CHAPTER 21 – A PLACE TO LAND
Cassian found her in the east garden again.
Zelda was sitting on the low stone bench near the fountain, sketchpad balanced on her thighs, a pencil tucked behind her ear. She looked up at the sound of footsteps, expecting maybe Ryan. Or Ariyah.
Not him.
But she didn't look away.
"Is this your secret spot now?" Cassian asked, hands in his hoodie pockets.
Zelda raised a brow. "You found it fast."
"I have a good nose for hiding places," he said, smirking faintly. "It comes with being a disappointment."
Zelda blinked, then gave a reluctant chuckle. "I'm not sure whether to argue or agree."
He sat beside her, close — but not too close.
"Did you run from something?" she asked softly. "Or just… leave?"
Cassian leaned back on his elbows, staring up at the sky. "I think I ran from the version of me everyone wanted. Including myself."
Zelda turned the page of her sketchbook. "That's deep."
He glanced at her. "I can be profound in short bursts. Usually before coffee."
She smiled — genuinely this time.
He noticed.
"You laugh differently when you mean it," he said.
Zelda still.
Then: "And you're not as cold as they say."
"Oh no," Cassian said, feigning panic. "You've ruined my reputation in one sitting."
She laughed again — and this time, the sound stayed in her chest longer than she expected.
---
By late afternoon, they were still in the garden. Cassian had taken to pointing out design flaws in Zelda's sketches — not rudely, but with the kind of sarcasm only a brother trained in observation could master.
"Your arch is crooked," he said, peering over her shoulder.
"It's stylized," Zelda replied.
"It's falling over."
She elbowed him lightly. "Go sketch your own."
"I would, but my trauma doesn't come with a ruler."
Zelda snorted.
Ryan passed through, paused when he saw them.
"Well well," he muttered. "You're letting him critique your work now?"
Cassian grinned. "She needs someone who doesn't worship every line she draws."
Ryan raised a brow. "And you volunteered as tribute?"
"I'm selfless like that."
Zelda watched the banter unfold. No edge. No tension.
Just brothers. Being brothers.
It warmed her more than the sun.
---
Inside, Marcella watched from the library window.
She'd seen it all.
Zelda laughing.
Cassian teasing.
Ryan smiled.
It made her teeth ache.
Marie stepped in. "Watching something interesting?"
Marcella smiled faintly. "Just wondering what kind of spell she casts."
Marie looked toward the garden, expression unreadable.
Marcella added, "She's very… adaptable, isn't she? Always seems to attract whoever returns."
Marie glanced at her.
"I just hope she's not stringing them along," Marcella finished softly.
Marie didn't answer.
But something darkened in her eyes.
---
That evening, Zelda headed to the garage to grab an old portfolio case she'd stored months ago. Cassian followed — "For muscle," he said with a wink.
The case was buried under boxes.
"Of course it's the heaviest one," Zelda muttered, trying to shift it.
Cassian knelt beside her. "Let me."
He lifted it with ease and slung it over his shoulder.
Zelda started. "You didn't even flinch."
"I have rage issues," he joked. "And gym trauma."
She laughed again.
"Thanks."
"No problem." He hesitated. "You've changed, you know."
Zelda blinked. "Good or bad?"
"Both," he said. "But mostly strong. Quite strong."
She swallowed hard. "I had to be."
"I know."
They stood there in the fading light, something silent humming between them.
Then Cassian spoke again. "If you ever need help carrying more than just boxes…"
Zelda looked at him.
"I'll be around," he finished.
And walked off.
Leaving her heart skipping steps she didn't plan.
---
Upstairs, Lucien sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands.
He'd seen the way Zelda looked at Cassian.
He'd seen it before. When she looked at him that way.
But now?
It was different.
It hurts differently.
---
That night, Zelda wrote in the margin of her sketchbook:
> "I don't know what he's building in me.
But it feels like safety."
She didn't sign it.
But she knew who it was about.