Starlit Shores

Chapter 2

At the restaurant,
"How can I help you?" the receptionist asked.

"We have a table reservation for 4," Lucy said.

"Just a moment, ma'am," the receptionist replied.

"Mitchell family?" the receptionist confirmed.

"Yes," Lucy confirmed.

''This way, please," the receptionist said, leading them to their table.

Astra felt upset and annoyed hearing "Mitchell family."

"Mitchell family!? Seriously?" Astra said to Lucy.

"Yes, what's wrong?" Lucy asked.

"What's wrong? Are you seriously asking me that?" Astra retorted.

"Everything okay, babe?" Adan asked Lucy.

"Yes, nothing to worry about. Just us, mother and daughter," Lucy assured, holding Astra.

"Look, I don't want any mess today, so behave yourself," Lucy said to Astra in an angry tone.

"As you say, Mrs. Mitchell," Astra replied to Lucy sarcastically.

At the table, Astra was engrossed in her phone.

"I was thinking of a movie night," Lucy announced.

"Yes!" Lucas exclaimed in excitement.

"Alright! So we're having a family movie night," Adan suggested.

Noticing Astra preoccupied with her phone, Adan addressed her, "Which movie would you like to watch, Astra?"

She didn't hear him.

"Astra!" Lucy called out loudly.

"Hmm... yes," Astra responded, putting her phone aside.

"Adan asked you something," Lucy said to Astra.

"Sorry, I didn't..." Astra began.

"It's okay," Adan interrupted. "So, I was asking which movie you'd like to watch tonight?"

"Movie night? Tonight?" Astra questioned.
"Sorry, I can't. I have plans."

"What plans? I thought we agreed not to have plans tonight," Lucy said.

"We agreed not to have plans during dinner time, that's it. We... we didn't talk about afterwards," Astra explained.

"Astra!" Lucy said firmly.

Astra's phone rang.

"I've got to go. See you at home," Astra said, standing up from the table.

Lucy grabbed Astra's hand to stop her. "Where are you going?"

"I said I have plans, and anyway, dinner's already over," Astra said, freeing herself from Lucy's grasp.

Adan asked Lucy to calm down.

Astra left.

Astra didn't have any plans; she lied because she didn't want to endure the lovey-dovey family affair.

With nowhere else to go, she took a cab straight to the city library.

Entering the library, Astra noticed a pair of hazel eyes staring at her. It was the librarian, clearly surprised to see someone dressed up in the library.

Astra scanned her ID pass and promptly retreated into her own world among the bookshelves.

It was 5 in the morning, and Astra was asleep on the floor between the gigantic library shelves until the rays of the sun woke her up, shining through the window onto her face.

She turned on her phone and found 24 missed calls from Lucy and 10 from Adan.

Gathering herself up, Astra left the library and headed home.

Lucy was sleeping on the couch until she heard the door being unlocked.

It was Astra, trying to be as quiet as possible, but she couldn't escape Lucy's notice.

"Where the hell have you been?" Lucy shouted at Astra as she tiptoed up the stairs.

"Umm... I told you I had plans," Astra replied, avoiding eye contact with Lucy.

"I've had enough of you," Lucy said firmly.

Astra sighed and rolled her eyes.

Hearing Lucy, Adan came. "What's going on?"

"You are grounded for the next week. You will only go to school and come straight back home," Lucy ordered Astra.

Astra went straight to her room without reacting to Lucy's order, as she had already anticipated this consequence.

It wasn't the first time she had been grounded.

The more Lucy tried to control Astra, the more rebellious Astra became.