After her rebirth
Chapter 23

The constant buzz of the coffee shop made two hours feel like minutes. Working in a place that smells like coffee all the time? Not too shabby; at least you always smell good. After wrapping up, Katniss turned to Amara and said, "Hey, Amara, I've got classes this afternoon, so I might not make it tonight."

Amara just smiled and nodded. "No worries, girl. You do you. Young folks gotta live their lives."

As soon as Katniss stepped out of the coffee shop, she spotted a familiar face sitting on her bike. It was her cousin, Saskia Manners. Hearing her name, Katniss stopped in her tracks, "Saskia?"

Oliver had three siblings; he was the oldest, with two younger brothers and a sister. Saskia's dad was the youngest. Because of some old drama, the brothers hadn't talked in ages.

Besides Aurora, Katniss was especially close to her third uncle, Wesley Manners. When she was a kid, she lived with Aurora, and Wesley was always super nice to both of them.

Saskia walked up to Katniss, gently touching the scar on her forehead, her eyes full of concern, "Were you planning to keep this from us forever? This is big news, and you didn't tell us? Do you even consider us family?"

Even though she was scolding her, you could hear the worry in her voice.

Yeah, it was kinda wrong not to tell them about the move. Katniss had planned to get settled before reaching out.

She felt a bit awkward, especially since it had been a while since she saw Wesley's family.

She gave Saskia an apologetic smile, "I was planning to visit you guys in a few days."

Wesley's family wasn't rich, but they treated Katniss and Aurora like gold. They lived close by and were always hanging out.

After Aurora passed away, Katniss went back to the Manners family and lost touch with Wesley's side.

During the years with Aurora, Saskia treated her like a real sister, always looking out for her and sharing fun stuff.

Saskia, a few years older, was gentle and kind, and already married. After college, she married some company exec, so her family was better off than Wesley's.

But even with all that, Saskia had a rough time.

In the final days of Saskia's life, Katniss didn't see much of Wesley's family. She only heard that Saskia had it bad. Her husband was a jerk, and her mother-in-law was a nightmare. After giving birth, Saskia couldn't take the bullying anymore and jumped off a building.

Seeing the lively and gentle Saskia now, Katniss's eyes filled with tears, and a wave of pain hit her heart.

She wanted to say something, but seeing Katniss's red eyes, Saskia softened.

Saskia gently said, "How long have you been moved out? Why haven't you come by? My dad told me about your situation. If I hadn't gone home, I wouldn't have known."

The more Saskia showed concern, the worse Katniss felt.

Because the Manners family didn't like Wesley's family, Katniss distanced herself from the people who truly cared for her to please the Manners family, eventually becoming almost estranged.

Seeing Katniss lower her head in silence, Saskia sighed, looking at the scar on her forehead, and asked with concern, "Does it still hurt?"

That simple question brought tears to Katniss's eyes, making her heart ache.

A lot had happened in the past few days. Although some people cared, no one asked if she was in pain.

Wiping her tears, Katniss forced a smile, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Katniss was always the easy target in the Manners family, used to being hurt. To her, these injuries were nothing.

Saskia held Katniss's hand, "Come home with me after school. My parents already know about your situation, and they're mad. Even though we're not rich, we all have jobs. Supporting you, a college student, is no problem at all."