CHAPTER 163: CHAPTER 163: BY THE FIRE (1)

"Should... should we really not tell them?"

"Girl. I swear, for someone who be reading minds and shit, you hella blind. You wanna tell those people about what happened to us?"

"W... well..."

Night had already completely befallen the island of Siargao, and for miles and miles, there was nothing across the horizon. And while Bernard and Prophet were busy closing up the hole they created, the rest of the tourists were all seated inside the hole that Riley had made earlier in the morning.

The country was hot during the day, and it was still hot during the night. Even then, however, the group was gathered around a fire. Each of them held different meals in their hands—there were marshmallows, steaks, seafood, tropical fruits, and even hot dogs on sticks.

And of course, like they have been the entire day, the adults were still drinking their alcohol.

And they were now in the heavy stuff.

The Baby Crew were still shaken about what happened to them, but seeing as they couldn’t actually tell anyone about what happened to them just yet, as it would ruin their vacation, the only thing they could do was to try and relax as much as possible.

...And that wasn’t a problem for some of them.

Gracey and Hannah were both holding a microphone together, screaming at it as they sang some karaoke that Diana pulled out from the house. V, Tomoe, and Bella also seemed unbothered about what happened to them—or at least were good at pretending that everything was okay as the three chatted casually. Well, V and Bella chatted, Tomoe only listened.

The only one who couldn’t hide her anxiety was Pauline, who felt like she was sinking deeper and deeper into the sand she was sitting on. She had just watched several people die in front of her. Bad people, but still, people. Their guts, flesh, and blood scattered across grass and stone.

She... couldn’t shake the image off her mind now that she was just trying to relax along with everyone.

She couldn’t even eat the plate of steak in front of her, as the image of the kidnappers exploding replayed in her mind over and over again.

All of this made her think—did she really belong in the Baby Crew? While she was lost in her own mind, the rest of them seemed to have already moved on. Or were they just that good at pretending that everything was alright?

Was that what it took to be a superhero?

After all, out of all of them, she was probably the only one who wasn’t truly interested in becoming one.

She only wanted to live a normal, simple life... much like the moment in front of her right now. These moments were what she wanted, just people having fun. But... the state of the world wasn’t going to allow that, was it?

It was—

"Are you not going to eat your steak, Pauline?"

"O-oh?" And as Pauline was lost in her thoughts, Riley suddenly sat beside her and pointed at the plate of steak in her hand.

"Your father helped cook that; you should eat it," he said.

Pauline stared at him for a moment and then lightly chuckled while shaking her head.

"I... I will. I’m just enjoying the moment."

"You can not enjoy the moment while consuming your steak, Pauline?" Riley asked. "That is A4 Wagyu meat, which, personally, I believe to be better than A5, which is more fat than meat."

"O-oh... I... I see."

"No, you eat." Riley urged her to eat. But he looked away and focused his attention on Hannah and Gracey, who were still singing their hearts out, not caring how out of tune they were. "It would help you take your mind away from their singing, Pauline."

"Huh?"

"That is why you are deep in thought, correct?" Riley pointed at his sister and Gracey, "Because of their abhorrent off-pitched screaming?"

"No...? Not... really?" Pauline blinked a couple of times. "I’m just—no. It doesn’t matter. I’m just... thinking about my place in this world, Riley."

"You are fourteen, Pauline. I do not believe you have a place in this world just yet," Riley bluntly said, shaking his head as he put a giant marshmallow inside his mouth. He was still saying something, but Pauline couldn’t understand any of it at all.

She could only stare at Riley’s face, his cheeks puffing bigger for some reason with every chew.

"You... should swallow." Pauline squinted. Riley glanced at her for a moment, chewing several more times before finally swallowing the marshmallow.

"I like the texture it makes as it melts inside my mouth and mixes with my saliva, Pauline."

"That... doesn’t paint a pretty picture."

"You should try it. But finish your steak first, or it will ruin the taste," Riley advised. "And I do believe I know what is worrying you now, Pauline."

"Hm?"

"The people who died in front of us."

"Shh!" Pauline wanted to cover Riley’s mouth, but couldn’t since she was holding a plate. "D-don’t... mention that."

"No one can hear us, Pauline. My sister’s abhorrent singing voice made sure of that." Riley shrugged. "Why are you worried about it? From my experience, those kidnappers would have killed the rest of you if Warslugger did not kill them first."

"H-huh?"

"Yes." Riley nodded. "From their stance, and the way they did not demand anything—they would have killed the rest of you to prove a point and sent bits and pieces of your corpses to your parents and mine."

"Just... how many times have you and Hannah been kidnapped?" Pauline’s eyes widened.

"I have lost count, Pauline. But more than a dozen times that last four years."

"W-what?"

"Yes."

"The... the life of a billionaire’s children is hard, huh?"

"Not at all, Pauline." Riley shook his head. "To say it is hard would be an insult to those who are less fortunate. I can buy whatever I want without questions asked."

"You’re... you’re not going to say that money doesn’t buy happiness?" Pauline softly chuckled. "I’ve... I’ve heard that a lot of times from my uncle, who has several luxury cars."

"He is lying to you, Pauline." Riley shook his head. "Granted, other people’s experiences would not be the same as mine—but I assure you, money does buy happiness. Even if indirectly."

"Indirectly?"

"Money can buy the solution to get rid of your sadness, which is technically buying happiness." Riley raised a finger, as if what he was saying was fact. "Not having to worry about your bills? Not having to worry about what you are going to eat tomorrow, or if you are going to eat. Being able to buy whatever you want upon seeing it? Getting sick and being able to afford it?"

"Oh..."

"If someone thinks that is not buying happiness, then they are deluding themselves or are privileged enough to not know what it means to actually be financially poor, Pauline."

"R-right..." Pauline’s eyes narrowed even further.

"You have seen the people here, right?" Riley asked. "You saw the conditions they are living in?"

"Yes?"

"They are not poor by any means, Pauline—I do believe you have thought that at some point during our journey here."

"That..." Pauline held her plate tighter. She couldn’t really refute Riley’s words.

"But they are not," Riley followed up. "You have not seen the poor people of this country yet, Pauline. Their definition of poor, and our definition of poor as someone who is living in the USA, are quite different from each other. If you have seen the way they lived, you would know that money does indeed buy happiness."

"Are you... really twelve?" Pauline released her breath.

"Yes." Riley nodded. "Did thinking about those less fortunate than you helped stave your mind off from what you were thinking about, Pauline?"

"That..." Pauline blinked several times. "It... kinda did?"

"Okay." Riley nodded. "Did that make you want to eat your steak now, Pauline?"

"Yes." Pauline quickly nodded, lightly chuckling as she finally grabbed her fork. And to her surprise, the steak easily parted even without a knife.

"That is good, Pauline." Riley nodded once more in satisfaction. "Mother always used that line on us whenever we refused to eat our food. I am glad it was effective on you, too."

"It... was."

"Then I hope you do not think about all the blood and guts as the steak melts on your mouth, Pauline."

"Kh!" Pauline almost threw up the steak from her mouth, but she fought it and swallowed it instead. She then glared at Riley, but a smile crept onto her face as she saw him chewing several marshmallows again like some sort of bunny.

"You... your superhero name really suits you, huh?"

Meanwhile, while the two were talking to each other with their shoulders almost touching, V was watching the two of them; the green trickles of electricity in her eyes, cracking stronger by the second.

"Girl..." Bella raised an eyebrow. "...Can you make it any more obvious you like the youngest?"

"W-what?!" V gasped, quickly looking away from Riley and V. "N-no?"

"Listen to me closely..." Bella motioned for her to come close, even pulling Tomoe closer, even though she wasn’t interested in hearing what she had to say.

"...As someone who already had several of them relationships, I’m the most fit to give you advice."

"You... you are?"

"Yes. So, shut up and hear me. What you gotta do is..."

"Huh?!" V covered her mouth. She looked at Bella in disbelief, then back at Riley, and then back at Bella again.

"I... won’t do that!"

"Girl... you will."