Reborn, She's Back for Revenge novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40

The crystal chandelier lit up the room as Edith pulled out the ghostly pale Dodo from the closet. He quickly jumped onto the bed and burrowed into the quilt, leaving only his handsome face visible,

Edith rubbed her aching head. She rolled up the rug and tossed it aside, then swept the scattered candies into the trash. Arms crossed, she gave a cold stare to Dodo. “Get off my bed,” she snapped.

Dodo shook his head firmly. “No, I’m terrified…”

“The worms are gone. Get off,” Edith said flatly. “And you climbed in here without even showering? That’s disgusting–think about all those germs.”

That worked; Dodo immediately jumped off. “Sorry, Didi. I’ll go wash up right now.”

Edith froze, thinking, ‘Does he think I actually want him to shower? I just want him gone!‘ She took a steadying breath. “Dodo, just tell me where you live, alright?”

Scratching the back of his head, Dodo looked confused. “I forgot. Didi, I really like you. Can we live together?”

He grabbed Edith’s arm and started shaking it like a pleading kid, despite being a grown man. It gave her goosebumps, and she quickly pulled away. “Stop calling me that,” she said, irritated.

Dodo’s eyes widened. “But you told me to call you Didi. How could you forget?”

Edith frowned, trying to remember. Back when they first met, she hadn’t even introduced herself. But then she figured, “What’s the point of arguing with someone who’s clearly not all there?‘

Edith stared at him, asking, “Dodo, how did you even get in my

house?”

Dodo tilted his head, eyes bright under the light. After a long pause, he said, “Didi, I wanted more of that candy you gave me, so I came by. Got any left?”

Edith pointed to the trash can. “It’s all in there. Help yourself.”

Without hesitation, Dodo rushed over and started digging in the trash.

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“Seriously?! You’re gonna eat candy covered in dead caterpillar goo?” Edith raised an eyebrow.

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His hand froze. Looking queasy, he backed away fast. “N–no way. Of course not.”

The look on his grown–up face was so ridiculous Edith couldn’t help cracking up.

ז”

Suddenly, Dodo stared at her. you’re gorgeous,” he murmured, sounding dazed. “Way prettier than those models on TV.

Her laugh died in her throat. “Since you got here yourself, you can surely find your way back. I’ll see you out.”

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Before she could move, Dodo grabbed her arm, desperate. “No, Didi! Please don’t kick me out. Just lemme stay, okay? Pretty please? I’m begging you.”

all tearful, his tall frame hunched awkwardly, lips trembling like he was about to cry.

Edith just felt defeated, thinking, ‘He is really not gonna leave. What the heck am I supposed to do with him?‘

In a flash, he tore off his suit jacket, tossed it aside, yanked off his tie, and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“Whoa, wait!” Edith was fed up. Pressing her temples, she said, “You’re fine like this. Skip the shower–just crash here.”

No way was she watching him strip down or even helping him shower.

“Then I’m skipping the shower!” Dodo cheered, kicking off his sneakers and flopping onto the bed.

1/2

A kid’s jump wouldn’t make the mattress sag much. But at six–one and over 160 pounds, Dodo’s flop made the whole bed groan–one big bounce that nearly wrecked it.

Next door, Zachary had just finished a video game when he heard a huge crash through Edith’s wall. He shot up, alarmed. ‘Oh great, Edith must be pissed. Over a few worms? Is she trashing her place to freak me out?‘ he thought.

He knew Edith–if he didn’t apologize ASAP, she’d drown him in extra homework tomorrow. Slack off, and she’d make his life hell.

Zachary paced his room for five minutes before biting the bullet. ‘If I play this right, maybe I can not only smooth things over but also steer Edith’s anger toward Joseph,‘ he thought. Grabbing a glass of water, he made his way to her door.

She moved fast–grabbing Dodo’s collar, she yanked him into the closet. “Not a sound,” she hissed. “Make a noise, and I’ll toss you off the balcony.”

Dodo nodded frantically. “Got it. I’ll be good, I swear.”

Edith slammed the closet door and hastily fixed the bed. She then cracked her door barely an inch, glaring. “What’re you doing here so late?”

Zachary put on his best sorry face. “I came to apologize,” he stammered. “Swear, I didn’t mean to scare you with those worms. Joseph said girls in his class freak out over them, so I figured…”

Edith’s voice was flat. “Fine, apology accepted. Now scram.”

She started to slam the door, and it panicked Zachary. He thrust the glass forward. “Seriously, lemme make it right. Drink this water and we’re square, okay?”

Just then, scratches came from the closet. Terrified Dodo’d walk out, Edith snatched the glass, chugged it, and slammed the door on Zachary.

Zachary rubbed his nose, thinking, ‘Well, that went awesome. I swallowed my pride to apologize; the least she could do is cut me some slack. Brushing it off, he headed back and fired up his game.

[DING!] The system’s voice came. [Achievement Unlocked: Drank the water from your brother. Reward: Junior High Math Problem Sets.]

Edith stared. She was a high school senior already. Before she could blink, three fat workbooks labeled Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9 thudded into her hands.

A slow grin spread. ‘Since Zachary scored me this reward, he could enjoy it,‘ she thought.

Meanwhile, deep in his game, Zachary suddenly got the creeps.