Silence. That was what surrounded the whole apartment when Johnson and his wife finally returned home.
The living room was still a mess because although Jenny cleaned it up, she couldn’t do anything about the broken furniture.
The couple was seated at the cracked dining table, staring at their daughter who stood before them with her head lowered.
With a sigh, Riya closed her eyes for a moment. She and Johnson had already met with Skyler. Thankfully, he had returned safely and had even brought home a friend. The only problem was the 9-star snake clinging to him! They were still shocked that he had brought a powerful beast from the crystal without caring about his safety.
It was true that the snake had killed the villains, but it was dangerous. Yet, Skyler had refused to send it to the forest or to a beast tamer, even when they asked him. He was being stubborn, and this time it wasn’t due to anything sparkling or gems. It was due to a powerful elemental snake!
Riya tapped her finger on the table.
"You two are going to make us worry to death one day! One is attracting so much danger like a magnet, and the other..."
She paused and stared at Jenny, who lowered her head further. They had been briefed about what had occurred in the living room by Skyler, who was asked to return to his room with Charles for the time being.
"...had returned home after so many years only to make a mess! When I saw the broken furniture, I assumed some thieves had barged in while we were gone!"
Johnson remained silent next to her, knowing better than to intervene. His wife was furious, and he knew it wasn’t because of the condition of the living room. After all, they could always buy new furniture.
Riya’s sudden anger stemmed from her disappointment with Jenny. She loved her just as much as she loved Skyler, but many of her actions had deeply hurt her.
She could accept Jenny’s absence for the past four years, knowing her daughter had found her own path and was hailed as one of the geniuses, and didn’t have time. She remained silent, even when Jenny left the day Skyler awakened as a 1-star light and hadn’t contacted him for two years. But she finally had enough when she saw Jenny abandon him in a dangerous situation.
Johnson was upset too, but he let his wife handle the situation. He wasn’t the best with words, and he knew his involvement would only make things worse between their kids.
Riya steeled herself, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She didn’t want to raise her voice at her daughter, especially since it was the first time she had done so.
Jenny had always been a good girl, unlike the young Skyler who caused trouble.
"Look at me, Jenny Ironhart! Don’t you have something to say to us? To Skyler?"
Jenny kept her head bowed, wiping the tears that streamed down her cheeks. A single thought consumed her: had Skyler told them about how she had claimed to her friends in the preliminary test that he was just a neighbor?
She had no idea what he had told them and what he had not. Maybe he had exaggerated everything that occurred. If yes, that would explain why their parents were so angry.
Also, didn’t they see how dangerous the monster wave was? If she hadn’t left, she and Skyler both would have died! Maybe they love Skyler more than her, and that’s why her safety didn’t matter to them.
Jenny clenched her fists secretly and murmured softly, her voice breaking.
"I am sorry... I made a mistake."
What mistake she made, she had no idea, since who knows what Skyler told them.
Immediately, Riya hurried to her feet and walked toward her, pulling her into a hug.
"Why are you crying, silly girl? I am your mother, don’t take my words to heart."
She patted her back, crying as well.
"What you did was wrong. I know the situation was dangerous because of the monster wave, but you could have worked together with your friends and helped Sky since it was still far away. But I understand if you all panicked. In the end, you are all kids who lack experience. Just apologize to Sky. I don’t want you two to hate each other."
Jenny blinked. Ah, it seemed Skyler hadn’t told them everything that happened in the preliminary test. She buried her face in her mother’s shoulder, feeling a bit relieved.
She would apologize to Skyler. Yes, she would, and ask him not to tell their parents about the fact that she introduced him as a neighbor to her friends. She was in the wrong, so she would admit her mistake.
Then, everything would be fine.
Just the way it was before.
"Mom, I don’t hate Skyler. I will apologize to him as well. I will talk to him. It was my fault for not contacting him all these years. As the older sister, I didn’t set a good example."
Riya nodded, a smile lighting up her face. To her, as long as both of her children were fine, everything would be okay.
Johnson approached them and rubbed the ladies’ backs with a heavy sigh. Jenny was just like her mother when it came to crying. Well, she was only 20 years old.
***
Skyler stood against the wall beside his partially open room door, letting out a sigh.
He heard everything Riya discussed with Jenny while shamelessly eating the salad that Jenny had prepared but couldn’t enjoy. It was dinnertime, so who could blame him for grabbing whatever he could find?
Charles sat on his bed, feeling out of place and speechless at Skyler’s behavior. Riruru was sleeping on the computer table.
"Why are you eavesdropping? Just go out."
Skyler scoffed at him.
"If I could, I would have. Don’t you think there’s a reason they sent us away? They wanted to talk with Jenny."
Charles nodded. He didn’t want to pry into Skyler’s family matters. However, he had already gleaned the gist of everything from what he had overheard in the house. That’s why he couldn’t help but ask.
"Do you hate your sister?"
He immediately regretted the question. Having no sister himself, he had no idea how to navigate such a sensitive topic.
Skyler remained silent for a moment, his gaze distant. He was certain he didn’t hate Jenny. He felt angry, yes, but not hatred.
"No, I don’t. I will forgive her when the time is right. Besides, we have plenty of time to mend things. She is studying at Starlight Academy, where we will both be going.
Charles nodded, understanding. He was right. Unlike him, whose family seemed to loathe him, they had a lot of time to heal their relationship.
Skyler’s eyes drifted to Riruru’s sleeping figure. It had been a battle to convince his parents not to send her away.
His gaze stopped at the computer before he turned back to Charles with a smile.
"Wanna play some games?"
Charles blinked, a bit surprised.
"Games?"
Skyler nodded with an evil grin. But before the two could play, his mom called them for dinner. So they had to postpone their plans.
Dinner was a simple affair, consisting of sandwiches, eggs, and a small salad since Riya hadn’t had much time to prepare after everything that had happened that day.
Jenny and Riya both had puffy eyes from crying so much. Skyler didn’t avert his gaze whenever Jenny looked at him. His emotions had already settled, so he was just waiting for them to sit down and talk.
Riruru woke up while they were eating and rushed out of his room with a gloomy look in her eyes. She was upset that Skyler hadn’t woken her up to take her with him!
Riya and Johnson were unaccustomed to seeing such a dangerous creature clinging to their son. Skyler even placed her on the table so she could eat with them. But they readily accepted the situation when Riruru blinked at them cutely. It seemed the snake wasn’t that dangerous after all.
Skyler chuckled softly when his mother reached out to touch Riruru.
"She is cute, right?"
Riya nodded, her face serious as Riruru lowered her head to let her touch her.
Riruru understood that Skyler loved these people, even though she had no concept of family. So, she didn’t want to anger them.
Riya’s eyes widened at how smooth her white scales felt, and she smiled.
"Oh... she is really not dangerous!"
After that, Riruru was kidnapped by Riya, and Skyler could only laugh as his mom fed the snake everything delicious.
Charles watched the family silently. It felt warm. Unlike his home. It was true Skyler fought with his sister, but at the end of the day, they were all sitting together, laughing.
When they were done with dinner, Skyler finally gave his storage ring to his father.
"Dad, help us sell all the herbs in there."