---
Chapter 4 – Things Left Unsaid
By the time Wong Lu returned to school, word of the "math apocalypse" had spread like wildfire.
Some kids whispered when he walked past. Others stared openly, as though expecting him to suddenly sprout wings or turn the classroom into a volcano.
And then there were those who decided he was an easy target.
At lunch, a group of boys approached his table. "Hey, new kid," one of them smirked, "you some kind of magician or something? Heard you made the whiteboard turn into space."
Wong Lu tilted his head. "The whiteboard… was never not space."
They exchanged confused looks. "Yeah… okay, weirdo." One of them shoved his tray just enough to spill milk.
Before Wong Lu could respond, Saki slammed her hands on the table. "Touch him again and I'll show you what I can do with a lunch tray."
Gami appeared at Wong Lu's other side like a silent bodyguard. "And I don't even need a tray."
The boys backed off, muttering. Word quickly spread—if you messed with Wong Lu, you had to deal with the Waterson sisters.
---
When they got home that afternoon, Elizabeth was waiting in the kitchen with her arms crossed. "Alright," she said, "anything weird happen again that we should know about?"
Saki and Gami exchanged glances.
"Define weird," Gami said carefully.
Elizabeth sighed. "Weird as in… floating furniture, disappearing doors, talking ceiling fans—that kind of weird."
"Not really," Saki said. "Unless you count people acting dumb at school."
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes but let it slide—for now.
---
That evening, the whole family gathered in the living room. Wong Lu sat between his sisters, looking mildly curious as Nail and Elizabeth shared a glance.
Elizabeth began. "Wong Lu… I'm guessing you already know that you have some…" She trailed off, waiting for him to fill in the word.
He blinked, confused. "Some… what?"
Nail cleared his throat. "Wong Lu, we know we're not your bio—"
Elizabeth's eyes snapped toward him, sharp as glass. "—We are your parents," she cut in quickly, forcing a smile. "And we love you very much. You have us, and two sisters who'll always be by your side. No matter what, you're part of this family."
Wong Lu looked at each of them in turn. His expression was unreadable, but he nodded slowly. "…Okay."
---
Later, during dinner, Elizabeth pulled Nail aside into the narrow kitchen corridor.
"Why would you almost tell him that we're not his biological parents?" she hissed.
Nail rubbed the back of his neck. "It just… slipped. I thought maybe he should know—"
"The letter said not until he's old enough to understand, Nail. Do you want to make things harder for him? For us?"
They stared at each other for a long moment, the hum of the fridge filling the silence. Finally, they both sighed in defeat.
"…We wait," Nail said.
Elizabeth nodded. "We wait."
---
Upstairs, Wong Lu lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind drifted—not to school, not to math, but to something else entirely. A faint hum pulsed at the edge of his perception, like the world was holding its breath.
And somewhere deep in the folds of reality, something stirred in response.
The next day was coming.
And it would not be quiet.
---