Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 676: You are not welcome.

Dustin set his fork down with a soft clink. "They’re good kids, Sunshine. Earl is far too smart for his own good, Castiel has a kind look and Ariel has your temper. Somehow, you have managed to instill the Raine spirit in them." He poured himself more coffee from the pot, while dolling out advice she had not requested for.

"I think you spoil them a little too much though and that is not good, especially considering the world we live in now. Like Castiel, he will be making five in a few days. I don’t know why he is still drinking milk out of a sippy cup.

And Earl, I saw him wrestling with that bear you keep in the house. He has a lizard and he was talking to all these frogs! If they are his toys, he should keep them outside." He paused and took a sip of the coffee.

"Finally, Ariel....he is a little too much like his father. I can see it in his eyes, little schemes and calculations. If that boy does not trust you, forget inheriting anything when his father dies.

But don’t worry, now that I am here, I will handle such things for you. We are family and...."

"Don’t," she finally snapped like a string cut with a scissor. Stepping closer to the table, she growled, "Don’t act like you know them. I do not know why you think that you would be welcome here after everything you did to me."

Dustin leaned back, a weary shadow crossing his face. "I didn’t come here to cause trouble. I came because I know you are looking for your sister; I figured that you must have put everything that happened in the past behind you. We are family, your real family. We should not hold grudges forever." He gestured to the empty chair across from him as if he was the host, and she, a guest. "Sit. Eat. You look like you haven’t slept in a week, and we have a lot to discuss. I have some bad news; a lot has happened...."

"I know everything you want to talk about," Sunshine snapped, cutting him off. Her voice was cold, devoid of the warmth she had shown the kids moments ago. "I know Aunt Rowena is dead. I know she died after she supposedly killed the Steward children, but I have my doubts about that."

The teacup froze halfway to Dustin’s lips. His eyes widened, his relaxed posture shattering instantly. "How... how could you possibly know about that? Suni, listen to me, that was all a massive misunderstanding. The reports, the rumors_ they weren’t right, the whole thing happened because of an allergy to nuts! The cooks were to blame but the parents of the dead girl were overwhelmed with grief, and they just couldn’t think straight."

Sunshine didn’t just speak; she barked. The sound was so sharp and laden with raw, subconscious power that the liquid in Dustin’s cup literally turned to ice, cracking the porcelain. Her face took on a frightening, bluish tint, the veins in her neck standing out like frozen rivers. The temperature in the dining room plummeted.

"A misunderstanding?" she hissed, her breath coming out in white puffs of mist. "Do you honestly believe I’m that stupid? Uncle, I know everything from the suspicious death of the cook and Moon and aunt suddenly working in the kitchen! That alone is very suspicious!" She paused, glaring at him. "Tell me this, do you truly believe Aunt Rowena poisoned Leah and Aliana Steward? I know her, uncle. We both do. She is wicked in many ways. As for Rowena, I know she was selfish and only cared about her child, but she wasn’t a cold-blooded killer. Whatever happened back there... that had Moon’s fingerprints all over it. She killed her own mother. You raised a monster, but you don’t want to admit it."

Dustin went pale. He reached out, his fingers trembling as he touched his own lips, a single tear escaping his left eye and tracing a path through the stubble on his cheek. He looked like a man watching his last bridge burn.

"You helped her," Sunshine continued, her voice rising with every word. "You helped Moon escape. And as if that wasn’t enough, you left the Zenith camp on fire. You used your ability to hurt innocent people just to cover her tracks. You left them broken, uncle after they welcomed you into their home! There is nothing I am more ashamed of than my biological ties to you and Moon."

"Suni, please," Dustin whispered.

"I heard it all in person," she stepped closer, her shadow looming over him. "I didn’t hear it from rumors. I heard it from Leah and Dominic Steward themselves. That is why there is a bounty on Moon’s head that could feed a small city. That is why she is the most wanted person in this apocalypse.... Moon is a murderer and she must be brought to justice."

"What?" Dustin lurched to his feet so abruptly that his chair screeched across the floor and toppled over with a heavy thud. " That is the reason for the bounty? No... no, that can’t be. I thought... I thought you were looking for Moon to protect her! She’s your little sister, Suni. After everything, she’s still blood....family."

He lunged forward, grabbing Sunshine’s hands. His grip was desperate, his eyes pleading, wet with a grief that felt both genuine and incredibly frustrating. "You have to forget the past, child. Please. Think of everything I did for you when you were small after your parents died. Think of the sacrifices_"

Sunshine scoffed, pulling her hands back as if his touch burned. "All I remember is suffering at your hands. All I remember is the weight of the ’Raine’ name being used a noose around my neck. You ignored me and left me to fend for myself.

You watched as Moon stole my money and every nice thing I ever had. You took my parent’s house, rented it out and swallowed all the money. Most of it was used to allow Moon pass off as some fake heiress to a small fortune.

You all knew that an apocalypse was coming. The three of you escaped with Cassius and prepared a safe place. Was my invitation lost in the mail? You did not even give me a heads up! Now you want to claim blood ties! Dream on.

This isn’t a misunderstanding, uncle. This is the bill coming due. This is you and Moon finally paying for the wreckage you have left in your path. She killed children for heaven’s sake.... are you so proud of that? So much so that you are still protecting her!"

Dustin’s face contorted. For a fleeting second, a sneer touched his lips_ the old Dustin, the one who hated being challenged, if these were the older days he would have whipped her with his belt. He quickly suppressed the smirk. He knew where he was. He was in a fortress he didn’t control, facing a niece who looked ready to freeze his heart.

His powers were missing in action. He was on his own in every way!

"I understand where your anger is coming from my child," he said, his voice cracking. "I’ll pay for Moon’s sins, after all I brought her into this world. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll cross the ocean, I’ll stand trial, you can give me the death sentence if you like. Just help Moon."