WELCOME TO THE VILLAGE

ACCALIA'S POV

"Hey," I said softly and I sat beside him on the bench. "You look miles away. What's going on?"

He shook his head, "I can't get any reception. I was trying to call Luca, to... I don't know, hear a familiar voice, maybe get some advice. And then it hit me, Accalia. Who would want us dead? This wasn't an accident. Someone planted that bomb. But why?"

I took his hand and I ensured that my grip was firm and reassuring. "We'll figure this out. Together, okay? We're alive, and that's what matters right now. We've been through a lot, but we're not going to let this break us. Whoever did this, they wanted to scare us, isolate us, make us feel powerless. But look at us," I gestured around, "we're here, we're safe, and we're not alone. We have each other."

I hoped that my words would stand as a strength he desperately needed, and I hoped that it would wash over him, grounding him back to the moment, to the reality that despite the trouble, we would figure everything out eventually