The Three Lockets [Chapter 4.1]

Chapter 4

Cass kept her head down and her locket hidden as Lira brought them through the bustling streets to where her father was. She was sure that all attention was on the mayor's daughter and her unusual friends; after all, their clothing didn't match hers in the slightest. The giant backpack she was carrying probably didn't help. They were outsiders. She had no idea if Rey was an area for this world's tourists. Even if it was, Cass doubted those tourists looked anything like her or Aspen. It was clear to all that they passed that they were outsiders, and, from the few expressions she had caught out of the corner of her eye, the reception wasn't all that pleasant.

Lira tried to alleviate some of the growing tension by pointing out important town landmarks, but it barely helped. Cass refused to look up even when Aspen let out excited gasps. To do so would risk catching Aspen's gaze; Cass wouldn't be able to handle a repeat of the look she had received earlier.

Walking through those crowded streets, Cass was overcome by the overwhelming feeling that she was truly alone. Aspen was the only person who could have understood her – should have understood her – and even she was unable to comprehend what Cass was experiencing. It had been a long time since she had felt so hopelessly alienated from everyone around her. Being with Aspen had made her forget just how painful it could be.

Now, all that she could think of was all the times she had eaten alone. All the times she had worked alone on group projects because she could never find a group. All the times she had watched her peers from the back of the room, desperately wishing to be a part of the friendships she knew she would never be accepted in. All the times she had slipped through students clustered at lockers in the hallways, dreaming of the day shewould be a part of those groups-

And then she thought of Aldonius.

The memories of her school life faded. She found herself savoring the brief moment where they had locked eyes. For those handful of seconds, everything had suddenly felt right. The strange feelings of recognition had been weak up until that point, but this one had been different. It was like she was looking at another part of herself, even though such a thought was absurd.

It wasn't love. She knew what love felt like. All she had to do was look up at Aspen to remind herself of that. No, she wasn't in love with Aldonius. This was something entirely different, and it scared her to not know what that something was. Especially when it had such an effect over her – thinking of Aldonius, the dreams and everything made her feel like a completely different person.

She absentmindedly lifted her locket out from underneath her t-shirt and fingered it.

“We're here,” Lira said.

Cass finally looked up.

They were standing before an absolutely enormous building, the likes of which Cass had never seen before. It sprawled down nearly the entirety of the block. Beautiful iron gates rose up before the building, ivy curling around the metal rods and up the brick walls of the house - if it could even be called that. There was a small group of mansions on the very end of their town. Cass had always seen them on the bus ride to school each morning. This building, miraculously enough, managed to somehow be nearly double the size of even the largest mansions. It became all the more impressive when Cass noticed the guards stationed outside of the front door and the gates themselves. The fanciful swords resting at their sides glinted in the bright rays of the afternoon sun. Their uniforms were incredibly pristine, and were in brilliant shades of turquoise and gold.

"So I'm guessing your dad is the mayor, then?" Aspen said.

Cass still refused to look in Aspen's direction. Instead, she took to watching Lira. The young woman had another warm smile on her face as she nodded, and she eagerly led the two of them down the stone pathway to the front doors of the house. The guards all acknowledged her with slight nods of their heads, their gazes lingering on Cass and Aspen. It was only when they entered the building that Cass realized she had taken the locket out again. She frantically put it back underneath her shirt, falling into step behind the limping Aspen as Lira led them down a seemingly endless spiral of hallways.

"He hates being in his office at this time of day," Lira informed them as they passed a gigantic room that was filled with elaborate paintings and what were undoubtedly priceless artifacts. She gave a cheerful wave at the two guards standing in front of the door, who, in turn, greeted her with waves of their own.

Cass took all this in with wide, incredulous eyes. The interior of the mansion was just as impressive as its exterior. She couldn't believe that someone could afford to live in a place like this, though she guessed some part of it must have been paid for by the kingdom. Still, it was one of the most expensive places she had ever seen in her life, and that was enough to amaze her.

To make things even more incredible, she couldn't remember ever having walked through these halls. Everything up until this point had felt like déjà vu. The moment she had put her foot down on the path that led up to the building, the recognition had disappeared. She took comfort in that. If the streets of Rey grew overwhelming, she could find shelter in this place - a place that Lira, who had shown her the most acceptance since they had arrived, lived in. She decided right then and there that this place was going to be her home away from home on this strange new world, even though she had no idea how long she would be stuck here.

Lira led them through yet another doorway. Unlike the ones before it, this one opened up into an absolutely breathtaking courtyard. Plants that she had never seen before lined the walls that they walked by, and decorated the sides of the wooden paths that Lira began to take them down. Several other paths cut through the gardens, eventually forming a circle around the small pond in the very center. The sole person there was sitting on one of the elaborate wooden benches placed around the pond; Cass immediately knew this man had to be Lira's father.

They came to a stop only a few feet away from the man.

Lira waited a moment. When her father didn't move, she cleared her throat.

This caught his attention.

"You're back early today, Liri," he said, slowly rising from his seat.

"Well," Lira started, looking back at Cass and Aspen and giving them a grin, "Rodet and I met some travelers that I think you'll be interested in."

Her father turned.

It took a second for the face to register, but then Cass uttered a surprised gasp. The feeling of recognition had suddenly bombarded her again, this time accompanied by a whole host of feelings that she couldn't explain. Anger. Sadness. Love. Betrayal. None of them made any sense, yet they all seemed to fit with the man she was looking at. Aspen glanced behind, worry flickering across her face as their eyes met. Cass almost pulled her aside and told her what was wrong, but knew that it would amount to nothing. Aspen wouldn't understand.

It was pointless to even try telling her.

So Cass bit her tongue, ducked her head back down, and waited for Lira's father to address them.