Read Novel Full Chapter 501: Big Sister [II]
Chapter 501: Big Sister [II]
The Academy City always looked so beautiful during the night.
I moved through the streets, hands tucked into the pockets of my slacks as the soft glow of the streetlamps followed me along.
The city was different at this time of the hour.
During the day, it was loud and chaotic with Cadets rushing for classes, vendors shouting over one another, instructors patrolling around and barking orders, and gods know how many AirBuses zipping between the islands.
At night, it was all so peaceful.
Imagine trendy music spilling out of the bars and clubs, drunken teenagers stumbling into the streets every now and again, a group of boys laughing a little too loudly in a roadside park, and a bunch of girls clicking selfies in front of a large prismatic fountain.
Fairy lights hanging between buildings lit up the night markets, twinkling above the streets like tiny stars trapped in glass.
Neon billboards and holographic advertisements painted the buildings in ever-shifting colors, promoting everything from expensive artifacts to cheap street food.
Somewhere above me, an advertisement for a new Acquire Card flickered across the side of a skyscraper.
LIMITED STOCK!
The letters exploded into a rain of golden sparks before being replaced by the smiling face of some third-year model Cadet.
I continued walking past the few late-night food stalls that had appeared along the sidewalks, filling the air with the smell of grilled meat and spices.
A couple walked past me, their shoulders brushing as they talked quietly. Somewhere in the distance, someone was playing a guitar.
Some people pointed at me from afar, but didn’t dare approach. I also pretended not to notice at least a dozen girls cheating glances at me and murmuring as I brushed by.
I thought I saw Terry in one of the open cafés, but wasn’t sure until he spotted me back and raised his cup in my direction, a bright grin spreading across his face.
I nodded once in greeting. I wanted to stop and talk to him, maybe catch up. It looked like he definitely wanted that.
But I had somewhere to be. So I kept walking.
Besides, he seemed to be on a date with a lady.
Go, Terry.
It wasn’t long before I reached the residential building I wanted to reach. I stopped outside the gates and checked the address on my phone just to be sure.
Yup. Right place.
I slipped my hands back into my pockets and stared at the entrance. Two men were standing guard there, minding their own business.
For some reason, walking into a building had suddenly become very difficult. How pathetic.
I had fought monsters and slain a fallen god, but this was where I was hesitating? Ridiculing myself under my breath, I walked through the gates and took an elevator as soon as I found one.
The automatic doors slid open, dropping me off on floor sixteenth. The hallway was quiet. I got to the very end of it and found room number 1608.
Without thinking much, I then rapped my knuckles against the door. A second passed. A few more followed. I grew a little impatient.
Maybe she wasn’t home?
Pursing my lips, I was just about to turn around and leave when suddenly—
—Click
The door opened just enough for someone to peek through. A pair of familiar golden eyes met mine.
But as soon as she saw me, Thalia’s expression hardened. She went back inside and slammed the door in my face, just as I had predicted.
I exhaled. “Lia. Come out, I just want to talk.”
Nothing happened. I just kept staring at the door like an idiot. A nerve twitched on my forehead as I raised my hand and knocked again.
“I’m not here to argue,” I said, most definitely lying. “I just want to talk, alright? I even promise to try and not bring up what you did to Vince, no matter how psychopathic that was and no matter how much of a bitch you are for torturing him.”
Again, nothing happened. Maybe I wasn’t as good at talking as I thought.
I was about to knock again when I heard a loud, irritated shout from the other side of the door.
“Go away!”
I wanted to bang my head against a nearby wall. “Lia, I just want to talk! Why are you making it so difficult? You should be the one coming to me to apologize. But here I am, making an effort when it’s not even my fault.”
I got the same reply again.
“Go! Away!”
The thought of just breaking down the door and dragging her out by the neck did occur to me. I dismissed it after some thought.
“Lia,” I sighed and leaned my forehead against the doorframe, still meeting silence. “I really don’t know what I’m supposed to say here. I can’t think of anything except… Why?”
She wasn’t at all like this until our mother died and our father started grooming her as his heiress.
I could just say her hate was illogical or misplaced or whatever, but there was a limit. She cut her own finger during the Mock War so I wouldn’t win.
In a Mock War.
And if that alone wasn’t enough, she bombarded me with one lightning bolt after another, not at all caring if I lived or died.
Well, I wouldn’t have died, but still!
“Why?!” I raised my head, staring indignantly at the closed door. “Why do you hate me so much?! What could I have possibly done to make you hate me so much?!”
Again, there was no response. Bitterly clenching my jaw, I was nearly convinced I wouldn’t get one at all and readied myself to walk away.
…That was until I heard a fit of angry laughter. It was quiet at first, almost disbelieving. Then it grew louder.
The sound of rushed footsteps followed and the door in front of me swung open again. Thalia was standing there at the threshold.
Her hair was a mess. She was wearing loose black pants and a simple white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Bandages wrapped around both her hands, and there was another one peeking out from beneath the collar of her shirt.
The dark circles under her eyes told me she hadn’t slept in days. But those eyes themselves were burning with a seething intensity I had only ever seen in one other person. Our father. She truly did have our father’s eyes.
“You want to know why I hate you?” she scoffed the words out, clearly holding back angry tears. “I don’t. Because how could I hate you when I don’t even know you?!”
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