Chapter 54: Good ole Texas!

After a long drive filled with ups and downs, the group finally arrives in El Paso, Texas. Luna has an uneasy look on her face—she doesn't want to be back here. Texas, after all, is her home.

As the group stops at a nearby gas station to refill the RV's tank, Luna suddenly spots someone. Her sister. Panic grips her, and she quickly hides behind Sunny. But to her dismay, her sister has already noticed her and is waving her down.

"Luna! Is that you!?" Rhea shouts, running toward her.

Sunny slowly reaches for her revolver, but Luna stops her with a quick motion.

"Hey... Sis..." Luna's voice is hesitant, her expression filled with dread. She braces herself, expecting Rhea to berate her, to insult her like before—to call her every awful thing under the sun.

But instead, Rhea pulls her into a hug.

Luna flinches, her body shaking out of fear. She wants to scream, to push her away. But... this hug is warm. And—is Rhea crying!?

"Rhea, what... why are you crying...?" Luna asks, bewildered.

Rhea sobs into Luna's arms before finally pulling back. "I'm... sorry for everything..."

Luna is stunned. An apology?

"I would ask for what, but... there's a lot the family has to apologize for," Luna says, still in disbelief. "Silvers was the only one who ever treated me like a person. And you... you just pretended I didn't exist. But at least you weren't cruel to me."

Rhea sighs, rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah, well... we have a lot to talk about, sis. Umm, who are these people?" She gestures toward the group, some of whom still look tense—others, a little too trigger-happy.

Luna turns to introduce them. "Everyone, this is my sister, Rhea. Rhea, this is Sunny, JJ, Jamal, Tera, and Priscilla."

Priscilla gives a polite bow, while Sunny and the others visibly relax.

Sunny, ever cautious, invites Rhea into the RV but keeps her eyes locked on her, watching for any sudden movements.

Inside, Luna and Rhea sit together on the couch. Luna gives a faint, hesitant smile. "So, um... how's the family been?"

Rhea shifts uncomfortably, clearly uneasy with the question.

"Terrible," she admits. "Ever since... you and Mom fought, and you ran away."

Luna's face remains unchanged. She isn't too shocked to hear that the family is struggling—what surprises her more is that Rhea is actually talking to her.

Then, Rhea gently places a hand on Luna's shoulder. "Um… would you ever consider coming home?"

Luna freezes, processing the question. Shock turns to irritation as she glares at her sister.

"Go back there? To that hellish place? That awful place that treated me like I was nothing—like I didn't matter? And you have the nerve to ask me to return!?" Luna jabs a finger into Rhea's chest, her voice laced with frustration.

Rhea sighs. "I figured that would be your response. Don't worry, I won't force you to return."

Luna scoffs, shaking her head. "Like anyone could force me to go back to that awful place."

A brief silence falls between them before Rhea speaks again. "Um… and about Silver. I told Mom you had nothing to do with his disappearance."

Luna's expression hardens further, now looking outright annoyed. "I told them that countless times. I constantly defended myself, but Mom and Dad were convinced it was me."

Rhea nods. "Yeah… about Mom and Dad. So… I figured out why Mom hated you so much."

Luna raises an eyebrow. "Go on."

Rhea hesitates before finally saying it. "Well… you're not her kid. Apparently, Dad cheated on her, and to preserve the family name, they told everyone you were hers. So… in turn, she despised you."

Luna blinks, both shocked and not shocked at the same time.

"Well… I kind of figured," she finally says. "I mean, I have white hair and silver eyes, and no one else in the family looked like me. I thought it was either some crazy recessive genes or… yeah, one of them cheated."

Rhea looks surprised. "Oh. I thought you'd be more shocked to hear this."

Luna shakes her head. "Not really. I look dramatically different from Mom, Dad, and everyone else in the family."

Rhea chuckles. "Well, according to Silver, you were extremely sharp. I guess it's not too surprising that you pieced it all together."

Luna scratches the back of her head, chuckling as well. "Yeah… but that still doesn't give her an excuse to treat me the way she did. And Dad? Well, he can rot in hell for all I care."

Rhea sighs. "I second that. Even though he treated you like shit, he was still an awful parent—didn't seem to really give a damn about any of his kids. Not even Silver."

Luna leans back. "I'm going to Mexico to see someone—to find out what happened to Silver."

Rhea's face perks up. "WHAT!?"

Luna chuckles. "Yeah, it's complicated, but they're kind of like a psychic… if that makes sense."

Rhea lets out a laugh. "Yeah, psychic. Sure. Next, you'll tell me you're a wizard."

Luna exchanges a glance with Sunny, who sighs before giving her a small nod.

Luna then unravels a thin thread from her fingertip, holding it up in front of Rhea with a nervous smile. "Sort of…"

Rhea tilts her head, laughing—until she realizes what she's seeing is real. Her face shifts to shock as she reaches out and pokes the thread. "What… is this? String? Thread? What the hell?"

Luna laughs. "I, uh… don't fully know myself yet. But I'm a hunter. Sort of."

Rhea raises an eyebrow. "Go on."

Luna reweaves the thread back into her fingertip. "I hunt monsters. And, well, you asked if I'm a wizard…" She conjures a small orb of light in her palm.

Rhea's eyes widen as she notices a faint glow beneath Luna's glove. She points at it. "Why is your hand glowing?"

Luna hesitates before slowly pulling off her glove. "Umm… don't tell anyone about this mark. It's supposed to be a secret."

Luna sighs, putting her glove back on. "So, what exactly are you doing here, sis?"

Rhea's face turns somber. "I'm on the run."