A week had now slipped by, the kind where days blurred without much warning. The city had been loud in its own quiet way—sirens in the distance, the sound of restless news anchors, citizens and now this: the Green Thorns case declared over.
The TV in the living room of the Bright residence was doing its best to sound victorious.
"...no longer a threat to the city," the commissioner, Gordon Bateman, was saying, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the mayor and, oddly enough, the state governor. All three were smiling for the caras. Between their polished speeches and practiced nods, the agenda was as thick as the suits they wore.
At the Bright Penthouse, breakfast was underway in the dining area.
Don sat at the head of the table, plain white shirt, black sweatpants, plate nearly empty. A small black notebook rested in front of him. His pen scratched steadily against the paper, pausing only for a bite of toast or a sip from his coffee.
Opposite him, Samantha was half-focused on her food, half in conversation with Amanda. She wore a loose brown blouse with soft, flowy pants—comfort over style.
Amanda had gone more casual-rugged: white vest, open brown flannel, ripped blue jeans. Sumr slouched at the side, hoodie and short shorts, legs folded under her, fork in one hand and her phone in the other, casually texting and even switching apps.
Amanda leaned back slightly in her chair, chewing on a piece of avocado toast as she spoke. "If you’re serious about keeping fit, sis, try adding oats with almond milk in the morning. Or grilled salmon and veggies for lunch."
Samantha raised her brows. "Mm, that does sound nice."
"And for snacks—nuts, maybe so Greek yogurt. Or just fruit." Amanda swallowed, then gave a quick smirk. "But why the sudden interest? Don’t tell so delaygram or TokTik reel scared you. I still rember you almost dyeing your hair black back in college because of one."
"That never happened," Samantha said quickly, cheeks coloring just enough to notice. "I was just... thinking it’d be nice to get more in shape. For... proper living... and stamina."
Her eyes flicked toward Don without aning to, a short glance that didn’t stay long enough to draw Amanda’s attention.
"Right," Amanda said, drawing the word out with mild sarcasm. "Well, no biggie. I’ve been hitting the gym here anyway—miss doing farm work. I can put together a regi and a diet for you."
She turned her head toward Sumr. "Wanna join us? Put so muscle on those thighs. If anyone can pull off the thick toned thighs look, it’s you."
Sumr frowned without looking up from her phone. "Physical labor? Gross. No thanks. I’ve got work to do on my project."
"Lazy ass," Don said without lifting his gaze from the notebook.
Sumr’s head snapped toward him. "What did you say?"
He shrugged once, pen still moving.
Before she could fire back, the mayor’s voice from the TV caught the room’s attention.
"...so starting this week, parents can expect to see their children back in school, and they, along with other working individuals, will be able to return to work. There will still be weekly screenings to ensure no more... incidents occur. For those unsure about public learning, most institutions have been advised to promote distance learning programs for select courses and grades. The decision falls upon the parent—"
Sumr groaned, turning to Samantha. "Please don’t tell you’re going to make go to physical classes, Mom."
Samantha hesitated. "Well... it depends, sweetie. You’re almost done with school anyway—so is there really a need?"
"Yes!" Sumr sat up straighter, dropping her fork onto the plate with a small clink~. "I want to start freelance inventing and modding. If I start now, I can build up to internships—or even scholarships—before I graduate."
Amanda stabbed another bite of breakfast, glancing between them. "Any idea what any of that ans, Don?"
"I think it ans she wants to create sex robots or sothing," Don said without looking up.
Amanda smirked, almost laughing but stopping herself, and nodded as though it made perfect sense. "Hmm. That does sound important."
Sumr’s glare could have set the table on fire. "Shut up. I an real projects—android-level stuff like Winter. I’ve even been tweaking Sparky." She ticked them off on her fingers. "Gave him better traction, improved his battery life, rewired his cara sensors for faster visual processing."
Don finally looked up, scratching his chin. "No wonder I haven’t seen him in a while. Poor guy beca the test subject of the most unstable person in this house."
Sumr took offense to these words but stopped herself from clapping back, instead focusing on Samantha.
Samantha still looked uncertain, her fork hovering over the last bit of scrambled eggs as if it might give her an answer. Her gaze shifted toward Don for a mont—half-expecting him to say sothing, maybe take the weight off her shoulders the way he and Amanda usually did with Sumr.
In the last few weeks, she’d realized sothing—Don and Amanda handled Sumr better than she did. It wasn’t that she didn’t try, but with everyone under the sa roof more often now—no school, fewer work runs—disagreents had beco part of the daily background noise. Small ones, mostly. Occasionally bigger. But they never spiraled, not when Don or Amanda stepped in.
Now neither seed interested in helping.
"I’m not too sure, honey," Samantha finally said, soft but steady. "Maybe let’s discuss it with your teachers and see if they agree, okay?"
It wasn’t a no. But Sumr heard it as one.
She shoved back her chair with a scrape~ and stood, shoulders squared, voice loud. "That’s not fair! Don gets to do whatever he wants and you don’t say anything! I’m a grown-up too, why can’t you treat the sa? Ugh! I hate this!"
The last words ca sharp but stopped short of anything worse. She didn’t slam her plate, didn’t throw anything—just turned and stalked out, hoodie swaying behind her.
"Sumr, wait! Sumr!" Samantha called after her, pushing back from her own seat as if she might follow.
The sound of steps hit the living area tiles, then softened into carpet. Sumr’s figure vanished around the hallway corner.
Samantha’s lips parted like she might call out again, but the thought died in her throat. She sat back down instead, exhaling a slow sigh. "Why is she misunderstanding what I’m trying to say?" Her voice shook just slightly. She turned toward Don and Amanda. "Goodness, I just don’t know how to get through to her sotis. Was I wrong?"
Neither looked particularly surprised.
Amanda’s smile hadn’t faded, like she’d just been watching a mildly amusing scene from a sitcom. "You know how she can be during that ti of the month, Sam. Lem go talk to her."
She downed the last of her juice in one go~ and stood.
Samantha gave a small nod, tone hopeful. "Please do. Tell her if her teachers don’t mind, then I don’t either."
"Will do." Amanda’s flannel shifted loosely over her shoulders as she walked out, her steps softening into the sa hallway Sumr had disappeared into.
For a mont, the dining area was quiet except for the faint drone of the TV. Samantha turned to Don with a small, tired, but warm smile.
"No need to feel bad, Mom," Don said, not lifting his eyes from his notebook. "You didn’t say anything wrong. Upsetting Sumr is easier than... well, than making a telenovela end happily."
Samantha chuckled at that despite herself. "Don’t tease your sister, honey. You know how she can be."
"Fine, fine. Besides... I’d much rather tease you."
Her cheeks flushed instantly. She glanced toward the living room as if checking for witnesses, then lowered her voice. "Behave... what if they hear you say that to ?"
"I ant with words," Don said, finally glancing up. His smirk widened a touch. "What were you thinking—oh... so that’s what’s on your mind, huh, Mom?"
Samantha’s blush deepened. "N-no, I just ant—" She stopped, frowning faintly. "Wait.. you’re teasing again, aren’t you?"
Don only gave a slow, playful shrug before standing up and stepping over to stand behind her chair. His arms slid loosely around her shoulders, just enough to count as a hug. "Really, don’t worry about the resident princess. She’ll calm down by lunch—depending on what you cook."
The thought seed to spark sothing in her. She perked up, her tone lighter. "That’s a great idea! It’s been forever since we had a big family all-you-can-eat. And—ou! Since restrictions have loosened, why not ask your friends to co too? I can even ask Claire as well..."
Her voice trailed off into thought.
Don had already stepped back, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a sigh.
From the hallway, Winter’s voice cut in, calm and monotone as always. "Excuse . You have guests."
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