Rashely reached for the rusted gate, intending to push it open—but before she could apply any real strength, it collapsed with a loud creak and thud. She sighed and carefully stepped over the fallen metal, taking in the sight of the overgrown yard. Weeds reached past her knees, and trash—old bottles, torn papers, rusted cans—littered the ground like remnants of a forgotten time.
She walked up to the porch, where cobwebs clung stubbornly to the wooden posts and corners. A pile of soggy, decaying packages lay slumped by the door. With a deep breath, she turned the knob, and to her surprise, the door opened easily with a groan. A thick wall of dust greeted her, and she coughed, waving her hand in front of her face as she made her way to the windows.
One by one, she forced them open, letting light and fresh air pour into the decaying home. The scent of mildew and abandonment began to fade. It wasn't much, but it was something.
At only sixteen years old, even with all the money she had tucked away in her spatial necklace, Rashely couldn't legally rent an apartment. At least, not yet. So for now, this crumbling, forgotten house would have to do.
She explored each room carefully, eventually making her way upstairs. The floors creaked under her feet, but the structure held. The bedrooms were dusty but intact. With a small nod of approval, she made her way back downstairs.
From her necklace, she retrieved a small, sleek robot—about the size of a vacuum cleaner, but with retractable limbs and advanced sensors. Back in Anurak's original world, this kind of tech was common, but in this timeline, it was practically alien. She would have to be extremely careful not to let others see what she could do.
"Clean and repair the house," she instructed calmly.
The robot beeped in acknowledgement, its eyes glowing a soft blue as it began scanning the interior. Rashely pulled out a comfortable lounge chair and a tablet from her necklace, sat down in the living room, and opened a bag of snacks. As the robot whirred and zipped around, cleaning, disinfecting, hammering, and repairing, she scrolled through her tablet, searching for housing registration records, school transfer forms, and documents she might need.
When the robot finally chimed, signaling that it had finished, Rashely looked up—and blinked in surprise.
The transformation was drastic. The moldy, dust-covered ruin was now a small but livable suburban home. The walls were repainted a soft cream, the windows gleamed with clarity, and the wooden floors had been restored to a warm, honey-colored polish. The cobwebs were gone, the trash vanished, and a gentle pine scent filled the air.
It wasn't luxurious. In fact, it was the sheer normalcy of it that made her pause.
It looks… cozy, she thought, setting down her tablet.
The couch in the corner looked inviting. The kitchen was clean and fully functional. Upstairs, the bedrooms were basic but comfortable. It was the kind of house someone might pass by without a second thought—and that was perfect.
She stood and stretched. "Nice job," she said to the robot, which gave a satisfied beep before retreating into her necklace's space for storage.
With the house in order, she turned back to her tablet. First on the list: enroll in Stanford Online High School. She found the application form and began filling it out, using falsified guardian documents and a financial account connected to her space. The original Rashely had died in an accident, and the current her was essentially a ghost in the system. But with her knowledge and resources, she could forge her way through.
Once that was submitted, she made a list of basic furniture she still needed—pillows, bedding, kitchen utensils—and summoned them from the supermarket section of her necklace. Within minutes, the house felt more like a home.
Rashely sat down on the bed and placed a hand on her still-flat stomach. The pregnancy was early, but real. She could feel it now and then—a lightness, a warmth inside her.
This life isn't going to be easy, she thought, eyes flickering to the ceiling. But it's mine now.
Outside, the sun began to set. The street was quiet, the house unnoticed. Hidden in plain sight.
And Rashely? She was just getting started.