Chapter 2

For the first two days in Sunbay, everything went smoothly. Ginnie behaved unusually well. As long as she did not cause trouble, there was no harm in taking her with us.

After we arrived in Sunbay, my parents were busy taking photos and posting them on social media. Seeing the smiles I had not seen from them in so long, my nerves finally eased after being on high alert the whole time.

The terror of dying in my previous life finally began to fade under the warm sunlight in front of me.

"Zach, this place is wonderful!" Mom lay on a beach chair in sunglasses. "You really know how to plan a trip. If we'd gone to the Northern Grasslands, we'd probably be shivering in the cold right now."

I smiled and handed Mom a cup of coconut water. "From now on, we'll spend the holiday season somewhere warm every year."

Ginnie sat beside us. She was smiling too, but she seemed distracted.

It stayed that way until the afternoon of the second day.

I was sunbathing when an unfamiliar number suddenly called my phone. The caller ID showed it was from the city where we resided. I had a bad feeling about it as I picked up the call.

"Hello? Is this Zach from Number 11 at Happy Gardens?" An enraged middle-aged woman's voice came through the phone.

I recognized the voice. It was Mrs. Jones, our next-door neighbor. "Mrs. Jones, it's me. How are you?"

"How… How am I? You still have the nerve to ask me that?!" Mrs. Jones was practically shouting. "What exactly is your family doing? Your place has been as loud as the carnival these past two nights! People are yelling and screaming, and I even heard sounds of dishes breaking!

"Didn't you say you were going on vacation? Why are there still so many people in your home?"

My mind went blank.

"Mrs. Jones, what did you say? There shouldn't be anyone in my home. My whole family is in Sunbay!"

"No one?" Mrs. Jones sneered. "Then where is the cigarette smoke in the hallway coming from? A little while ago, I even saw several men with brightly dyed hair go into your home! Zach, did your family rent your place to some gang?"

My parents heard everything that was said over the phone, and their faces went pale. Dad shot to his feet and asked, "What's going on? Someone broke into our home?"

I hung up, my fists clenching on their own.

Someone had gotten into our home.

But only our family had the keys, and all of us were in Sunbay.

Unless...

I turned sharply and stared at Ginnie, who was sitting in the corner. Her eyes flickered, and she did not dare look at me. "Ginnie, did you do something?"

Ginnie shrank back and muttered, "I... I didn't do anything..."

I did not have time to argue with her. I picked up my phone, tapped open our home security camera app, and looked at the live video feed. The moment the video appeared, my temples pounded, and I almost dropped my phone.

Around five or six men wearing strange outfits were sitting in the middle of our living room, playing instruments and shouting. For a moment, I wondered if I had opened the wrong app.

Was this still my home? It looked like a bar or a private room for karaoke. The floor was littered with cigarette butts and scraps from snacks.

Our luxury apartment had become a private club for punks.

"Is this... Our home?" Mom leaned over to look. Her eyes rolled back, and she nearly fainted.

"For the love of…! My home! What are they doing?!" Dad trembled with rage and pointed at the screen. "Who are these thugs? How did they get in?"

I held the phone and moved closer to Ginnie, shoving the screen right up to her face. "Ginnie, explain this clearly. Who are these people? How did they get into our home?"