Shattered Reality | Book Two

Chapter XV

I'm stuck in a quandary when a shadow appears over me. My heart leaps up and I turn around wanting to apologize to Grim for everything, but my whole chest blows out as I recognize Zeuxis. He stares down at me with his verdant eyes and lets a little smile fall across his face. "Hey," he says softly.

"Hi," I flick my blankets over my toes and curl up closer to myself. I hide my face in my knees and sniffle.

"What happened?"

"Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be on lockdown at Grims?"

Zeuxis just sits down on my bed. "He showed up and sort of went psycho. I was sent to come to you because Azrael is trying to calm him down. I'm surprised they let me out of that place. It feels good to breath fresh air again." I just snort.

"Yeah," I rub my eyes. "Grim and I got in a fight."

"Like a relationship fight?"

"I guess you could say that. He resigned his job of protecting me, leaving me alone." I run my fingers through my hair before blowing out a shaky laugh. "I'm such an idiot!" I groan to myself. Zeuxis stares at me, making my skin crawl. It's so weird and now that I know he's seen me undress and naked. It makes my skin crawl even more.

"Cassie, I've known you for years. I know you won't let some stupid fight come in the way of you and Theodosius."

Hearing Zeuxis say Grimes full name catches me off guard and I look up at him shortly. He must see something in my eyes before he looks down. "How's Ravenna?"

"What?" I bristle.

"Your sister. Last I saw her she was crying in my shoulder..." he sends me a little smile. My eyebrows raise and I back up from him slightly.

"What do you mean?" Zeuxis is quiet until his eyes meet mine and flick to a warm brown. He lets a smile drift across his face and his face changes, revealing a familiar boy in a beanie. "Beans?!" I cry and fling myself backward on my bed. Zeuxis laughs.

"In the flesh."

"What? How? Whattt?" I draw out my last word.

He laughs more before shaking his head and pulling off the beanie before placing it back on his head. "I needed to get close to you, so why not be a childhood best friend?" My eyes widen more and I almost slap my childhood best friend. "Come on Cassie, how much more obvious could I make it? I literally said my mother had cancer--" something Beans mother did have-- "You recognized me a little in my true form at the library." I remember feeling all weird because something about him didn't rub me right. He looked and felt familiar. "And I always wore this beanie," he sends me a little smile.

My eyes narrow and I blank. "I'm still your friend, just a little different," Zeuxis says. Or should I say Beans? I'm so confused. My brain cannot handle all the information getting handed to it and I feel like throwing myself under the covers and hiding. But that's where the ashes of the feather are and I really do not want to see those. "When I saw you in the library and you ran into me I just sort of panicked because we hadn't been talking face to face in years. Sorry for my weird behavior."

"Yeah," I look at him pointedly. "Warren? Where do you get that name from?" I raise an eyebrow. He laughs shortly. I can already feel myself warming up to him since he looks like Beans and Beans is one of my oldest best friends. "And what the heck? What about your crazy girlfriend?"

"Completely made up. I just had to mess around with your mind for you to believe me," he smirks

"You're a--"

"I know," he laughs, "I'm a booty. Your favorite word."

"Got that right," I snap at him. His eyes crinkle around the corners more and he laughs.