"Gosh, is there a taxi strike?" she murmured, brushing her curly hair back.

At last, a taxi appeared and she sighed in relief.

She waved, and within seconds, the taxi pulled up in front of her.

She moved forward, opened the back door, climbed in, and closed it without glancing at the driver.

Settling into the seat, she turned on her phone.

"Where to, miss?" the driver asked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

Nyssa looked up, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

"Korean driver from yesterday" she said, meeting his gaze.

He smiled. "Good morning"

"Morning. Drop me off where you carried me yesterday" she said.

The guy gave a brief nod, then turned on the vehicle's engine and shortly afterward, they began driving away.

On the other side of the street, Tavian was sitting on his bike, observing the taxi as it drove away until it was out of sight.

After a moment, he glanced away and fired up his bike.

Twenty Minutes Later...

UNIT 9★

Upstairs, Tavian stopped outside the music room and pushed the door open wide.

Heath was mopping the floor inside. He paused at the sound of the door opening and turned to see Tavian enter.

His eyes lit up.

"Mind if I finish cleaning or should I come back later?" Heath asked, looking at him.

"Do what you want" Tavian replied coldly, not meeting his eyes.

Heath smiled faintly, muttering, "Good morning"

Tavian ignored him, walking past to the bed. He dropped his backpack on the floor, then lay down, face up, one arm covering his closed eyes.

Heath rolled his eyes and returned to mopping, stealing glances at Tavian.

____________

Meanwhile, Nyssa stepped out of the taxi parked in front of Orchid House and closed the door behind her. The car pulled away.

Her gaze landed on a sleek white car parked by the roadside in front of the house.

Her breath caught as she squinted at the license plate number.

"That's Mom's car," she whispered in disbelief.

She walked over and stopped beside the car, her eyes scanning inside through the window until they landed on the driver in the front seat.

He was the only one there.

He was completely absorbed in his phone.

She rushed to the front, where the window was rolled down, the only one not tinted.

Leaning closer, she peered inside.

"Sir" she called out urgently and loudly.

The driver raised and turned his head quickly when he heard the voice and was surprised to see her.

"Young miss... Sorry, Nyssa" he said, turning off his phone.

"Why are you in Mom's car?" she asked quickly.

His eyes narrowed, confused.

"Haven't you seen her?" he asked.

"My mom?" Nyssa raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. She came here with your sister. They're inside the house now" he said.

"Seriously? What's she doing here?!" Nyssa's voice rose as she turned and started running toward the house.

The driver blinked rapidly after her.

*

Inside Nyssa's room, Mrs. Emberly stood, surveying the space, while Alba sat on the bed, reading one of Nyssa's books.

The anger simmering inside her was hot enough to cook ramen.

"Not even a month at school, and she's already staying out overnight?? Is she seeing a boy?!" she snapped, clenching her fist.

"Let her come," Alba muttered, flipping a page.

"Shut up, idiot" her mother barked.

Alba scoffed silently.

*

Downstairs, Nyssa dashed into the empty living room, eyes darting around.

Same time, Sun stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with two cups of juice and spotted her.

Nyssa's gaze met Sun's.

"Nyssa..." Sun whispered, her voice barely audible, eyes wide with concern.

Nyssa hurried over, chest heaving.

"Where's my Mom?" she asked urgently.

"In your room," Sun replied quickly.

Without hesitation, Nyssa spun on her heel and sprinted upstairs.

"Where were you? You had everyone worried sick! Were you not even checking your phone? We called you so many times!" Sun shouted after her.

"Not now, please" Nyssa said over her shoulder, climbing the stairs two at a time.

Her only prayer was that no one told her she didn't sleep at home last night.

Otherwise, she'd be so screwed.

Sun followed, holding onto the tray in her hand.

"Oh, please. Don't try to brush this off. You left last night and only just showed up this morning. Do you have a boyfriend? Did you sleep at his place?"

Nyssa ignored her. She reached the top of the stairs and darted down the hallway, her gaze locked on the bedroom door ahead.

She reached the door, hesitated just a moment, then pushed it open and went in.

Inside, Alba looked up from the book in her hands. Mrs. Emberly turned to the door.

Nyssa froze in her steps, heart pounding as her eyes met her mother's cold stare.

What the hell is with the stare?? She thought, trembling inside.

"Hi, Mom" she forced a tight smile, voice barely above a whisper. "Why are you here? I told you not to come"

"Where were you?" Mrs. Emberly's voice was cold and sharp.

"I went for a jog" Nyssa lied, swallowing hard under her mother's icy stare.

"Don't lie. She already knows" Alba said without looking up, smirking as she turned a page of the book.

Nyssa's eyes widened at her words.

Did my housemates tell her? she wondered, swallowing hard.

Fuçk.

"You smell like alcohol," Mrs. Emberly said, narrowing her eyes.

"Mom, I-"

"Looks like you want to follow your elder sister's path. She started just like you...breaking rules. What happened? She became a single mom at eighteen" she said harshly 

Nyssa's fingers curled.

"If only you knew how I feel as a mother, seeing my daughter come home now- reeking of alcohol after her roommate said she had left home since last evening. It's very disgusting. You're disgusting!"

With that, Mrs. Emberly left the room.

Nyssa's face went pale.

Alba dropped the book on bed and stood, ran after their mother, but not before whispering, 

"Don't let her words get to you. She's just angry"

Alba left the room, careful not to bump into Sun waiting outside.

Sun set the tray down and strode into the room, stopping in front of Nyssa.

Their eyes locked.

"Nyssa, are you okay?" Sun asked worriedly.

Nyssa stared back, eyes red-rimmed and glassy.

"Okay?!" she snapped. 

Sun flinched.

"Why did you all tell her? Why did you say I hadn't come home since yesterday?!" Nyssa's voice cracked as she yelled.

Sun blinked, stunned by the outburst.

"Nys-"

"Don't say my name, bitch!" Nyssa spat, glaring fiercely.

A sharp slap cracked across her cheek.

Nyssa touched her face, eyes wide with shock.

Yeah. Sun slapped her.

"Call me bitch in a friendly tone. Don't use it like an insult, motherf*çker" Sun said harshly , before storming out.

Nyssa sniffled, biting her trembling lip to hold back tears.

Her eyes glistened...not from the sting of the slap, but from the weight of her mother's words.

"I hate her" she whispered, letting the tears finally fall.

8 PM

Dinner was quiet. Everyone sat in the dining room eating except Nyssa.

Sun's cold expression hung in the air, impossible to ignore.

Zara sighed, breaking the silence.

"Hey" she said to Sun.

Sun slowed her chewing, lifting her head.

"What's wrong?" Zara asked gently.

Sun exhaled, she hesitated at first but began to explain.

A few minutes later, she finished.

Zara's eyes narrowed.

"So... you two are fighting?" she asked quietly.

"Big yes. Not ready to fix things. She really got on my nerves" Sun murmured.

Nyomi turned toward them.

"Didn't you say her mom scolded her? Maybe that's why she took it out on you. It's pretty clear" she muttered.

"That's a dumb excuse" Zara scoffed 

Sun didn't say another word and went back to her food.

"But I do call you bitch though" Zara muttered, eyes fixed on Sun.

"In a friendly way" Sun replied without looking up.

"Oh" Zara mouthed, smirking.

★Annapolis, Emberly's House

In the master bedroom, Mrs. Emberly stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a white robe.

Her damp hair cascaded down her shoulder. Her gaze immediately landed on her husband, who sat on the bed leaning his back against the headboard, eyes glued to the soccer game playing on the TV.

She walked over and sank beside him on the bed, slipping off her slippers.

Mr. Emberly turned toward her.

"When will you get rid of that pale face?" His deep voice was soft but teasing.

"Let's talk tomorrow. I'm exhausted" she murmured, closing her eyes.

He studied her silently a moment. 

"So, you and Alba won't tell me what happened? Did Nyssa do something?" 

She said nothing, and he didn't press further.

Instead, he shifted closer, pulling her gently against him.

Leaning in and closing his eyes, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

"Stop it. I want to sleep" Mrs. Emberly whispered, breath warm against his mouth.

He smirked, nipping her lower lip playfully.

"You know I can't stop, wifey" he murmured, hands trailing over her, his kisses growing more demanding.

__________

At six a.m. in Maryland, Nyssa stepped out of the Orchid House compound and began walking down the sidewalk.

She wore leggings and a tank top, her white tennis shoes barely making a sound on the pavement.

Her face was pale, her eyes distant and unfocused.

Her stomach growled in hunger.

The fight with Sun replayed endlessly, twisting in her mind. She wasn't sure how to apologize or even if she wanted to.

Why couldn't they have just twisted the truth instead of saying she stayed out overnight? Everyone knows no mother would hear that without staying angry.

She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to let go of the spiraling thoughts.

Minutes Later...

At the gym, Nyssa stood in the workout room, headphones snug over her ears as she listened to energetic phonk music.

She tried to balance on a medicine ball, her legs trembling underneath her.

"Fuck, why am I doing this to myself?" she muttered, wobbling.

"Oooh," she cooed, eyes wide.

"Hey! Hey! AHH!"

The ball slipped out from under her foot, and she fell backward, her mouth dropping open in surprise.

Before she could hit the floor, a strong hand closed firmly around her waist, steadying her.

Her back pressed against something solid and warm.

A faint scent of honey cedar drifted to her nose.

*Medicine ball*

T.B.C