“Burn those who burned me!” Chapter 12

Chapter 11: Welcome Home!

***\-Rabena’s POV:***

After we boarded the jet, we all spent the next several hours catching up. I missed out on so much over these past five years and was excited to hear about everything!

*“Oh my gosh! Tara and Brea are gonna have a heart attack when they see you!! They haven’t stopped crying since you left! When I told them you were coming home they immediately started planning a welcome home party!”*

I placed my face into my hands feeling embarrassed as Pera gushed, I had a feeling this was going to happen. I was glad to know they hadn’t change much since high school.

Afterwards, Uncle Pete spoke with Damon about him working for Priceland Techware.

*“Wait a minute! You’re THEE Peter Price? As in chairman to one of the largest if not thee largest Tech Corps in the world?!”*

Damon looked over at me with an astonished expression. No one had any idea who my adoptive parents were and what they did for a living. Because my mom and dad weren’t flashy and often stayed out of the spotlight, if you didn’t live in the western continent or fluctuate in particular circles, you wouldn’t know who they were. The Lockwoods and the Crests were prominent, but they were nowhere near the status of my adoptive family. Damon began to laugh hysterically. I grabbed a pillow and hit him with it.

*“What’s so funny?”*

*“I’m just thinking about all the times mom called your parents ‘low-grade’, man when she finds this out!”*

We all couldn’t help but laugh at that thought. It was true, I couldn’t wait to get even with all of them! Just then, Uncle Pete handed us all a glass of champagne.

*“We can focus on revenge later, for now, I want to celebrate my niece returning home.”*

My heart almost burst as tears filled into eyes. I missed him so much! It felt good to go home. The rest of the flight was fairly quiet, I noticed Pera and Damon chatting a lot, almost flirting. I wondered if my brother has finally found someone he likes. After we arrived in Covington, we headed straight for our estate, it was just as I remembered it! My eyes almost bulged out when I saw the rose and tulip garden was upkept!

*“Uncle! You guys maintained the flower beds my mother planted!”*

My uncle looked at me with sincerity.

*“There was no way your aunt was gonna let those beds die.”*

Tears began to flow down my cheeks, I couldn’t wait to see my aunt Gloria and my big cousin Sean. As we arrived at the gate, I could see some of the staff standing outside waiting to great us. As we got out of the car I could hear my aunt Gloria let out a loud yelp. She came running over, tears in her eyes, arms stretched out.

*“She’s home!!! She’s home!!! Oh, my goodness! Welcome home honey!”*

She pulled me into a tight hug, rocking back and forth tears overflowing. Just then, my cousin Sean came out with a very pretty woman and a cute little girl.

“No way!! My cousin is grown now! Look at you!”

Sean gripped my up into a big bear hug and swung me around like he did when I was little. True love never dies, my family was living testimony to that. As he placed me back on the ground, the adorable little girl ran over.

*“Daddy! Is this the little sister you told me about! Aunt Ruby?”*

Just then, the pretty young woman walked up and embraced me into a hug.

*“It’s so nice to finally meet you. Sean talks about you all the time! Welcome home!”*

*“Ruby, I want to introduce you to my wife Caroline, our daughter Grace.”*

I shot my eyes up in disbelief, did he say Grace? Suddenly, I began to cry.

*“You named her after mom?”*

I could barely get the question out through my sobs. Sean smiled a wide smile and started to cry, he and my mom were always so close. For the longest time until me, he was her only baby. I hugged my new sister-in-law one more time and picked my niece up, spinning her around just like Sean used to do me. I was finally home, my heart felt full. After we all got settled in, I introduced my brother Damon to everyone, Sean and Caroline welcome him with open arms, as did little Grace. That night, after we all had dinner together, Damon and I got settled into our rooms, while Pera headed home.

*“I’ll be here to pick you up about 12pm tomorrow for brunch tomorrow! The girls can’t wait to see you!”*

After saying goodnight to everyone, I took a nice long bath. As I sat in the tub, I was replaying all the events in my life and how everything had unfolded since arrived in Banton five years ago. I would make them all pay for what they did to me and for cursing my parents’ names. The first thing I would do, is cancel all the connections I had lined up for Thomas.

The next morning, I heard a soft knock on my door. It was Damon, he walked shyly into my room, with a look of happiness on his face. I motion for him to sit with my on my couch

*“Hey, how’d you sleep?”*

*“Oh man, these beds are amazing! And the Techware in my room! I felt like I was in the future! We don’t even have this type of technology in Banton, hell in the whole continent!”*

Part of the reason I wanted Damon to come with me was because I knew he had a love for technology. I knew being in Covington and working with Priceland could advance him in ways Banton couldn’t. This was definitely the right call.

*“Well, that’s good to hear. I’m really glad you came with me Damon.”*

*“Ruby, I just wanted you to know I’m really happy that you came home, and I’m sorry.”*

Damon held his head down almost as if he were ashamed of something.

*“Damon, what are you apologizing for?”*

*“For not being able to protect you better. From them. I’m your big brother and I feel like I failed you, but even still, you brought me here with you. I don’t deserve this.”*

Tears began to fill in my eyes. Had he felt like this the whole time? Damon had no idea how much he had saved me. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know if I would have survived in that house or with those people. I wiped the tears and hugged my brother tight.

*“Damon, you’re so dumb. You have no idea how much you have saved me these past five years. I don’t know where I would have been without you, but my money is on dead.”*

Damon wiped his eyes and gave a tight hug. After our talk, I got dressed and headed out with Pera. As we grew close to our destination, I could see ballons, flowers, and a huge banner hanging. As soon as we got out of the car, both Tara and Brea came running over with smiles and tears.

*“OMG!! You’re here!!! Look at you!”*

Brea hugged me tightly with tears flowing from her face. Just then, Tara came over releasing her grip.

*“Let her go Brea! I want a hug too!”*

We all shared a loud laugh, Brea and Tara were just the same as I remember! This was the best home welcoming I could have imagined!