Charles and Allison jumped away from each other, shocked by the loud noise that clapped in their ears. Turning their heads toward the door, deep lines appeared between their brows.
"Penny?" Charles called in surprise, looking his daughter up and down. "Pen—"
Charles was about to stand up, only to stop when he realized he was wearing only underwear beneath the blanket. As for Allison, she instinctively fixed her night robe, hugging herself to ensure nothing was exposed.
"Hey, Penny!" Suddenly, Slater’s voice followed Penny before he appeared at her side. "Pen—"
Slater stopped and intuitively gazed around the bedroom, darting his eyes between his mother and father. He squinted suspiciously.
"Hey, you brat! Why are you looking at us like that, huh?!" Charles yelled as soon as he saw the look on Slater’s face.
"Dad!" Slater shouted back. "Mom! What’s going on here?! Are you just—oh my god. Don’t tell me...!"
Charles scrunched his face. "How do you think you were born if not—ouch!" He almost bit his tongue when Allison suddenly slapped his arm. He frowned, looking at his wife as if the entire world had wronged him.
Just when he and Allison were about to have a good time, their kids had to kick their door open. Why hadn’t they done this as children? Why did the couple have to deal with this when their kids were already adults?
"Yuck!" Slater dramatically gagged, looking at his mother and father in disbelief. "Dad, at this age, you should refrain from this! I don’t want another little sibling—one is already too much for me!"
In the back of Slater’s mind, he couldn’t imagine being in Atlas’s position with three little siblings. Slater only had one little sister, and she was already too much of a troublemaker. Penny even called him a creature and wouldn’t acknowledge him for no reason!
"This brat—" Charles ground his teeth before massaging his nape, getting so angry at Slater that he was forgetting about his little princess.
Penny, on the other hand, just stood by the door, darting her eyes between her parents. For a second, disbelief spread across her face as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Unlike Slater, however, her reason was different.
From what she knew, Allison and Charles were supposed to be... dead.
Her father should’ve been dead a long time ago, and Allison should’ve been buried not long ago. But here they were, talking and breathing. Her father seemed to be suffering from hypertension as he massaged his nape after Slater riled him up. Charles wasn’t supposed to reach this age.
"Penny?" Allison called, pushing herself up from the bed to go to her.
Much to Allison’s surprise, Penny took a step forward, and that one step quickly picked up its pace. In no time, Penny was already in her mother’s embrace.
"Penny?" Allison froze for a second, brows furrowed. She glanced at her husband and Slater before her hand awkwardly landed on Penny’s trembling back. All the confusion she had disappeared as soon as she felt Penny’s back.
"Penny, is everything okay?" she asked worriedly, patting her daughter’s back. "What’s wrong, honey?"
Penny didn’t answer and simply tightened her embrace, her heart thudding to the point she could hear it.
"Penny..." Slater called quietly, confused.
As for Charles, he quickly swung his legs out of bed. Before he stood up, he grabbed his boxers from under the bed and put them on swiftly. Slater saw this and squinted at his father, but he didn’t pick on him because of Penny.
"Penny, princess, what happened?" Charles asked, approaching his wife and daughter. When he stood beside them, he earned a look from Allison. He shrugged, but at the same time, Penny looked at him.
"Dad," she called under her breath, letting her mother go to hug Charles. Charles was surprised for a moment but still embraced her. ’You’re alive... Daddy.’
Again, Charles and Allison looked at each other in confusion. For some reason, they both turned to Slater, making him raise his hands in surrender.
"It’s not me! I haven’t done or said anything to her!" Slater defended himself, feeling like his parents were ready to blame him. "It’s probably her husband! Her husband! That’s it! Penny, what did that guy do to you, huh?! I’m going to teach him a lesson!"
"Penny." Charles ignored his third son’s nonsense and focused on his daughter. "Princess, what’s wrong? You can always tell Dad if there’s something wrong. What made you upset?"
Penny didn’t answer and simply buried her face in his chest. She clasped her hands behind his back, trying to ensure that the warmth from Charles was real. After all, even if her father was , he always had a reluctance to discipline her.
Even if her father and mother somehow neglected her, she always sought their love and warmth. Sadly, she couldn’t get that because Charles got into an accident that left him paralyzed and soon took his life. And her mother simply fell into a wicked depression that also took their lives.
So, seeing them alive, talking, and even full of life felt surreal. It felt like a dream—a dream she didn’t want to wake up from.
’Are you really alive now?’she asked herself. ’Is this really reality? Or did I just go completely crazy?’
"Penny..." Charles sighed patiently, patting her back. "It’s okay if you don’t want to talk for now. It’s okay, my princess. It’s okay. Dad is here, alright? Tell me when you’re ready to talk."
"That’s right, Penny." Allison walked closer, spreading her arms to hug her daughter and husband. "Take your time. Mom and Dad are always here for you."
Penny’s eyes softened as she closed her eyes, indulging in the feeling of her parents’ warmth—the warmth she had sought for so long while she was out, quivering during the harshest times of her life.
’Did I... really... go back in time?’
Penny pressed her lips into a thin line and took a deep breath before releasing her father. She looked him in the eye and then at Allison. Her mouth opened and closed for a moment, wanting to say something. But what came out was something she hadn’t even thought about carefully: