“Oh, how nice. Some neighbors have brought treats.” She smiled. “I am Amira, and you have met my brother, Jai.” She patted him on the shoulder and pushed him gently out of the way. He moved over without a fight, but didn't seem happy about her being there.
So he was her brother. That kind of surprised me, yet made me smile inside. Hopefully he wouldn't always be such a jerk. I took in his muscular body, thinking he was definitely fit. He probably played some sport. If so, he wouldn’t want anything to do with me and my nerdiness.
“I'm Holly,” I said again. “And this is my mom, Susan. We live in the house over there with the big maple tree in the front yard.” I pointed it out. Jai frowned even deeper. I could see his eyes flit from the house to me and then up to the roof.
Amira glanced from me to Jai. She turned to me. “Were you out late last night, by any chance?”
Mom looked at me. “Were you up on the roof again?”
“Mars looked the best between two and four this morning.” I felt defensive for some reason, but also a little embarrassed that I had to explain my odd hobby to these new neighbors.
“Astronomy!” Jai blurted. That single word sent a slight shiver through me. “You like the stars?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Of course not.” He nodded. “I am just surprised someone like you would find them interesting.”
Someone like me? What’s that supposed to mean?
Amira placed her hand on Jai’s shoulder and called behind her into the house. “Mother, Marshal, come meet some of our new neighbors,” Amira said, her words clipped and short. “They brought us something.” She lifted the plate of cookies, and I could see the tape had come undone.
The other two from last night came to the door much quicker than my parents would have. She introduced us to her mother, Delilah, and her stepfather, Marshal. Jai and Amira didn’t look anything like Delilah. They must have gotten their height and features from their other father. I looked at Marshal and couldn’t help looking back to the streetlight. I heard a sharp intake of breath and turned to see Jai and Amira staring at me.
Amira peeled the plastic off the cookies and took a bite. “These are delicious. Thank you.” She passed one to everyone, including us. After the first round she tried to offer the still-full plate back to me.
I glanced at Mom and was relieved when she stepped forward. “Do you need any help moving in?”
Delilah and Marshal looked at her for a moment with furrowed brows. “No. Thank you, but we have finished unpacking.”
Mom talked to the adults while I watched Jai and Amira. We didn't say anything, but Amira continued to smile wide while Jai's frown deepened. He looked over at her — sometimes with eyebrows raised, sometimes with them furrowed. She rolled her eyes slightly, and he shook his head, causing her smile to be replaced with a frown. She narrowed her eyes at him. He chewed on his bottom lip as he looked at her, then he glanced over at me. A frown returned to his face, and Amira forced a smile again.
“It was kind of you to bring over a welcome gift. We are relieved to have moved into a friendly area. I hope to see you again soon, Holly,” Amira said.
She extended her hand to me, and I took it in a gentle grip. She stepped to the side and motioned Jai forward. I thought it strange how she seemed to be in charge.
Jai offered me his hand. A wristband with a black, circular stone embedded in the weave of the leather braid caught my eye.
“It is nice to meet you.” Jai raised his chin, looking down on me.
I placed my hand in his, feeling a mild tingle while we touched. Did he feel it too? He didn’t seem bothered at all. I must be imagining it. He gripped my hand as if testing my strength. I squeezed his hand back in response, daring him to think of me as weak.
His eyes widened. I didn't blink. He smiled a crooked smile that did a funny thing to my heart's rhythm. A scar in the upper right side of his lip accentuated his otherwise perfect mouth. As intriguing as his smile was, it didn’t reach his watchful eyes. They were an interesting shade of blue; darker around the inside near the pupil and lightening as the iris extended out, somehow making his eyes seem bigger than normal.
“Nice to meet you too,” I said when he let go of my hand.
I rubbed my palm with the fingers from my other hand. The tingle faded away, but my mind lingered on it. I watched him closely while Mom wrapped up her conversation with his parents. They retreated into the house with Jai closing the door. A glance back showed his head visible through the half-moon window.
“Well, that was odd.” Mom glanced back at the house as we walked home. “But at least the girl is your age. You two could be friends.”
“Mom, just ‘cause Celia moved doesn’t mean I need to replace her. I’m fine on my own.”
“But don’t you think you might have fun doing something with kids your age?”
“I do stuff.” I preferred to be with someone who didn’t judge me. Celia had tolerated my obsession with the stars. Curtis told me I was nuts, but still wouldn’t leave me alone. At school most people thought I was a snob for choosing homework over hanging out or parties, but if I was going to get into a good college, I needed to maintain my 4.0.
“Sweetie, you spend most of your time looking at the stars.” Mom perked up momentarily. “Jai sounded interested in them. Maybe you two could have something to talk about.”
I nodded to appease her but doubted Jai would ever talk to me on purpose.
Beyond Orion Page 23