"Mom!" Chast called out excitedly as he opened the dorm door.
"Mom!" he called again when there was no response—no trace of her anywhere.
Where is she? he thought, checking the living room, then the kitchen.
"Mom!" His voice cracked, the earlier excitement fading into worry.
"She's not in the washroom. Maybe she's in your room," Luke suggested, pointing toward Chast's door—the one they hadn't checked yet.
Realization struck. Luke's right!
Chast rushed to his room and found his mom sleeping peacefully. Relief washed over him, and he smiled softly. He stepped closer, careful not to make a sound, pulled up the blanket, and gently covered her. Then, he slipped out of the room as quietly as he could.
"Is she in there?" Luke's loud voice echoed through the dorm.
Chast quickly hushed him, pressing a finger to his lips.
"Oops!" Luke whispered, stepping back and miming zipping his mouth shut.
Chast exhaled sharply, his heart still racing. That really scared me... I thought she left.
His gaze drifted toward Luke, a wry smile tugging at his lips.
Well... I guess I won't be alone after all. I'm just stuck with this idiot.
Luke groaned, slumping onto the couch. "I'm so tired. Training drained all my energy," he said lazily.
Chast followed, dropping beside him.
He yawned and slouched back. "I know. This is way worse than an ordinary class." He stretched his arms and cracked his neck, wincing a little. His muscles were still burning from the training.
"How did you even do it?" Luke asked, still amazed by what had happened earlier. He'd been curious since the end of class—how did Chast manage to complete Level One and Level Two at the same time?
"I don't know," Chast chuckled. "I was just following what Mister Zayn taught me, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in front of my double."
"What?" Luke blinked, unable to digest what he just heard. Mister Zayn's teaching? Double?
Before Chast could say more, loud voices erupted from outside. They both turned toward the door.
It swung open, and Ronnie burst in—pushed and pulled by the elves, who were bickering and clinging to him.
"Stop!" Ronnie barked as Nottie jumped onto his back, Tottie tugged on his robe, and Wottie wrapped himself around his leg. Ronnie let out a frustrated groan as the glowing orbs in the room flickered wildly from his irritation.
Chast and Luke burst out laughing at the sight.
"He's clearly annoyed," Luke said between chuckles. Their laughter echoed through the room, catching Ronnie's attention.
Ronnie finally shook the elves off. "Luke! Chast!" he shouted.
The elves jolted, then bolted straight toward Chast and leaped onto him.
Chast laughed, groaning under their weight. "You guys are heavy!"
Ronnie slumped onto the couch, exhaling in defeat. "I can't with those elves—they're driving me crazy!" He rubbed his face and groaned. His clothes were wrinkled, and his hair was a complete mess.
"You look like a disaster," Luke teased, chuckling. "What happened to you?"
Ronnie rolled his eyes. "Don't even ask."
Luke shrugged, still grinning, and turned back to Chast and the elves.
"I missed you!" Nottie squealed, hugging Chast tightly.
"Me too!" Wottie added, hopping onto the couch beside him.
"Me three!" Tottie yelled, shoving Nottie aside just to hug Chast next.
Luke slammed a cushion onto the table. "You always get the special treatment!" he exclaimed dramatically, startling the elves before laughing. "That's unfair!"
"Yeah! Luke's right!" Ronnie said, grabbing a cushion and tossing it at Chast.
"Leave me alone!" Chast shouted between laughs as both Ronnie and Luke ganged up on him, swinging cushions like warriors in a pillow war.
Leanne woke to the sound of loud laughter outside her room.
She rubbed her eyes, stretching her arms and legs before getting up and stepping out.
She found the boys playing with the elves. A smile curved on her lips. It's so great to be a kid again, she thought.
"You guys are back!" she announced, her voice still hoarse from sleep.
"Mom!" Chast exclaimed as soon as he saw her standing in the living room. He pushed the elves aside and rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly.
Leanne giggled as Chast lifted her off the ground.
"I missed you, Mom!" His voice was soft and sweet as he hugged her tighter, breathing in her familiar freesia scent.
Chast spun her playfully in the air.
Laughter filled the room as everyone watched the mother and son's sweet reunion.
"Put me down, kid!" Leanne laughed, patting his back.
Chast set his mother down, and the two joined everyone on the couch.
Leanne immediately smacked Chast's shoulder. "Why did you just come home now? Where were you?" Her eyes brimmed with worry and questions.
"Aww—" Chast rubbed his shoulder, wincing. "I was training!" he explained, then turned to Luke for help.
"Yes, Auntie," Luke jumped in quickly, pursing his lips. "He was training all night. We all saw it."
"Alone? How could your professor let you train alone!" Leanne snapped, slapping his leg this time.
"Mom, that hurts!" Chast protested, scooting a little farther away.
Ronnie and Luke snorted. Poor boy.
Leanne shot him a deadly glare.
"Blink twice if you need help, Chosen," Nottie whispered, looking worried.
Ronnie and Luke burst out laughing.
Chast rolled his eyes. "I was with Professor Zayn," he explained.
"Just you two? Why would your professor let you stay that long? Did he feed you? Did he treat you right? Why was it just you two? He can't do that!" Leanne paused only to take a breath, then continued, "I don't like that professor of yours."
The elves covered their ears as Leanne bombarded Chast with questions.
"Mom! He's the owner of the academy—and he helped me a lot!" Chast raised his voice, defending his professor.
"I don't care. I don't like him," Leanne said, crossing her arms and pursing her lips.
"I advanced in our training because of him. He taught me well," Chast replied sweetly, trying to change her mind.
"Really?" Leanne's eyes sparkled, her irritation fading as delight took over.
"Yes! Right, Luke?" Chast turned to his friend for backup.
Luke nodded instantly, clearly catching on. "Yes! We're still stuck in level one, but Chast already finished two levels in one go."
Leanne's jaw dropped, her eyes wide with awe. Even Ronnie, who had been quietly watching, looked impressed.
"If only every day could be like this—without training," Luke whispered.
He sighed, watching Leanne hug Chast with a radiant smile.
I wish my mom could do the same.
I wish...
I wish I'd found my real parents.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Please don't forget to vote, comment, and share your thoughts! Your support truly inspires me to write more. 💖