Free Web NovelChapter 158: [Bonus for all readers] Home, Sweet Home
The elderly lady who delivered milk had a hefty crate of milk on her back as she strolled. Every sunrise in this upscale neighborhood, she made sure people had their milk. Even though she wasn’t paid much, getting a job in Imperial Nexus was pretty tough. So, she kept at it, no matter the weather.
The road ahead was kind of steep, and pretty rose branches reached out from a yard. The old lady had a soft spot for this house.
Suddenly, the gate swung open, and out came a girl with a short, trendy haircut, her face lit up with a huge smile. She took her milk and even handed the older lady a generous tip.
"You seem super happy! What’s up?" the milk lady said with a warm smile.
"My friend, the house owner, just got back from her trip," Locky responded, hugging the milk close, her eyes twinkling with joy.
"That’s totally a reason to celebrate!"
In this time, leaving Imperial Nexus was risky, and families always worried. So, coming back safely was a huge deal.
The milk-delivering lady remembered her early days at this neighborhood. This girl was super shy back then, only peeking out from behind the door to grab the milk. But now, she was way more confident, greeting people with a smile and sometimes even giving the older lady delicious treats and a generous tip.
"That young girl must be working for someone really nice," the elderly lady mused. She felt truly joyful for Locky, and relieved that the house owner was back, safe and sound.
The rose branches from the yard spread wide, blooming so brightly. The fresh morning air carried a hint of their sweet smell. Not many gardens looked this amazing so early in the year.
On her way out, the old woman noticed a gardener wearing a shiny silver mask. He was up on a ladder next to a tree full of flowers, snipping some that were covered in morning dew.
She was suddenly hit by memories. It wasn’t long ago that this mansion was famously creepy. It looked abandoned, and walking by it in the early morning used to give her the chills. But now, with more and more people moving in and visiting, it was turning lively and cheerful with each passing day. She felt sure there was a really nice new owner.
Back in the house, Kestrel snuggled under her comfy blanket, faintly catching the sound of Locky walking in the yard. Half-asleep, she activated her opticomputer to see what time it was.
A gentle wind played with the chimes near her window, causing the glossy beads to glint in the delicate morning rays, throwing all sorts of colors around.
Among the sparkling beads, one stood out. It was like a cat’s eye gem. This clear stone, shaped like an eye and tinted by the morning light, seemed to be observing the colorful world outside.
It had been quite a while since Kestrel got back from the Eyehole, and all she did was sleep. For some reason, she felt super tired, like she hadn’t slept for days and was making up for it.
"You’re kind of different now," Kaworu once mentioned. "Did something weird happen in the Eyehole? I used to understand your psychic power, but now, it’s like...wow."
When Kaworu said this, Kestrel was busy munching on a huge pot of beef ribs Locky made for her, so her mouth was too full to answer.
She wasn’t really sure if she got more powerful. But ever since she came back, she felt this weird emptiness inside. Like she needed tons of sleep and food to feel normal again.
Sadly, she couldn’t stay in bed today. The Queen wanted to see her, which meant she had to wake up early and get ready.
Lately, the Queen didn’t see many people. Even royals needed a special invite. But this was Kestrel’s second time being asked over. People noticed and were kind of jealous.
While she was sleeping a lot, loads of party invites flooded into her house. Good thing she wasn’t at the Beta Academy anymore, so she could say no.
Rubbing her eyes, Kestrel got up and looked out at the yard.
Being home was nice, but something felt off. Like she lost something she always had with her.
The yard looked awesome in the morning. Not like it was perfect, but thanks to Kaworu’s touch, it was alive and pretty with flowers, plants, and a touch of wild beauty.
In a corner, there were these thick vines. They grew slow, but they took over a stone wall without anyone noticing, rooting deep into its cracks.
At breakfast, Kestrel overheard her tendrils talking:
"Man, I’ve been feeling weird."
"Same."
"I think it’s ’cause we haven’t rub a fish for a long time."
"Yeah, haven’t seen Little Fish around for like, forever."
Her tendrils sounded as tired as she felt.
Taking a sip of her warm milk, Kestrel turned on her opticomputer to see her new messages. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
She noticed she was getting way more messages than usual lately.
Birdie’s message sounded a little worried about what’s been happening lately: "I’ve noticed there are way more mutants wandering around in the wild areas. And the inside of the Polluted Zone? It’s way busier than it used to be, and that’s kinda stressing us out. I heard you made it out of the Eyehole; we’re all super excited for you. Just make sure to stay safe, alright?"
Roy sent a message that said: "I’ve dug up some stuff about your mom. Looks like she went to that place you asked me about. I stopped by your house, and your gardener said you were getting some rest. We’ll chat more when we see each other next. Something about this feels off, and I want to double-check it."
Priscilla dropped her a message, showing she’s finally standing up to her husband: "You know, you were totally right; he’s not as big of a deal as I thought. Thanks to you, Kestrel, I see things differently now, and I’ve kinda found myself again. Oh, and I’ll swing by in a few days with those snacks you love. Take it easy till then."
Nicole’s messages were like... a lot. So many that there’s no way to read them all at once:
"OMG, Kestrel, you’re like, super famous now."
"You’re a beta, but you cracked the Eyehole? That’s wild!"
"Seriously, EVERYONE’s talking about you right now."
"I’m freaking out because everyone knows you’re my BFF."
"You’re making all of us betas look super cool."
"Even my dad’s kinda changing his mind. He’s thinking about letting me go to that outpost."
"So many folks from school are asking about you. We’re all thinking maybe we could do big things, just like you did."
"I just love you to bits, sending you like a bazillion kisses..."
Then there was Olivia’s message: "Heard you’re back and all’s good. If there’s a chance for one of those top alpha spots, think of me, okay? Sending you a big cute eye roll, mwah~~"
But in the middle of all these excited messages, Ren’s were calm and steady. His messages were short, but he never missed a day. They had this quiet, cozy vibe to them:
"How’s your head feeling now?"
"All better from your injuries?"
"Guess what? I got noticed today and even got a bonus. They’re even paying me a bit more."
"I found this awesome dessert place while I was on a mission. I bought some with the bonus I got and sent them over to your place. Hope they’re as good as they look."
...
After getting back, he seemed to have a lot more on his plate than Kestrel did. Judging by his messages, it looked like he was getting a lot of props from the higher-ups and even doing some missions away from home. He must’ve been super swamped, but he never forgot to drop Kestrel a line every single day.
As Kestrel scrolled through her messages, she noticed her super short replies to Ren.
"Is your headache better?"
"Yes."
"Make sure you get some rest."
"Mm-hmm."
"I’m heading out on a mission."
"Oh."
"I’ve sent you some goodies."
"Thanks!"
Whether Ren wrote a lot or a little, she usually just answered with a quick "Yep", "Okay", "Oh", or "Mm-hmm".
"Am I being... kinda cold?" Kestrel wondered, taking a sip of her milk and munching on the tasty treats on her plate. They were special handmade treats, super crispy and just the right amount of sweet—all gifts from Ren.
Her tendrils started chatting among themselves:
"She’s totally the least friendly one of us."
"For sure, she’s kinda thoughtless sometimes."
"That’s probably why we haven’t seen Little Fish in ages."
"I’m not mean; I always answer," Kestrel said, defending herself. "It’s just... words aren’t really my thing."
Speaking was already tricky for her, but writing? That was even tougher.
"Let me give it a shot, I’m a pro at texting."
One tendril got ready and started typing super fast on Kestrel’s opticomputer. Before she knew it, the tendril had already pressed send.
"Hey babe, wanna come over for dinner tonight~~" The word ’dinner’ even had a cute pink heart emoji next to it.
A notification popped up on her screen showing that Ren was typing a reply.
The typing stopped, then started again, and stopped again. This went on a few times.
While her other tendrils were thinking about sending another message, a single reply from Ren appeared.
"Okay."
Usually, Kestrel wasn’t into texting. She found it tricky to understand feelings just from text messages. For her, trying to sense real emotions from simple words was like solving a puzzle.
But this time, even with Ren’s super short answer, she felt a wave of feelings behind it. Like, a whole story in just one word.
