Reborn, She's Back for Revenge novel Chapter 89

The grass was lush and green, the spring air thick with warmth and life. Edith took the boys–Zachary and Joseph–out for. the day.

Zachary really didn’t want to go out. His face was a mess of pimples, and it hurt just to look in the mirror.

Plenty of guys in his class had acne–he used to call them ugly to their faces. Now the joke was on him; he was the clown.

But Edith warned him that if he didn’t come with her today, he’d have to grind through ten whole test papers.

Zachary thought, ‘I can’t even finish ten sets in an entire semester, let alone in one day. That’d be the death of me.‘ Sighing, he put on a mask and headed out after her.

Joseph teased, “Zachary, you’ve got a big old pimple on your forehead, too. You should totally cover it up with one of those robber masks—like the ones made out of tights on TV.

“Hallie’s got some tights, want me to grab a pair so you can try them?”

“You little punk,” Zachary snapped, smacking Joseph on the back of the head. He threatened, “Say ‘pimple‘ one more time and I’ll toss you right out of this car.”

Joseph yelped and pinched him back. He said, “You’re older than me. You can’t just bully me.”

“I’m your big brother. It’s my job to keep you in line,” Zachary snapped.

“Quit smacking my head,” Joseph complained loudly.

Edith warned, “If anyone throws another punch, you’re walking home.”

Zachary and Joseph immediately went silent. But their fierce stares kept clashing, neither one willing to back down.

The car cruised out of the bustling city and into the quieter suburbs, finally stopping in front of a school.

Joseph asked, “Edith, where are we?”

Zachary snapped, “What, can’t you read? The sign literally says Beacon Hall Special Academy.” He turned to Edith and asked, “Seriously, why’d you bring us out here?”

He’d been hoping for a fun day at the amusement park–that was the only reason he’d reluctantly tagged along.

Edith said, “Shaun’s here.” She knew Karen had never brought Zachary and Joseph here, not even once.

Ever since Shaun started at Beacon Hall Special Academy, he and his brothers only saw each other at New Year’s. They’d drifted apart, yet what he needed most–given his condition–was their love and support to make a real recovery.

Zachary and Joseph fell silent. Both of them looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Edith continued, “What’s done is done, but starting now, we’re coming here every week to visit Shaun. You two are his real brothers–talk to him, keep him company. Little by little, he’ll get better with your support.”

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22:05 Fri, 29 Aug

Chapter 89

With that, she started heading toward the school, and the two boys hurried to catch up.

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It was the weekend, and the school was buzzing with parents picking up their kids to take them home or out for some fun.

After a short wait in the teacher’s office, Edith spotted a teacher leading Shaun in from the classroom.

Last week, when Edith visited, Shaun barely said a word, trailing far behind the teacher and keeping his distance. Even the

teacher who’d cared for him the longest couldn’t so much as touch him. But now, unbelievably, he actually let the teacher

hold his hand.

The teacher said, “Shaun’s improved so much. This morning during our activity class, he reached out on his own and took my hand. That was simply unimaginable before.

“He never had any friends here, but today he made his very first one. The two of them sat together, holding hands while they drew pictures.”

A tender smile appeared on Edith’s face. She thought, ‘It must really be the power of that wish–granting charm. Shaun is truly getting better now.‘

She beckoned to him and said, “Shaun, I’m Edith. Do you remember me?”

Shaun peeked out from behind the teacher, head tilted as he studied Edith, as if searching his memory.

Edith’s voice grew even gentler as she said, “We met just last week–I even took you to the amusement park. Do you

remember now?”

Shaun peered at Edith, his gaze slowly scanning her face as if trying to place her. Hesitantly, he let go of his teacher’s hand

and shuffled toward her.

Edith could finally breathe, relief flooding through her.

The last time she’d come, Edith and Shaun had spent hours just trying to get comfortable with each other–two whole hours before he’d finally agreed to step outside. This time was so much easier than before.

The teacher handed Shaun over to Edith and then left.

Edith led her three brothers on a walk around the school, helping everyone get comfortable with each other. Once they’d broken the ice a bit, she took them all out for lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Edith slid the menu over to Shaun and asked, “Shaun, pick whatever you want to eat. Steak or pasta–which one sounds good to you?”

Last week, when Edith asked this same question, Shaun didn’t respond at all, like he couldn’t hear a word she said. But now, he reached out and pointed right at the pasta.

“You’re awesome, Shaun,” Edith praised. She ruffled his hair, smiling, and gave him a big thumbs–up.

Zachary and Joseph shared a look, each seeing the frustration in the other’s eyes.

They grumbled inwardly, ‘Seriously? She praises him just for picking what he wants to eat? We slog through homework day after day and never get a “good job.” Talk about blatant favoritism–in front of us, no less.‘

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22:05 Fri, 29 Aug

Chapter 89

Both of them hung their heads, then, in perfect sync, pulled game consoles out of their pockets and started teaming up for

a match.

Seeing this, Edith let out a cold laugh. She hadn’t brought these two here so they could kill time playing games–they were supposed to be spending time with Shaun.

She tapped the table and said, “Well, you two sure look like you’ve got nothing better to do.”

Zachary didn’t even bother to look up as he replied, “The food’s not here yet, so it’s the perfect time for a match.”

Edith said, “Guess what, I brought some test papers along. Both of you, finish one before we eat.” With that, she pulled a stack of test papers out of her bag.

Zachary and Joseph were speechless. They complained inwardly, ‘For real? She actually brought test papers on a day out? This woman is ruthless.‘ With sulky faces, they shoved their consoles back into their pockets.

Edith said, “Since we got here, neither of you has said a word to Shaun.”

Zachary shot back, “I called his name, but he didn’t even look at me. I’m not gonna keep sticking my neck out if he doesn’t

care.”

Joseph nodded hard and chimed in, “Yeah, I called him too–he didn’t even look at me.”

Edith felt a headache coming on. She thought, ‘These two seriously have no clue what it means to be an older brother. I probably should’ve waited until Shaun’s autism improved a bit before dragging these two along. I totally misjudged things

today.‘

Zachary glanced at Shaun sitting across from him.

When Shaun was born, Zachary was only six or seven, but he still remembered holding Shaun in his arms. After Melinda passed away and Karen came into the picture, Shaun was diagnosed with autism and sent to a special school.

Zachary was barely holding it together himself–he didn’t have the energy to worry about Shaun.

They’d see each other once a year during the New Year, but Shaun never said a word. Zachary couldn’t even remember a single moment when they’d actually spent time together.

Joseph could barely remember anything about Shaun at all.

They were only a year apart–should’ve been thick as thieves, honestly. But since they were split up before either of them knew anything about the world, they ended up as practically strangers, with no brotherly bond to speak of.

Joseph was racking his brain, trying to come up with something–when suddenly, all his thoughts were drowned out by a burst of mocking laughter nearby

A girl exclaimed, “Zachary, I can’t believe it’s actually you. With all those pimples on your face, you’re definitely not our campus prince anymore.”

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