time around, since Jack and Stephen were nearly ten years older than me, but the lessons eventually sank in.

For example, I know how much they hated being dragged along on shopping trips with their girlfriends, just to have to sit around and wait for ages. So, I grabbed the second swimsuit that fit, even if I wasn’t totally convinced that burgundy was my color. It showed off my legs really well, which was good; I put a lot of effort into those.

I also needed something to wear at places besides the beach. I actually picked up a blue baju kurung; when in Rome, right? I left the head wrap out of it, since I didn’t want to completely hide. Zack was right about the fabric breathing, though I preferred the shorts with the humid weather.

Zack seemed surprised when I walked out with a shopping bag twenty minutes later. “Done already? I thought you’d be a bit longer.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Mission accomplished. “I didn’t want to waste our beach time.”

After we got back to the hotel and changed, I knew I’d picked the right swimsuit after all. His jaw literally dropped when I met him outside his room. Or would Zack have liked anything I picked? I could live with either possibility.

He shook his head. “You’ll want to put something on over that.”

“What for? We’re just going down to the beach.”

“Who said that? We only have one day before we head out tomorrow, so we’re going somewhere special.”

Better than a day at the beach? I certainly liked the sound of that at the time, even if I’d regret it later.