I look the same.Same wild waves of hair, same sharp blue eyes, same defiance set into my bones.But there is something new, something unfamiliar curling in my gaze.
I look like a girl who doesn’t know where she belongs.
“You’ll adjust, you know.”
The voice startles me.
I turn sharply, my pulse jumping.Cameron leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, a knowing smirk playing at his lips. “I’m glad you finally decided to leave that dreadful room.”
For a moment, I say nothing, studying him.
He looks at me like he’s figuring me out, like he’s cataloging every reaction, every slip of emotion. Itunnerves me… the way he watches, the way he calculates.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he says casually, pushing off the frame. “You always this jumpy?”
“I’m in a house full of strangers.” I raise a brow. “What do you think?”
His smirk deepens, but there’s something softer behind it.Pity? Amusement?I can’t tell.
“You won’t feel that way forever.” He steps closer, his presencecommanding, effortless.“Give it time.”
I fold my arms. “And what if I don’t?”
His jaw flexes, but he doesn’t break eye contact. “Then you’re stronger than I thought.”
I narrow my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” he exhales, studying me, “that I know how suffocating this family can be. And I know what happens when someone resists too hard.”
Something tightens in my stomach.
Cameron steps closer, his presence a steady anchor in the storm of my emotions. He reaches out, gently placing a hand on my shoulder. "Magnolia, I know this is overwhelming," he says, his voice soft but firm. "But you don't have to go through this alone."
"I feel so lost, Cameron. I don't know who to trust or what to believe anymore." I have to confide in someone, this man who met me under false pretenses at my work. The man who is actually my brother.
He nods, his expression filled with understanding. "I get it. This family, this life... it's a lot to take in. But you have us now. You have me."
His words are a balm to my aching heart. I take a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. "I just want to feel like I belong somewhere. Like I have a family that cares about me."
Cameron's grip on my shoulder tightens slightly, a reassuring squeeze. "You do belong here, Magnolia. And we do care about you. More than you know."
I search his eyes, looking for any hint of deception, but all I see is sincerity. "Thank you," I whisper, my voice barely audible. The appreciation only coming from my lips because I can’t fathom thinking about this more.
If they cared so much, why wasn’t I raised here? Why throw me into an orphanage.
He pulls me into a gentle hug, his arms wrapping around me protectively. "We'll get through this together," he murmurs. "I promise."
I recall the day Cameron first came into Alice in Brewland, selling his first editions to help his little sister. “You could have just told me, you know?”
“What?”
“When you came into the coffee shop.”
His eyes glance over me, empathetically. “Would you have believed me? Would you have ran to us or back to him? I couldn’t risk him finding out and hurting you.”
“So.” I look around us, “I was the little sister you needed to help.”
He nods, “I would sell every last one of my first editions for you, Magnolia. Here,” He hands me a box, a new phone tucked inside. “We had to get rid of your old one.” Cameron walks past me, stopping just long enough to glance at my reflection in the mirror.“You already look like one of us.”Then he’s gone, his footsteps fading into the endless hallways.
