Chapter 260: End Of The Vacation 2 [Edited]

The ferry bumped against the rubber barriers of the mainland dock, the impact sending a deep thud through the vessel.

The deck crew threw the mooring lines around the bollards, and the metal gangway lowered with a loud clatter. After two weeks on the quiet atolls of the Azure Archipelago, the mainland felt loud, gray, and busy. The clean scent of salt water and blooming jasmine had been replaced by the smell of exhaust fumes.

Nectron and Nicholas loaded the luggage into the back of two black Association transport SUVs parked near the ferry terminal. Julie was still struggling with her camera strap, yawning loudly after the long boat ride, while Vixen leaned against the hood of the lead vehicle and checked the traffic on her phone.

"Interstate 94 is clear all the way through to Detroit," Vixen called out, tossing the car keys to Nectron. "If we hit the highway now, we’ll make it back before the evening rush."

"Good," Marina said, helping Katie into the back seat of the second SUV. "I want to get the laundry started before dark, and Katie needs to be in bed early for school tomorrow."

"I don’t want to go back to school! School is an obstacle to my personal freedom," Katie muttered, climbing into the middle seat with her woven seashell pouch clutched tightly in her lap.

Nicholas closed the rear hatch, walked around to the passenger side, and got in. "You spent two weeks running around on sandbars, Katie. School won’t hurt you."

"Math hurts everyone, big brother," Katie replied earnestly. "Even Nectron looked sad when I showed him my long division worksheet."

Nectron laughed from the front seat, turning the ignition key. The engine rumbled to life, and the SUV pulled smoothly out of the ferry lot, joining the steady stream of traffic heading west along the highway.

The drive took nearly three hours. The coastal greenery gradually gave way to the flat expanses of the Midwest, and soon the familiar skyline of Detroit rose in the distance.

The city looked unchanged. Tall brick buildings, concrete overpasses, and busy street corners filled the afternoon with the usual noise.

Everything felt normal.

His name had been cleared, the false bounty had disappeared.

Now, he could return home without wondering what might be waiting for him around the next corner, and the simple peace of that still felt strange.

In no time the SUVs pulled up in front of their apartment building.

Nectron and Vixen helped carry the larger crates up the stairs before heading off to their own quarters in the city center.

"See you at the gym on Wednesday, Nicholas," Nectron said with a wave as he walked down the hall. "Don’t skip leg day just because you’re famous now."

"I don’t skip leg day," Nicholas said, unlocking the front door.

Inside, the apartment was clean and cool, exactly as they had left it. The large windows let in the warm orange light of the setting sun, illuminating the wooden dining table and the neat rows of spice jars Marina kept on the kitchen shelf.

Katie kicked off her sneakers by the door, sprinted straight to the living room carpet, and tipped her woven pouch upside down.

A colorful pile of sea glass, polished white coral, and round shells spilled onto the rug.

"The vault is open," Katie declared, kneeling down to sort them into neat rows. "This row is for the pink shells, this one is for the shiny green stones, and this one..." She lifted the large nautilus shell with both hands. "This one goes on my desk to intimidate my math teacher."

Marina set her grocery bags on the kitchen counter, tying her hair back into a loose bun. "Your math teacher will not be intimidated by a seashell, Katie. Put your school bag together first. Did you finish the reading assignment before the break?"

Katie froze, her small hands hovering over a piece of sea glass. She slowly turned her head toward the kitchen, her eyes wide with sudden dread.

"The reading assignment was optional," Katie said carefully.

"It was on the printed syllabus, Katherine," Marina said, pulling a cutting board and a knife from the drawer. "I saw the red checkmark. Go get your backpack."

Katie groaned, dragging her feet as she walked toward her bedroom. "School is a prison."

Nicholas took his duffel bag into his room and unpacked his clean clothes into the dresser before checking the apartment’s security system out of habit. Every sensor was green, and there were no signs of tampering, surveillance equipment, or unfamiliar energy.

Satisfied that nothing had changed while they were away, he returned to the kitchen.

He walked back into the kitchen, leaning against the counter as Marina chopped onions, bell peppers, and garlic. A pot of water was already heating up on the stove for pasta.

"You don’t have to cook tonight, Marina," Nicholas said. "We could have ordered takeout."

"Takeout gets greasy after two days, and we ate at restaurants all week on the island," Marina replied, scraping the chopped vegetables into a hot pan with a satisfying sizzle. "A simple bowl of tomato pasta with garlic bread will do everyone good. Besides, it feels nice to be in my own kitchen again."

Nicholas nodded, grabbing a wooden spoon to stir the sauce while Marina sliced a loaf of crusty bread.

There was a steady, comfortable rhythm to the apartment. Katie muttered about fractions in the hallway while stuffing notebooks into her backpack, Marina worked over the stove as the smell of garlic and basil filled the kitchen, and the city outside continued with its normal evening routine.

A soft knock sounded at the front door, and Nicholas set down the spoon before walking over to check the peephole. Seeing Selena standing in the hallway, he unlocked the door and opened it to find her already dressed in comfortable clothes after dropping off her luggage at home. She wore a simple black sweater, dark jeans, and low-top canvas shoes, with a slim blue leather folder tucked beneath one arm

"Am I interrupting dinner prep?" Selena asked, stepping inside as Nicholas held the door open.

"Not at all," Marina called from the kitchen with a bright smile. "Come in, Selena! There’s plenty of pasta for four."

"I can’t stay for dinner tonight, Marina, thank you," Selena said, placing the folder on the corner of the dining table. "I have a senior staff meeting at headquarters in an hour, so I just stopped by to drop off Nicholas’s leave documents before I go."

Nicholas walked over and flipped the folder open. Inside were stamped documents confirming his completed vacation time, his updated operational status, and his revised hero profile.

"Eric approved the full leave without deductions," Selena explained, leaning against the table. "And after everything that happened at the warehouse, they’ve updated your status.You’re no longer on system watch and you’ve been raised to S-rank."

"That’s an improvement," Nicholas noted.

"It’s expected with everything that’s happened so far," Selena said, glancing around the peaceful apartment. "The city has been unusually quiet while we were away, too. The local gangs have been keeping their heads down, and even Larry’s legal team has gone quiet. After everything that’s happened lately, I’m almost suspicious of how peaceful it feels."

"Quiet is fine," Nicholas said. "It means fewer distractions."

"Let’s hope it stays that way," Selena murmured, though a faint smile remained on her face. Her gaze shifted toward the hallway, where Katie was currently fighting with an overstuffed backpack that was clearly never going to close.

Katie stuck her head out the door, waving a pencil in despair. "Tell the Association to ban fractions, Selena! You have the authority!"

Selena laughed, shaking her head. "Sadly I don’t have the authority to do that, kid. Study hard."

She turned back to Nicholas, her dark eyes meeting his with an easy, familiar warmth. "I have to head over to headquarters. I’ll see you tomorrow at the training facility?"

"I’ll be there," Nicholas said, walking her to the door.

Selena gave him a small, reassuring nod, stepped out into the hallway, and headed down toward the elevator.

Nicholas closed the door, locked the deadbolt, and returned to the kitchen. The pasta was boiling on the stove, Marina was setting out the bowls, and Katie had finally settled at the table with her notebook open in front of her.

The apartment was filled with the familiar smell of garlic and basil, Katie’s complaints about fractions, and the distant noise of traffic outside.

It wasn’t exciting, dangerous, or particularly remarkable, but as Nicholas looked around the room, he realized there was something comforting about that.

For the first time in a very long time, life felt completely normal.

[A/N: And with that, we’ve come to the end of the third Volume! Very big thanks to everyone who has kept following the story up till this point! Much love!]

Second Chapter might be delayed a bit, my apologies.