Delving Beneath the Surface

Chapter 15

Verona could do this.

Her thumb hovered over the call button on her cellphone. Her mother would answer after the second ring and she would tell her that she was right, and that she should have stayed in Zuzu City. She made a huge mistake coming out to Pelican Town to try and find herself. A bitter laugh bubbled from her throat. What a joke?

This was never about finding herself, only discovering that deep down she had always been a selfish coward.

She glared at the phone screen. Just click the damn button. She would tell her mother that she planned to move back home, resigned to the fact that she would never be anything more than her little puppet.

As hard as she tried, her thumb refused to move.

She tossed her phone aside, falling back on the couch. Thistle hopped onto her chest and curled up under her chin, purring softly. She scratched him behind the ears as she stared at the unpacked boxes stacked in the dining room. Almost two weeks passed since the mine incident, and she couldn't bring herself to start packing. A small, naïve part of herself refused to accept that all this had been for nothing.

A knock on her front door broke the heavy silence. She had half a mind to ignore it, but her body moved of its own accord. Thistle hopped off, weaving between her feet as she crossed the room, opening the door.

Sebastian greeted her on the other side.

He held out a casserole dish for her and said, "Before you slam the door in my face, just know that I come bearing gifts."

She stared at it. "I don't want one of your mom's cobblers."

"Well, that's good," he said quickly, "because I made it myself. It's blackberry."

She stared at it, her mouth already starting to water. "And?"

"Can I come in? Please. I just want to talk."

She almost said no. She almost closed the door on him so she could continue to wallow in her own self-pity, but that small part of herself that refused to give up had more power than she realized. She opened the door a little wider and stepped aside to let him through. He looked relieved as he walked inside, but that relief was short lived.

His expression fell when he settled on the boxes lining the wall. "What are you doing?"

"I'm packing."

He blinked. "Where are you going?"

"Back to Zuzu City." She thought saying it aloud would make it easier to stomach, but it didn't. If anything, it made her feel worse. That city held so many bad memories. This whole situation would never change that how much she hated it. She hugged herself and quickly added, "Or at least that's the plan. I haven't—I mean, I'm still trying to figure things out, but I don't think Pelican Town is the right fit for me after all."

His shoulders slumped. "You don't really believe that? Do you?"

"What else am I supposed to believe? I thought things were finally looking up for me, but look at where all this got me, I ruined everything." She wiped at her tears angrily. She had done enough crying over this archaeological bullshit. No more. She would take this with her head held high.

"I thought I could finally stop wasting my life, but here we are. Another wasted opportunity."

Sebastian set the casserole on the counter. She could hear the gears grinding as he processed what she said, his brow pitching. "A wise woman once told me there's no right way to live your life," he said slowly, "she said it's full of mistakes and poor life choices, but that doesn't mean it not a life worth that's living. You haven't wasted anything."