The Reset
POV: Zia
The morning air was crisp, the kind of stillness that usually feels peaceful, but today it felt like the breath you take before diving underwater. Viola was back, sitting in the same spot on the patio, looking as unimpressed by the million-dollar view as she had the first time.
I told her about the letters. I told her about the pier. I even told her about the "I am not a thief" mantra.
She listened, her sharp eyes tracking the way my hands didn't shake as much as they used to. "Good," she said, her voice like gravel. "You’ve cleared the brush. Now we have to dig up the stumps."