The Recall Trials Chapter 11: Zaara, With a Double A

Suddenly, the blue-eyed girl stepped forward, standing between the piper and the rest of us.

"Everyone, stop!" she shouted.

The room fell silent. Dead silent.

"Not another word from you," she snapped, pointing at Nomi.

"Or you," she said sharply to Theo.

"Or you," she added, locking eyes with a few others who’d been yelling.

"Why the hell are you all shouting at her? Did she pull the trigger and shoot those people? Did she force you to sign up for this nightmare? No. So why are you all unloading your fear and anger on her like she’s the problem? What kind of people are you?" she said, as her voice kept shaking.

"Zara...Listen," Nomi said, glancing down at the girl’s na tag.

"It’s Zaara," the girl corrected, lifting her chin. "With a double A."

Nomi rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Why are you pretending to be so hero all of a sudden? We need answers. And we want Piper to talk."

Zaara didn’t even flinch.

"If you really want answers, ask the damn voice that speaks through the speakers. He’s the one running this thing, but don’t start interrogating another contestant like she owes you sothing. She’s just as trapped as the rest of us," she said firmly, not even glancing back at Nomi.

I just stood there quietly, taking it all in. And honestly... she had a point.

For the first ti since this whole madness started, I actually felt calm hearing soone speak with that much confidence. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling a little as I watched her gently take Piper’s hand and lead her away from the angry crowd, guiding her toward a quiet corner of the room back to where her bed was.

"Who does she think she is?" Nomi muttered clearly annoyed, loud enough for everyone to hear.

But in my head, I already had the answer.

Zaara is exactly who she thinks she is.

Not just pretty, there was sothing else about her. She was bold, kind... and fearless in a way I hadn’t seen before. Standing up for soone she barely knows? That took guts, and it was rare.

I needed to find a way to talk to her.

And maybe this... was the perfect chance.I’m going to shoot my shot.

A few minutes passed after everything cald down. Everyone was shaken, still trying to process what we had just witnessed, the sudden gunshots, the deaths. The silence that followed was even louder.

We waited for the voice to speak again. Nothing.

Soone shouted at the caras in frustration,still no response. Others started banging on the iron doors, demanding to be let out. Still nothing.

We were trapped.

Oddly enough... I didn’t mind it too much. Not with soone like Zaara in the room with .

I kept pacing beside my bed, hands in my pockets, trying to shake off the nerves. My eyes kept finding their way back to her, there she was, sitting in the corner, calm as ever, her hair falling gently over her shoulder while she focused on sothing in her lap.

A sketchpad. She was drawing.

I couldn’t stop staring. And the worst part? I was nervous. , Vincent freaking Aston who used to flirt with girls just for fun, who had been with models and partied with celebrities. I’d had more one-night stands than I could count, and now here I was... getting sweaty palms over a girl who hadn’t even said a word to yet.

I glanced again. She was sketching like she was in her own world. Peaceful, untouched by the chaos around her.

Then suddenly....."Boo."

I flinched.

Nomi stood right in front of , smirking like she’d caught doing sothing illegal.

"You look like you’ve just seen a ghost," she said, tilting her head.

I nodded awkwardly. "Honestly, I’m still not over what happened earlier."

"Well... while you’re still processing your trauma," she said sarcastically, "how about this....we team up?"

"Huh?" I blinked at her, confused.

"I an, if we’re gonna survive this crap, let’s at least make a pact. You and , always on the sa team. I saw how you handled that first ga, you’ve clearly got so strength in those huge arms. With soone like you around, I won’t be so scared of losing."

She leaned in a little and whispered. "And hey, I did keep your secret... Mr. Aston."

I gave her a quick nod. "Alright.Fine fine. We’ll be a team."

Even as I said the words, my mind was sowhere else, still drifting back to that corner of the room, still catching quiet glances at the girl with the ocean eyes.

Zaara.

Suddenly, the heavy iron door swung open, making everyone jump. The n in black walked in, completely silent. About ten of them stood guard at the entrance, ard to the teeth, their guns clearly visible just in case anyone was thinking of trying sothing stupid.

The rest of them moved calmly, placing trays of food on our beds. No words. No eye contact. Just silence and tension.

I looked over at Theo, the sa guy who had been shouting earlier about how he’d "speak his mind when they show up," stayed completely silent now. Not a single word. The mont he saw those guns, all that tough talk disappeared. I glanced at him...yeah, I thought so.

After they finished serving, the guards exited just as coldly as they ca. As soon as the door shut behind them, whispers started again. Soft murmurs filled the room. The kind that co after a scare but never quite go away.

As everyone dug into their trays, I couldn’t help but glance over at Zaara again. Sa as before, she didn’t touch it. No movent. No interest. She hadn’t eaten since this whole thing started.

Breakfast? Untouched. Dinner? Sa story.

It was hard not to notice at this point.

Sothing wasn’t right. Either she was avoiding the food on purpose... or she simply couldn’t eat.

Either way, I couldn’t stop wondering why.