Odyssey Of Survival-Chapter 175 - Dinner At Madison’s

Nate chuckled. "You're just noticing?"

Alice exhaled heavily. "I've been too busy running from Bella to notice anything." She tugged at the sleeves of her shirt, clearly still rattled from whatever chaos Bella had caused earlier.

Madison giggled softly. "I'd say you deserved it."

Alice narrowed her eyes. "Traitor. We all called her asian!!!"

They all shared a laugh before Nate's mind drifted back to the weird device Jack had given him. He shoved it into his pocket, sighing again.

---

One week later, school passed like a blur. Classes, awkward stares, annoying classmates — the usual grind. But at least the device worked.

Nate had used the pod Jack gave him on Sera, and to his surprise, it actually did the trick. For the first time in months, Sera was sleeping peacefully without being tormented by nightmares. In fact, she was sleeping so well now, she had started oversleeping.

Nate noticed the change almost instantly. The dark circles under her eyes faded, replaced with a calm and well-rested glow. She was smiling more, eating better, and even her energy levels were back to normal.

It was a huge relief for him. Watching her suffer through restless nights had been one of the hardest things since coming back.

---

Now it was Saturday morning, and Nate had just finished jogging around the neighborhood. His breathing was steady as he wiped sweat from his forehead with the hem of his shirt. The crisp morning air felt good against his skin as he sipped from a bottle of cold water.

Then his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He casually pulled it out, expecting a random group chat message or something from Jack. Instead, he saw Madison's name flashing across the screen.

He opened the message.

Dinner at eight. Told my parents you're coming.

Nate immediately choked on the water in his mouth, spitting it out into the grass beside him. He stared at the message again like it was a mistake.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, wiping his mouth.

His heart raced a little. Dinner… with Madison's parents? Tonight? No warning? No escape plan?

He stared at the screen, completely frozen.

Nate entered and tossed his phone onto the couch with a sigh, deciding to worry about Madison's surprise dinner invitation later. He had more pressing things on his mind.

Like the message Ray had sent him earlier that morning.

Apparently, Ray and Jack had been trying to contact Ryder for days now. No calls, no texts, no signs of life. Ryder had vanished, almost like he had fallen off the face of the earth.

Nate leaned against the couch, staring at nothing. He tried to convince himself it wasn't a big deal. They were all back on Earth now. Ryder could take care of himself. If he didn't want to be found, that was on him.

Plus, as far as Nate was concerned, as long as Zoro remained stuck on that cursed island, there was no real threat hanging over their heads.

Still… it felt off. Ryder wasn't the type to just disappear like that without at least telling someone.

When Ray called to check in earlier, Nate had already brushed him off. "Maybe Ryder doesn't want to be disturbed like the rest of us," Nate had told him. "Stop worrying about every little thing. Try getting a life for once."

It was blunt, but true. They couldn't keep living in the past, waiting for trouble that might never come. The island, the battles—they were all behind them now. If they didn't start moving forward, they'd be stuck in limbo forever.

The warm aroma of something cooking hit him immediately.

Rounding the corner to the kitchen, he saw his mom standing by the stove, guiding Sera as she chopped vegetables. From the way they worked in sync, it looked like they'd been doing this for weeks.

Sera's face was focused, eyes darting between the chopping board and Nate's mom, soaking up every word like a student eager to impress a teacher. She was trying hard not to mess up, but Nate could tell by her slight smile that she was enjoying it.

Meanwhile, Cleo sat cross-legged at the dining table with an iPad propped in front of her. Cartoons blared softly from the speakers, but her eyes occasionally drifted toward the cooking lesson, half-interested, half-distracted by the colorful characters on screen.

Nate let out a soft chuckle at the sight before heading upstairs.

He showered quickly, throwing on fresh clothes before coming back down just in time for breakfast. The table was already set, and everyone was seated, halfway through their plates.

He slid into his usual seat, grabbing his share. The quiet hum of utensils scraping against plates filled the room.

His mom finally broke the silence, looking pointedly at Cleo. "Cleo, iPad down until you finish eating."

Nate blinked in surprise when Cleo obediently nodded and pushed the device aside without complaint. She even grabbed her fork properly, digging into her food like she knew the rules of the house already.

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Sera smiled softly at her sister, clearly proud.

For a few minutes, they all ate peacefully.

Then, out of nowhere, Cleo, with the innocence only a child could muster, turned to Nate with wide eyes and asked, "So… when are you marrying my sister?"

Nate nearly choked on his toast, coughing as he reached for his water. His mom froze mid-bite. Sera's fork clattered against her plate, eyes darting to Nate in pure shock.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Cleo, completely unaware of the bomb she just dropped, happily stuffed a piece of bacon into her mouth like nothing happened.

Nate wiped his mouth, staring at Cleo, then at Sera—whose cheeks were now burning red—and then at his mom, who tried her best to hide a smirk behind her coffee cup.

He could already tell breakfast had just gotten a lot more complicated.