The One Less Traveled [Lara]

[Castalia]

There was a slight chill in the air that was neglected to be felt by the two children playing in the park. Wrapped already in their snow clothes, laughing away, the boy and the girl seemed at peace and unaware of the woman sitting across the way. Their grandparents, however, were very aware of her, the way she would incline her head when the little girl whispered something to her baby brother. Sometimes he would frown, other times, he would smile and say “Nu-uh” loud enough that it made them wonder. They sat not too far away, simply watching, and finding the observer to be of no threat.

If anything, they knew her to be one only if provoked and only if the two children were put in danger. After all, it wasn’t the first time that they’d caught their daughter watching from afar. Some times, she was alone, and other times, she was accompanied by an older man they knew to be Frank from her bar. Other times, it was by a younger man who Castalia had yet to introduce them to, but they knew it wasn’t the man she called Cedric. Once again, she sat alone. Her long hair hidden under a baseball cap and her attention seemingly focused on a tablet in her lap, but they knew better. This was as close to “family time” that she allowed herself to get to her children unless she wrote them. ”It’s safer that way.” She had told her father, Sawyer, once when he had asked her about it.

From where she sat, Castalia felt her lips twitch as her children argued about superheroes. It didn’t surprise her in the least to hear that Reid had taken after his father in his love of all things Marvel. Judith was a DC fan, just like her grandfather. The discussion had her trying not to laugh as her son insisted that Iron Man and Captain America could crush the DC verse heroes. She would never understand it, but she was glad that he was enjoying himself without her and Nolan around. That they were thriving without them. Judith was trying not to roll her eyes. From what she’d seen, the girl was every bit of attitude that she had as a teenager - something that she felt guilty that her parents had to deal with twice.

It was hard not to get up and go encourage the girl to stop rolling her eyes at people. To play with her little brother, or to encourage Reid to continue explaining his thoughts about Iron Man - the theories he was coming up with amused her, even if she’d been more into books than comics growing up. Instead, she sat on her bench and listened. Her fingers moving idly over the display screen of her tablet where it detailed her bank statement. She really needed to get an accountant. It would make her life much easier. A frown played across her lips as she heard footsteps on the path leading up behind her. Her hand moving to where she kept a small knife just in case. When she turned to look over her shoulder, Castalia was a bit surprised to see the face that she did.

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