The taxi ride from the airport had been a long, sticky crawl through Lusaka's midday traffic. By the time Leya stepped out at the gates of Zambia International Academy, her white shirt was clinging to her back.
She stood there for a second, squinting at the red-brick buildings. The school looked exactly the same, which was the problem. It felt like a trap. She hauled her cello case out of the boot, the weight of it pulling at her shoulder.
"You need help with that, zi?" the driver asked, eyeing the bulky instrument.
"I've got it, thank you," Leya said.
Her voice sounded strange even to her—too sharp, too 'London' for the dusty air of Longacres. The driver shrugged, took his cash, and pulled away, leaving her standing in front of the gate.
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Zazu was sitting on a concrete bench near the car park, scrolling through his phone while his friends argued about which football team was going to win the league. He was wearing the school blazer, but he'd kicked off his loafers, his feet resting on the cool stone.
"Is that a cello?" Musi asked, pointing toward the gate.
Zazu looked up. A girl was walking toward the administration block. She looked exhausted. Her hair was pulled back into a tight, sensible bun, and she was lugging a massive black case that looked like it weighed more than she did.
She didn't look like the other girls at ZIA. There was no "cool" factor, no expensive sneakers. Just a girl in a plain shirt trying not to trip over her own feet.
"Wait," Musi said, his voice dropping. "No way. Is that Kapiri's daughter? I thought they were still in the UK."
Zazu felt a sudden, cold knot form in his stomach. He didn't need a name tag to know who she was. He recognized the shape of her eyes from the old photos in his father's study—the ones labeled *'The Fall of the Monopolies.'* "She's back?" another boy asked, leaning in. "I heard they lost everything. My dad says they're living in a flat in Chelstone now."
"Leave it," Zazu said, but he couldn't stop watching her.
Leya was halfway across the quad when her grip slipped. The cello case tilted, and she stumbled, barely catching it before it hit the pavement. She stood there for a second, her head down, her shoulders shaking just slightly.
"Looks like she needs a hand," Musi smirked. "Maybe I should go ask her if she has any spare change for the bus."
"Musi, shut up," Zazu snapped. He stood up, shoving his feet into his loafers.
He walked toward her, not because he wanted to be the hero, but because the silence in the quad was getting uncomfortable. Everyone was staring. It was like watching a car wreck in slow motion.
"The registrar's office moved," Zazu said as he reached her. He didn't look at her face; he looked at the scuffed corner of the cello case. "It's in the new wing now. Behind the library."
Leya looked up. Her eyes were bloodshot from the long flight, and she looked like she wanted to bolt. "I know where I'm going."
"Clearly," Zazu said, gesturing to the wrong building she'd been heading toward. "That's the science lab. Unless you're planning on dissecting that cello, you're in the wrong place."
Leya's face flushed a deep, angry red. She tightened her grip on the handle. "I don't need a tour, Zazu. I'm perfectly capable of reading a map."
The fact that she knew his name made the air feel even tighter.
"I'm just saying, it's a long walk with that thing," Zazu muttered. He felt like an idiot. He wanted to say something real—something about the fact that he still had that silver coin her mother gave him—but he couldn't. Not here. Not with the whole school watching.
"I've walked further with less," Leya said, her British accent clipping the words short.
She turned and started walking toward the library, her pace uneven but determined. Zazu stood there, watching her go. He could hear Musi and the others laughing behind him, but the sound felt far away.
He looked down at his own hands—clean, soft, the hands of a boy who never had to carry anything heavy. For the first time, his life felt like a movie he was tired of watching.
"Hey, Zazu!" Musi called out. "You coming or what?"
"In a minute," Zazu replied.
He watched Leya disappear around the corner of the library. She hadn't looked back once.
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