Reborn, She's Back for Revenge novel Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Sunlight streamed onto Joseph’s bed, telling him it was late. Still groggy, he forced himself up, rubbed his eyes, ducked into the bathroom, and headed downstairs, hungry.

As he reached the door, he spotted Zachary sprawled on the floor, acting suspicious. “Zachary, what’re you doing?” he asked.

Zachary jumped, startled. He rushed over and clamped a hand over Joseph’s mouth. “Shh!” he whispered urgently. “If you wake her up, you’re toast.”

Joseph glanced at the clock–nine already. No way Edith was still asleep.

“Just found these in the yard,” Zachary said, showing two large, wriggling green caterpillars in his palm.

Joseph recoiled. “Seriously, Zachary? Aren’t you a little old for this?”

“Shut it. Girls freak out over worms. Edith’s always acting tough, bossing everyone around. This time, she’ll totally lose it when she sees these. Watch!” Zachary boasted with a mischievous grin.

With that, he crept towards Edith’s room, crouching low as he tried to slide the caterpillars under her door. But the stubborn creatures refused to coopérate. Frustrated, he growled, “Get in there, you little creeps. Move it or I’ll squish you.”

After a few more whispered threats, the caterpillars finally squirmed their way inside. Triumphant, Zachary dusted off his hands and stood, grinning smugly at his handiwork.

Just inside the door, Marcus opened the candy box, revealing a collection of vibrant, round candies. Each one gave off a distinctive, mouthwatering aroma, unlike anything he’d experienced before.

Temptation got the better of him, and he eagerly grabbed a blue candy, impatient to taste it.

Right then, he spotted something green wriggling across the gray carpet, inching closer. He turned for a better look and felt a chill run down his spine.

‘It’s a worm!‘ he thought, eyes widening in alarm. He wasn’t scared of much, but worms totally freaked him out–they made his skin crawl.

As panic shot through him, Marcus’s hand trembled, and the whole box slipped from his grip. The candies were scattered across the floor, most of them rolling uncomfortably close to the wriggling intruder.

Gulping nervously, Marcus squeezed his eyes shut. Despite the dread, he forced himself to tiptoe closer, crouch down, and start scooping up the candies as fast as possible.

Suddenly, he felt something soft and squishy crawl onto his finger. He totally freaked. His vision swam, then everything went black.

He collapsed, sprawled on the floor. His large frame landed right on the worms, crushing them and smearing green goo all over the candies.

Edith got back to the Lovett Manor at 6 PM after a full day at Shaun’s special school.

His severe autism meant he didn’t speak and seemed completely withdrawn, unable to understand emotions or communicate in any way. No matter what Edith said, she never got a reaction from him.

She understood just how much patience and love it took to support someone with autism. Swamped, Edith was determined to spend more time with Shaun after her SATS. She would do everything she could to help him open up to the world.

Edith got out of the car and walked into the villa, where Dallas greeted her at the door. “Ms. Lovett, right on time. Dinner’s ready.”

She gave a nod and sat down at the dining table. Almost immediately, she noticed Zachary and Joseph purposely looking anywhere but at her. Edith couldn’t help but wonder if they had gotten themselves into trouble yet again.

Fixing them with a cold stare, she demanded, “What are you two hiding from me?”

Whether it was the chill she brought in from outside or the system boosting her presence, the atmosphere around Edith felt especially

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intense. Joseph cracked under the pressure. He shot his hand up. “Edith, it wasn’t me. Zachary did it!”

“You traitor!” Zachary spat, glaring. “You’re not my brother anymore.”

Edith scoffed. “Cut it out. What did you do this time?”

Desperate to save himself, Joseph blurted out, “Zachary threw two giant green worms into your room.”

Edith just stared at them in disbelief, thinking, ‘Really? Zachary’s fourteen and still acts like such a little kid. She was already regretting going easy on them today. Tomorrow, she decided, she’d stop by the bookstore and get practice tests for both of them.

Hallie chimed in quietly, “Edith, Zachary was just messing around. He pulled the prank ‘cause he likes you.”

Edith grinned at her. “Hallie, I like you too. Maybe I’ll dump a few worms in your room later–try not to freak out.”

Joseph chimed in, “Yeah, and I haven’t finished my homework. I should probably stay home and get it done.”

Edith, fully aware that the party might get out of hand and wanting her brothers to steer clear, replied, “That’s fine. Tomorrow morning, I’ll give you both some extra assignments. After the party, I’ll check them myself.”

Zachary and Joseph fell silent. They figured showing up at the party and trying to sneak out early was still better than more homework. Before Zachary and Joseph had a chance to argue, Edith finished her meal and left the dining room. After such a long, draining day, all she wanted was a hot bath and to relax in bed while going over her Engloria vocabulary.

But when she reached her bedroom and walked in, she was met with utter chaos.

The floor was littered with colorful candies, and on the gray rug were two enormous dead green worms, each surrounded by sticky puddles of green goo.

www.

The sight was beyond disgusting. For a moment, Edith seriously considered hauling Zachary in on the spot to give him a piece of her mind.

She stepped back to call a servant to clean up the mess, when a strange sound stopped her: the chattering of teeth, coming from the closet.

Edith’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. She quietly moved closer and yanked the closet door open. There, crammed into a corner, was a young man curled up tightly, hugging his knees to his chest, shaking uncontrollably as his teeth chattered nonstop.

The second he spotted her, he lunged forward and locked his arms around her waist, stammering, “Worms… worms!”

Edith froze, utterly bewildered. ‘Seriously?‘ she thought, stunned. ‘How did Dodo–who’s not all there to begin with–end up hiding in my closet?‘

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