Rebirth of the Broken Luna A Second Chance at Luna's Heart novel Chapter 325

Chapter 325

LUMINA

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I was about to intervene, to redirect the conversation to less traumatic territory, when the classroom door opened and Lake emerged,

the completed test packet in his hands.

“I’m done,” he announced, handing the papers to Mrs. Henderson who’d followed him out.

“That was fast,” she said, her tone suggesting she thought fast meant incomplete or careless.

“I checked my work,” Lake said with surprising confidence. “Twice.”

Mrs. Henderson’s eyebrows rose slightly. “I’ll grade this and email you the results by this evening, Mrs. Blackwood.”

“Thank you,” I said, gathering the boys. “Come on, we have more errands to run.”

The other children were staring at Lake now, their curiosity shifting to this new stranger who’d appeared with the Blackwood twins. I could practically see the rumors forming in their young minds, the stories they’d tell their parents about the mysterious boy who’d come

home with Riley and Ollie.

“Is he your brother too?” pigtails girl asked.

“Kind of,” Ollie said before I could answer. “It’s complicated.”

That seemed to satisfy their curiosity, or at least redirect it. The children filtered back into their classroom, leaving us alone in the

hallway.

“You did great,” I told Lake quietly as we walked back to the car. “That test is designed to be difficult.”

He shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. “It was basic knowledge. Nothing complicated.”

Basic knowledge that most five-year-olds would have struggled with, but I didn’t push the point. Lake had been forced to grow up fast, to learn things no child should have to know. Of course he’d aced a placement test designed for kindergarteners.

Our next stop was the superstore on the edge of town-one of those massive places that sold everything from groceries to electronics to automotive supplies. I needed to stock up on school supplies, clothes for the boys who’d shot up in size during their absence, and approximately a million other things that had fallen by the wayside during our two months away.

“Can we get toys?” Ollie asked hopefully as we grabbed a shopping cart.

“Yes,” I said, earning a cheer. “But practical things first, fun things second.”

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Chapter 325

The boys scattered the moment we hit the children’s section, each gravitating toward different items. Ollie made a beeline for the action figures, already planning elaborate games with whatever he found. Riley wandered more slowly, his interest seeming to land on books rather than toys. Lake stayed close to me, clearly uncomfortable with the overwhelming sensory experience of a massive store.

“You okay?” I asked him quietly.

“There’s a lot of people,” he said, and I noticed how his eyes kept tracking movement, how his body stayed tensed like he was preparing to fight or flee.

“It’s safe,” I promised. “No one here will hurt you.”

He didn’t look convinced, but he nodded and tried to relax.

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I was comparing prices on notebooks-why did school supplies cost so much?-when I felt it. That peculiar prickle at the back of my

neck, the sensation of being watched. I glanced up, scanning the aisle, but saw nothing unusual. Just other shoppers going about their

business.

Still, the feeling persisted.

I continued shopping, grabbing items mechanically while my awareness expanded outward, searching for whatever had triggered my

instincts. The boys were still occupied with the toys, their excited chatter providing background noise that should have been comforting

but instead felt like a distraction.

There. A flicker of movement at the end of the aisle, just at the edge of my peripheral vision. I turned sharply, but the space was

empty. No one there. No shadow, no figure, nothing to explain what I’d seen.

Except I had seen something. I was certain of it.

“Boys,” I called, keeping my voice calm despite the anxiety building in my chest. “Stay close to me, please.”

They responded to the tone more than the words, clustering around the cart with questions in their eyes. I shook my head slightly-

not here, not now-and continued shopping with increased vigilance.

The sensation of being watched intensified as we moved through the store. Every aisle, every turn, I felt eyes on me. On us. But whenever I looked, there was nothing. No one watching, no one following, no explanation for the crawling unease beneath my skin.

We were in the snack aisle-Ollie was lobbying hard for fruit gummies while Riley examined granola bars with intense concentration- when I saw it again. A shadow at the end of the aisle, darker than it should have been, shaped like a person but not quite solid.

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Reborn From Regret A Second Chance at Luna’s Heart