By the time they reached home, Nina was barely dragging her feet. Her shoulders sagged, and every part of her body felt like lead.
"I'm drained. I need food. Or sleep. Maybe both."
She groaned, pushing open the door.
The house was dark.
No lights on, no sound, no sign of life.
Nina blinked.
"Mom?"
Silence.
She stepped in and flipped the switch. The lights flickered on, casting a pale yellow glow over the tidy living room. No note. No shoes at the entrance. Nothing.
"Seriously? She's never here when I need her."
She muttered.
But the moment the words left her mouth, she noticed Leo and Luna weren't reacting. In fact, both of them had stopped moving.
They stood stiffly behind her, a strange, unreadable expression on their faces.
Punched. That's what it looked like—like someone had hit them with something too heavy to process.
Nina swallowed and looked away.
"Okay. Sorry. That was rude."
Luna gave a weak shake of her head, but said nothing.
