12
Hiding behind Hunter, I peeked at Ethan nervously.
Yep. Big cities were dangerous. Definitely time to leave.
The two of them squared off, their tension escalating to the point where it looked like
they might start throwing punches.
While they were distracted, I quietly backed away.
And then, I ran.
I couldn’t afford to mess with rich people like them.
11:25 Sun, 15 Jun
<
“Luna!” Hunter called after me, but I didn’t even look back.
སཾ.93%།
Everything was spiraling out of control. I rushed back to the tiny apartment my brother and I shared, frantically packing up our belongings.
The door burst open, and my brother stumbled in, his face flushed unnaturally, limping as
he walked.
I froze, alarmed.
“Bro! Did someone hit you?”
My brother clutched his waist, his voice urgent.
“Pack your stuff. We need to leave. Now.”
I blinked in confusion but nodded.
Turns out, we were on the same wavelength. I grabbed two large duffel bags.
“I’m already packed.”
My brother seemed surprised by how fast I was moving. Soon, we were on the move-
train to bus to tractor to ox–cart.
It took us three whole days, but we finally made it back to our little village.
The moment we arrived, my brother relaxed completely, letting his guard down.
I studied him suspiciously.
“Did something happen? Did one of the CEOs hit you?”
He avoided eye contact, muttering, “Girls shouldn’t ask about this kind of stuff. Let’s lay
low for a while. We need to avoid trouble.”
I frowned.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Since when can’t girls ask questions like this?”
11.25 Sun, 15 Jun
Tch. Fine, I thought to myself, I’ve got secrets I’m not telling you either.
Life in the village settled into a strange rhythm. My brother spent most of his time sitting
in the courtyard, lost in thought.
It was so out of character for him. Usually, he was glued to his phone, laughing at memes all day, But now, his phone was gathering dust at the bottom of his suitcase.
I had a sudden realization.
“Wait,” I said, “is it because there’s no internet in the village?”
That had to be it. My brother couldn’t survive without Wi–Fi.
An idea popped into my head, and I grinned,
“Hey, bro! How much more do we need for the island?”
