Bonita hugged Star tightly, and the two broke into laughter.
"Star… I salute you!" Bonita chuckled. "Yoh! I almost spilled the truth back there!"
"Boni… I don't know," Star said, catching her breath. "But this mutism—I must have it. It needs to stay."
Bonita tilted her head. "But how did it even start?"
"I was scared," Star admitted, her voice low.
Christine's voice cut through their moment. "Can someone please tell me what's going on here?"
"Ah… Grandma, it's nothing," Bonita said quickly, waving a dismissive hand.
"We were just looking for the phone Boni saw last night," Star explained. "Olivia caught us red-handed, so I pulled a little stunt."
"What kind of phone?" Christine asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Boni thinks… it might be her dad's," Star said cautiously.
Christine's jaw dropped. "What?!"
Before anyone could respond, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Star immediately slipped back into her "coma." Mandume entered with Olivia, holding a small bottle.
Star stirred awake just as Mandume handed her the medication.
Later that evening, Star wandered into the kitchen and found unfamiliar faces bustling about.
"Uh—excuse me? Who are you, and what's going on here?" she asked, confused.
Mandume appeared behind her. "Star, meet my staff. They're our new helpers. She loves the kitchen, so don't mind if she tries kicking you out. Just smile and let her help."
"Servants, huh? Sounds like something you'd do," Star said, laughing. Then she turned to the staff, apologetic. "I'm so sorry—I didn't grow up in a house with chefs and helpers, so I panicked. But don't worry, this is our kitchen. We share, alright?"
"Yes, ma'am," they replied politely.
"I'm Star, by the way. I'll get to know you all later. For now, let's just work together," she said, rolling up her sleeves.
Mandume wasn't having it. "No, no, Mrs. Davids, we've got some partying to do." He pulled her away from the counter.
"Did you just call me Mrs. Davids?" she asked, grinning.
"Yes. Because if you won't answer my question, I'll answer it for you," he said, poking her belly gently.
"When I came here, no one told me I was getting married!" Star teased.
"I did," Mandume said smugly. "You just forgot—because you're…" He motioned to her baby bump.
Star chased him out of the kitchen, laughing.
Outside, Olivia clapped her hands. "Okay, people—I have a plan!"
"What plan now?" Mandume asked, raising a brow.
"Let's hunt tonight! Stay out all night, come back in the morning," she said. "You all just tell your friends."
"We're not that many," Mandume replied. "And we can't just notify our crew now. Rudra's probably on duty."
"What about a surprise then?" Bonita chimed in.
Just then, Rudra strolled in.
"No way… I told you to wait till tomorrow!" Mandume exclaimed, hugging him.
"Bro! You were robbing me of tonight!" Rudra laughed. "We're going to have fun, man."
"You're supposed to be on shift today," Mandume said, narrowing his eyes.
"I took care of it," Rudra replied coolly, then turned to Star. "Hey, Star… shining as usual?"
"We missed you," she smiled.
"Alright, so everyone's in?" Olivia asked. "Mom gave us the jeep. We're using that!"
"Wait—Mom let us drive the jeep?" Mandume asked, shocked.
"Yep!" Olivia grinned.
"I'm in," Mandume said, excited.
"We just have to wait for my friend," Bonita said.
"Tiffanie?" Mandume guessed.
"Nope. A special friend," Bonita replied with a sly smile.
"Alright, we got you," Mandume said. "Tell her to hurry up!"
They piled into the jeep. Before leaving, Star stopped by Christine's room.
"Grandma, we're heading out. We'll be back later tonight."
Christine raised an eyebrow. "So I'm alone in the kitchen now?"
"I'm sorry, Grandma… but you've got assistants," Star said sheepishly.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry—Angel told me about it. Go enjoy yourself," Christine said, then leaned in and whispered, "But be careful around that girl, Olivia. She might be working with Maria."
"I know, Grandma. Your girl's clever—Boni too," Star said.
Christine winked. "Go. This is also you two's time… if you know what I mean."
Star giggled. "I know. Love you!"
They drove deep into the forest, the moon their only lantern.
"Why do you look so worried?" Star asked Bonita as the trees passed them by.
"Daniels didn't show up," Bonita said, frowning. "But he keeps promising he will."
"…And he will. Don't worry. He's a guy—trust him," Star reassured her.
"Yeah. He better come," Bonita muttered.
Bonita sighed. "Star, we didn't manage…"
"We'll manage tomorrow," Star replied firmly.
When they arrived at the hunting site, Olivia clung to Mandume's arm.
"Do you remember when we used to come here?" she said, wistful. "Best feeling ever."
"Yeah," Mandume said with a half-smile. "We made great memories here."
Meanwhile, Bonita, Star, and Rudra walked ahead.
"I've never been out in the forest this late," Star admitted. "It feels… wild. Like completely insane."
Bonita and Rudra burst into laughter.
"Agh, it's fun," Rudra said. "You'll enjoy it."