The house was eerily quiet when Aster and Rea walked in. The usual background noise—the hum of the television, the faint clatter of her mother in the kitchen, the low murmur of her father's voice on a work call—was completely absent.
Rea hesitated at the doorway, frowning. "That's weird," she muttered.
Aster kicked off his shoes and stretched. "What is?"
"They're not home."
Aster raised an eyebrow. "And that's weird because…?"
Rea shot him a look. "Because they're always home by now."
Aster shrugged, unconcerned. "Maybe they finally decided to take a vacation."
Rea snorted. "Yeah, right. My parents don't take vacations."
She pulled out her phone, quickly checking for any messages, and sure enough, there was a new one from her mom.
Mom: Your father and I had to leave town for a week or two. Should be safe now. Be careful, don't try anything messy. And watch over Aster.
Rea read the message twice, trying to make sense of it.
Should be safe now? Messy?
What the hell did that mean?
Aster peered over her shoulder, reading the message before she could stop him. "Huh," he said. "They do trust you, then."
Rea scowled, locking her phone. "I don't think this is about trust."
Aster smirked. "No? 'Cause it kinda sounds like they're saying, 'Rea, don't be stupid. Also, keep that delinquent from burning our house down.'"
Rea rolled her eyes. "You are the delinquent, though."
"Exactly."
She sighed, setting her phone down on the counter. "This is weird. They never leave this suddenly."
Aster flopped onto the couch like he owned the place. "Not complaining. Means I can walk around without waiting for the interrogation of doom."
Rea ignored him, mind still racing.
Why had her mom worded it like that? Should be safe now. Watch over Aster. Don't try anything messy.
It felt like they knew something she didn't.
And that made her uneasy.
Aster sighed dramatically. "Look, Jones, your parents aren't here. No curfew, no lectures, no rules." He stretched out lazily. "Enjoy the freedom while you have it."
Rea crossed her arms. "You really have no self-preservation instincts, do you?"
"None."
She shook her head, but despite everything, she found herself fighting back a small smile.
For now, at least, things were calm.
She just had to hope they stayed that way.
Rea tried to ignore the unease settling in her stomach as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Aster was already sprawled across the couch, flipping through channels like he actually lived here.
Which, she supposed, he kind of did now.
She took a sip of water, then turned to him. "You do realize this isn't a vacation, right?"
Aster smirked, not looking away from the TV. "Says the girl who suddenly has a house to herself."
"I'm not taking advantage of this," she said, sitting on the armrest of the couch.
Aster flicked off the TV and looked up at her. "Then what are you doing?"
Rea hesitated. "Trying to figure out why my parents left like that."
Aster studied her for a moment, then sat up. "You think it's about me."
Rea didn't answer right away, because yeah, that's exactly what she thought.
First, her parents had suddenly found out about Aster living here. They hadn't kicked him out, but they also hadn't exactly welcomed him with open arms. Now, out of nowhere, they were gone—leaving her a cryptic message that sounded more like a warning than a goodbye.
It didn't feel like a coincidence.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But it's weird."
Aster shrugged, leaning back against the cushions. "Maybe they just needed a break. Raising a kid like you must be exhausting."
Rea scoffed. "Raising a kid like me?"
Aster smirked. "Yeah. You probably stress them out more than I do."
Rea rolled her eyes. "Doubtful."
Aster stretched his arms over his head. "Whatever. It's not a big deal. If they're gone for a week or two, that just means you get a break from being the perfect little daughter for a while."
Rea frowned. "I'm not—" She stopped herself. "You don't get it."
Aster raised an eyebrow. "Then explain."
Rea exhaled. "My parents don't do random. They always have a plan, a reason for everything. If they left like this, it's because they had to."
Aster shrugged. "Then let it be. They said you're safe now, didn't they?"
Rea bit her lip, still uneasy. "Yeah, but safe from what?"
Aster didn't answer right away.
Instead, he shifted his gaze to the window, as if something outside could give him the answer.
"Maybe it's me," he said finally. "Maybe they realized what a bad influence I am." His voice was light, teasing, but there was something underneath it. Something almost… guarded.
Rea studied him. "You're not a bad influence."
Aster chuckled. "Now that's a lie."
She sighed, standing up. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but until I figure it out, we need to be careful. No drawing attention to yourself, no sneaking off—"
Aster placed a hand over his heart. "Me? Sneak off? Never."
Rea glared at him. "I'm serious, Aster."
His smirk softened just a little. "I know."
She turned toward the stairs. "I'm gonna go do some homework. Try not to destroy anything while I'm gone."
Aster stretched out on the couch again, hands behind his head. "No promises."
Rea rolled her eyes but didn't argue.
As she climbed the stairs, her mind kept circling back to the message on her phone.
Something about this didn't feel right.
And she had a feeling that whatever her parents weren't telling her—
It wasn't over yet.