Cassi finally declared me healthy enough to walk, but he no longer strayed far from the house. Juno, my pink bird, never left my side—and strangely, I never even saw her sleep.
That morning, I sat outside on the wooden porch, sketching a shell roughly onto a scrap of bark.The mist still clung to the sea like a second skin when I noticed movement—something slicing quietly across the water.
I leaned forward, blinking against the bright glare of early light.
A small, battered boat emerged from the fog, gliding toward the shore.The boy inside had a dagger drawn before the boat even bumped against the sand. His head snapped around warily—until his gaze landed on me.
He froze, dagger half-raised, as if he were staring at a ghost.
"Olivie?" he called out, voice cracking. "Is that you?"
We stared at each other for a long, stunned beat.
Then recognition struck me like a stone to the chest.
He stepped out of the boat, incredulous."You're alive?"
I scrambled upright, my bad leg nearly buckling under me. I stumbled down the porch ladder and landed roughly in the sand, breathless. Up close, the memories snapped together:The boy from the academy, glimpsed through windows between lectures.
He was taller now, all lanky limbs and a mop of messy black hair. A cocky grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"I thought you were dead," he laughed, sheathing the dagger as he leapt onto the beach. "Figures—if anyone could survive a disaster, it'd be you, troublemaker."
"Zac," I gasped, finally placing him.
He shoved a hand through his hair, flashing a grin. "Yep. Still causing problems?"
"I am not," I huffed. "I'm here to study. What are you doing here?"
"Studying," he shrugged easily. "Officially. Exploration of the Undefined Jungle."
Before I could process that, his face lit up and he hurried back to the boat, yanking out a thick stack of crumpled letters."They're all for you," he said, pushing them into my arms.
I clutched the letters to my chest. Confusion knotted in my stomach."Why did you think I was dead?"
Heavy footsteps creaked across the porch behind me.Cassi.
Before I could turn, he was at my shoulder, close enough that I could feel the tension rolling off him.
"This is my land," Cassi said in a low, dangerous voice. "Leave now."
Zac bristled, eyeing Cassi warily. "Who's this?" He glanced at me, then Cassi again. "So this is where you've been?"
Cassi stepped closer, dark and silent as a thundercloud.
I turned halfway toward him, pressing the stack of letters tighter against my chest."It's okay," I said quickly. "He's a classmate. Zac."
Cassi didn't even blink. "Leave," he said again, sharper this time.
Zac's hand drifted toward his knife belt.
Before either could move, I thrust myself between them, placing a hand on each of their chests. The letters spilled from my arms, fluttering like wounded birds onto the sand.
"Everyone calm down!" I shouted.
Instantly, everything fell silent—even the birds swooping overhead quieted, circling warily.
I sucked in a breath."Zac, this is Cassi. Cassi, Zac. He's here to study the jungle, like me," I emphasized, shooting a warning glance at Cassi.
Something flickered in Cassi's eyes. Slowly, ever so slightly, he eased back.
"Vie, go inside," he said softly, too softly.
"Why?" I demanded.
"Our visitor doesn't understand the rules of this jungle," Cassi said, his voice like ice. "If he plans to stay, he needs to know where he stands."
Zac scoffed, "Everyone back home thinks she's dead. I came to find her."
"What?" My frustration boiled over. "I haven't even been gone a full term!"
Zac's posture shifted. His fingers dropped away from his blade.
"Olivie... you've been gone a long time," he said gently. "Long enough that everyone at the academy thought you'd vanished. Talla—your sister—has been frantic."
"Tails," I whispered, my heart squeezing painfully.
Zac tilted his head. "Yeah... Talla. She never gave up on you. Kept sending letters. No one thought they'd ever reach you."
A new panic surged in my chest. "Is she okay?"
"She's alive, but..." He shifted uncomfortably. "She's worried. And your father—"
Zac hesitated, glancing at Cassi, then away.
"What about him?" I demanded.
Zac gave me a crooked smile, a little too bright. "You're a survivor, Olivie. We can get out of here today. Come back with me."
Suddenly Cassi was there, lightning-quick, forcing Zac back a step.
Steel flashed—Zac's dagger was in his hand, Cassi's staff raised in defense.
"STOP IT!" I screamed.
Cassi's voice was sharp and commanding."Vie, he's a stranger! You don't know his intentions! Your father could've sent him to drag you back!"
"That's ridiculous," Zac spat, shoving Cassi roughly away.
"Cassi, STOP!" I shrieked.
Zac turned his blade toward Cassi's chest—and for a horrifying moment, I thought he might strike.
"Get away from him!" I yelled.
Zac hesitated, breathing hard. His gaze flicked to mine, then he lowered the blade slightly.
"At least read the letters," he muttered. "You deserve to know what's happening."
He stepped past Cassi—knocking his shoulder against mine—and stalked toward the edge of the jungle.
I stood there, frozen, the scattered letters whispering around my feet.
For the first time since I'd awoken in this wild place, the outside world—the world I'd tried to forget—came crashing back in.