CHAPTER 26: LITTLE STAR

The car slowed, headlights washing the brick façade before stopping at the curb. Erisia stepped out with a "thank you" to the driver, who nodded in reply as she closed the door.

The Uber pulled away, leaving her on the sidewalk with a carrier—Rein nestled inside on her blanket—and a bulging tote bag over her shoulder. She turned in a slow circle, assessing the buildings. Unsure which one matched Rita’s description, she pulled out her cracked phone and recorded a short video: panning from right to left across the block before backtracking, then sent it with a message beneath:

|Which one is your building?|

Two seconds later, a reply popped up:

|The one on your left. The red-brick apartment.|

Erisia lifted her gaze. Sure enough, a mid-rise red-brick building stood there, six stories tall, ivy creeping up its outer wall. A black iron gate with buzzing panels guarded the entrance.

The evening crowd was in motion—people trickling home from work, groceries swinging from their hands. Across the street, a Greek bakery let out the scent of honey and strong coffee. Strings of lights glowed faintly inside a café on the corner. Street trees leaned over the sidewalks, their shadows stretched long under the orange wash of the evening sun. The neighborhood was alive but not overwhelming. Erisia thought, fleetingly, that she wouldn’t mind having a place like this herself.

"Erisia!"

She turned at the sound. Rita was striding down from her right, waving with a broad grin. She wore a rust-colored cardigan left unbuttoned over a cropped white tank, paired with beige wide-leg trousers and white sneakers. A brown shoulder bag was slung over her arm. She broke into a jog, her curly black hair bouncing out of its bun, strands flying across her face.

Before Erisia could even take two steps, Rita wrapped her in a hug.

"You’re here," she said, pulling back but keeping an arm around Erisia’s shoulders. Her eyes ran over her critically. "You look like you’ve been through hell. And still no sense of style. What is this—washed-out jeans and a black t-shirt? Honestly, I’m starting to think you deserved getting almost hit."

Erisia rolled her eyes. "I’ve been drowning in family drama, Rita. Clothes are the least of my concerns. And this"—she lifted the carrier a little—"is Rein, my kitten. In case you haven’t noticed her."

Rita leaned down, her mock-annoyed frown melting instantly. "Oh my God. She’s a she? She’s adorable!"

Rein blinked up at her with sleepy blue eyes, gave a tiny mewl, then tucked her face back into her blanket.

"She’s shy," Erisia said softly.

"Don’t worry, I’ll win her over," Rita declared, straightening. She slipped the carrier from Erisia’s hand like it weighed nothing. "Come on, let’s get you both inside. You look like you’re about to collapse."

Erisia didn’t argue. They pushed through the black gate, climbing the short steps into the building. Inside, the small lobby smelled faintly of polished wood and someone’s different perfumes. A row of old mailboxes lined the wall, and above them hung a bulletin board cluttered with flyers: piano lessons, yoga classes, and a missing parakeet.

Rita pressed the elevator button. "Sixth floor. You’re going to love the view. It’s nothing fancy like your mansion, but it’s home."

"Perfect," Erisia murmured, leaning against the wall.

—

They stepped into the apartment and Rita threw her arms wide. "Welcome! This is my humble abode. Drop your things on the table and we’ll begin the tour."

Erisia chuckled, setting her tote bag on the low table before trailing after Rita. "Right, I wanted to ask... why a two-bedroom apartment? You live alone, and the rent in New York isn’t exactly cheap."

Rita turned to face her, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Because I didn’t rent it. It was given to me when my uncle died. I was his favorite niece—honestly, we were more like father and daughter than I ever was with my own dad. He was actually a rich man. Four kids and all, but still... he set this place aside for me. Prepaid the rent for ten years. I’ve been living here almost five years now."

Her voice softened. "He died during my senior year of college. At the time, this was the only unit left with a balcony, space, and a proper view. And since I’d always told him that if I ever rented a place in NYC, I wanted one with a balcony for plants and late-night sky watching, he made sure this was mine."

Erisia nodded slowly. "I see... and your parents?"

"They’re still in Texas, on the family farmhouse. Living their quiet farm life."

"Do you have siblings?"

"Two. Jared—older brother, prosecutor, rolling in money but his love life is as dry as the Sahara. And my younger sister’s in college, studying computer science or something equally nerdy."

Erisia smiled faintly, "What about you? Last I checked, you’re single too. You told me in the hospital you only did hookups, but it’s been a while because you’ve got a crush on some part-time doctor. A rich kid, according to your ’professional observation.’"

Rita laughed, flicking her hand. "And I stand by that observation. Still crushing, still hopeless. My brother, though? I don’t think he’s ever liked anyone in his life." She stopped suddenly, blinking. "Wait—have I even said anything about the apartment since we started?"

Erisia pressed her lips together to keep from laughing and shook her head. "Not a word."

Rita shrugged dramatically. "Then we’ll start over. Come on."

This time, she actually stuck to the tour. The living room was warm and inviting, with soft throws draped over the couch and books stacked haphazardly on a side table. The kitchen smelled faintly of vanilla from a candle left burning earlier. The balcony opened up to a view of the street below, strung with lights from cafés and bakeries.

When they reached the second bedroom, Rita pushed open the door. The space was neat, clearly well-kept—fresh curtains, a bed newly made, everything dusted and vacuumed.

"I clean it every few days, just in case I ever have guests, and lucky for you, I cleaned it just before I went out," Rita said, carrying the tote bag in.

Erisia followed, setting the kitten carrier by the bed.

"Alright. Freshen up, rest a while, then come with me downstairs to grab some groceries. We’ll cook together after." Rita grinned, then left, closing the door behind her.

Erisia sat on the edge of the bed before sighing and opening the carrier. "Come on, Rein."

The kitten stepped out, blinking sleepily.

"You must be hungry, huh? Don’t worry, I’ve got you."

She dug into the tote, pulling out the new towel, body wash, face cleanser, toothbrush, sponge, T-shirt, pants—and the small bag of dry food. Pouring some into the bowl, she placed it in front of Rein, who immediately began to nibble. Erisia watched for a moment, a soft smile on her lips, then carried the rest of her things into the bathroom.

⸻

After picking up groceries for the week—plus cat food—they walked back to the apartment building. The sun had nearly set, painting the street in dusky purples and golds. Their arms were full of paper bags that rattled with every step.

"So," Rita said, side-eyeing her as they crossed the street, "you really haven’t looked at X or Instagram today?"

"No."

"Well, let me enlighten you," Rita continued, her voice dripping with mock drama. "There are dozens of posts about the accident. Videos. Photos. Commentary. And guess what—Cassian’s fans spread them like wildfire. You’re trending too. Oh, and Rein. Rein is a little star now."

"Don’t worry," Rita said. "When we get to the apartment, I’ll leave you to your phone and prepare dinner. You’re my guest anyway. I just wanted someone with me in the kitchen for a change."

"No, I’ll help you," Erisia replied. "And when we’re done, we can look at it together."

"Alright then! You are so sweet."

They arrived back at the apartment. Erisia checked on Rein first, then joined Rita in the kitchen to help with dinner.

"Now, let’s see what’s going on..." Rita said once they were seated at the table, tapping on her phone with her plate of food in front of her.

Erisia, still eating, turned on her cracked phone and opened Instagram. After typing in Brightfall, dozens of videos and edited reels of the incident immediately appeared, each with different captions.

She tapped on a video that had been posted around the time of the incident and read the caption:

{Ya’ll! This girl nearly got flattened but dude just swooped in?? Plus she NEVER let go of the kitten 😭}

[Blurry reel: Cassian yanking Erisia back, Erisia curled protectively around Rein, audio is just people screaming.]

The top comments were already flooded with thousands of likes:

What the hell? This is the first time I’ve seen someone deliberately trying to kill in front of so many people. Like—are you dumb? This is a commercial plaza for God’s sake. What if not only she had been hit? Everything about this looks like something straight out of a movie. Honestly, I thought it was a film shoot before I read the comments. And why the hell is someone trying to kill this young girl?

Just a second later and this girl would’ve been dead—plus the cat. Seriously, what the fuck is happening these days? Attempted murder in broad daylight?? Authorities better be on this. Also... guy’s got great reflexes.

The way she hugged the kitten to her chest... wow. That was beautiful, honestly. I know I should be worried for her, but the tenderness of it—ugh. They weren’t hit, right? That’s the end of the video, isn’t it? And the guy—thank you for saving them.

I was there. I saw everything. And if you’d been there too, you’d know this isn’t something to joke about. We were all fucking terrified. The car came speeding straight for her—it wasn’t "bad brakes," it was deliberate. Even after the guy pulled her out of the way, the car swerved back for both of them. Then the girl—she got up and dragged him out of danger. So yeah, people will call him a savior, but she was brave as hell too. Also... why was someone trying to kill her? And am I crazy, or have I seen that guy somewhere before?

Wait. When did this happen?? Today?? And—isn’t that guy... Cassian Rowe?? Oh my god, it’s Cassian Rowe!

It seemed like she was a Cassian fan and she had forwarded it because it was around the time of her comments that the video blew up and went to X. Some even tagged Cassian in the caption.

The second video she saw also had comments like:

@roweswifeee: That’s CASSIAN ROWE?? girl you don’t understand what you filmed 👏

@meowlover: idc abt the dude the cat is the star 🐾

@filmcriticwannabe: giving main character energy ngl

@safekittybrigade: the way she shielded that kitten like her soul depended on it... I’m crying.

@streetcamwatch: wild how fast the cops + plaza security pulled up, like it turned into an action movie in seconds.

@existentiallatte: surreal af—like?? A random girl clutching a cat, almost gets flattened, saved by the singer Cassian Rowe of all people? Bro, reality is fanfiction now.

Then she saw a fan repost edit:

Cassian slo-mo pulling her away, color corrected, sparkles added. Text overlay:

’He saved her... she saved the kitten... balance in the universe restored ✨’

Comments:

@kittenfanclub: The real hero is the kitten.

@rowefansunite: can y’all stop ignoring cassian 😭 man literally prevented a death.

@chaoticneutral: sorry but "girl who’d die for a cat" is my Roman Empire now.

Suddenly, Rita started laughing and Erisia looked up at her with a raised brow.

"Take a look at this meme," Rita said, handing her the phone.

Erisia collected it and blinked at the screen.

@MemeDump

Caption: me protecting my $2 burrito from my siblings

Pic: freeze-frame of Erisia clutching the kitten with a determined expression.

She groaned, dragging a hand over her face. "A burrito? Really?"

Rita was wheezing now. "Keep scrolling, it gets better."

The next one popped up.

@faneditqueen

Caption: fan edit dropping in 3...2...1...

[Clip of Cassian pulling Erisia back set to dramatic k-drama OST, ends with glitter text "HERO ✦ LEGEND ✦ CAT SAVIOR"]

Erisia had to shake her head to keep herself from laughing as she gave Rita her phone back.