After her rebirth
Chapter 66

Katniss dropped the curtain and flicked on the living room light.

The living room had taken the worst hit-sofa, chairs, tables, all trashed, and the walls were splattered with red paint.

The renovation crew had repainted the walls white, covering up the ugly red mess. Now, all she had to do was get new furniture.

Sure, she could buy new stuff, but it wouldn't be the same as what Aurora had.

The house felt empty, all the familiar things were gone. Katniss felt a weird sense of unfamiliarity.

She took a quick look around and then left.

She went out and bought a bunch of white lilies.

Katniss hopped on the bus to the cemetery on the outskirts of town. Aurora was buried in the northern cemetery, thanks to Oliver. It was pretty fancy, for appearances' sake.

It was almost nine now, and the cemetery was deserted, no streetlights, just the cold wind howling.

Katniss was dressed lightly, feeling like she was in an icebox. Her exposed hands and feet were already turning a bit blue.

Finally, she got to the cemetery. The caretaker, an old man, shone his flashlight in her face. "The gates are closed now. If you want to pay your respects, come back tomorrow morning."

Katniss was taken aback, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you couldn't visit at night."

Not wanting to cause trouble, she apologized quietly and turned to leave.

The caretaker saw Katniss, a young girl, standing in the cold wind with thin clothes and holding flowers. She must have had some grievance and no one to talk to, so she came to pay respects to her deceased relative. How pitiful.

"Alright, alright, come in. But make it snappy," the caretaker said.

Katniss thanked him gratefully and, following her memory, found Aurora's tombstone.

The black-and-white photo showed Aurora's aged face.

Katniss's nose tingled, and she placed the flowers in front of the grave.

Katniss said softly, "Grandma, I'm here to see you. I'm useless. I was bullied so badly in my past life, and I don't have much ability to fight back in this life either. Maybe even God thinks I'm too ashamed to see you, so He let me die and live again."

She continued, "But why did you leave so early? After you left, no one loved me. They all liked Clara. I'm not doing well, not well at all. Today, Desmond even scolded me, saying I'm vain and greedy, with ambitions too high."

"You see, you died early, and no one protects me anymore. They even dare to block my door, preventing me from entering my own house, and Simon went even further, smashing your things! But I didn't let him get away with it. I had him locked up in the police station for a week, and Oliver couldn't bail him out." Katniss rambled on, saying a lot.

Katniss sniffled, stood up, patted the dust off her knees, and turned to leave.

Just as she left the cemetery, her phone suddenly rang.

Katniss took out her phone and saw it was Wesley.

"Katniss, it's almost ten o'clock. Why aren't you back yet? Did something happen?" Wesley's anxious voice came through.

Katniss's throat was a bit hoarse from talking so much, "I went back to my grandma's house. The renovation workers called me to say everything was fixed, so I went to check it out."

"I forgot to tell you. It's my fault for making you worry," she added.

Hearing that Katniss was okay, Wesley was relieved and told her to come back soon.

By the time Katniss returned to Wesley's house, it was very late.

Katniss tiptoed in, trying not to make any noise and wake anyone up.

As soon as she stepped into the dark room, the light flicked on. Katniss turned around, surprised, to see Micah standing there with a stern look on his face. "Where did you go?" Micah asked.

Katniss blinked, "Didn't Wesley tell you? I went back to my grandma's house."

Micah's eyes narrowed, coldly staring at her, "Tell me the truth, where did you really go?"

Even if she went to Aurora's house, it's so late now. The house isn't that big; she should have been back long ago.

"I went to the cemetery to see my grandma." Micah was smart, and Katniss knew she couldn't hide it, so she confessed.

Micah frowned slightly. "Why did you suddenly go to the cemetery?"

Katniss bit her lip and lowered her head, not knowing what to say.

Only the Hamilton family knew about her treating Maximilian and believed her.

If she told Micah, would he believe her?

With the little medical knowledge she learned from Aurora, she dared to treat Maximilian.

"Forget it, go wash up and rest early. Don't let Wesley worry again." Micah glanced at her and said lightly.

Then he turned and went back to his room.

Micah didn't press further, and Katniss breathed a sigh of relief.

The next morning at breakfast, Katniss took out an envelope she had prepared the night before and handed it to Wesley.

Wesley was startled, and when he saw it was money, his face immediately darkened, "What are you doing?"

As he spoke, Wesley threw the envelope on the table.

Katniss smiled and tried to soothe him, "Wesley, it's the first time I've earned money. I want to repay your kindness. Do you think it's too little?"

Anna, on the other hand, perked up at the mention of money, her eyes glued to the envelope.

Wesley's expression softened a bit. He was happy Katniss was a grateful kid, but there were other ways to repay him.

Wesley could guess Katniss's intention. Katniss was thoughtful and gave money to appease Anna.

But Wesley couldn't bring himself to do it.

Seeing Wesley not taking it, Anna reached out, smiling so much her face wrinkled, "Come on, it's a gift from Katniss! Don't be embarrassed, just take it. I'll hold it for you if you want." Then she eagerly opened the envelope, finding several hundred-dollar bills.

Now, even Anna found Katniss more pleasing to the eye.

Katniss took the opportunity to say, "By the way, there's something else I need to tell you. My grandma's house is renovated, and I'll move back this week. It's been a hassle staying here." "That's too sudden. Can't you wait a few more days? I'll help you move and check out your place. Be careful those renovation workers didn't do a shoddy job." Wesley was worried. He was worried that once Katniss moved back, the Manners family would bully her again.

Micah said, "If they trick her, it's because she's dumb. You can't take care of her forever. You're not strong enough to help move; let me do it."

Wesley was so angry he raised his hand and hit Micah, making him yelp.

Katniss watched this scene, feeling warm inside and smiling.

The next second, her phone vibrated. Katniss looked at the caller ID, it was Lucas.

After thinking for a few seconds, Katniss picked up the phone and went back to her room to answer.

"Katniss, it's Mom's birthday this week. You can throw a tantrum all you want, but remember to come back that day!" Lucas said.