The Spare’s Second Chance in Apocalypse

World was not at peace. It had gone to shit a long time ago. But for one person, it felt like agony every waking second. 

That person was Selene Vale, and she was currently facing her family at the dinner table.

Her eyes saw and her ears heard what was being said. But none of it registered in her head at that moment.

The dining hall was as grand as ever, with a long polished table set under an ornate chandelier, but the atmosphere was suffocating. 

Selene Vale sat in silence, her hands neatly folded in her lap, waiting for the inevitable.

"You had one job, Selene, and that was to fire the raid team who failed their mission. Was that too difficult for you?" 

Her father's voice rang out, cold and laced with disappointment. But he was always like this, so it was nothing new. At least, he had not started hitting her yet…which was a plus.

Selene lowered her gaze, already knowing there was no right answer.

"The team was injured. They were barely alive when they returned. They would have starved to death if I fired them." 

She said softly. Selene knew that it was foolish of her to expect anything from her family, but she still wanted to try and understand them and make them understand that it was wrong to exploit others.

But as expected, none in her family had any intention of changing.

"And? What's your point here? Failures deserve consequences. If you were even remotely competent, you would've done as you were told. Instead, you made our family look weak." 

Her mother scoffed, setting down her wine glass with an irritated clink. As an elite, she had never had to suffer failure, so that was why she did not understand that not everyone lived in the same world as her.

Selene felt sorry for her mother, but afraid of her at the same time.

Weak. That word again.

Her father's piercing gaze bore into her. 

"How did someone as useless as you come from this family?"

Selene swallowed the lump in her throat, her fingers tightening around the napkin in her lap. She asked that question everyday.

She had even thought to check if she was adopted, but with how much she looked like both her parents, it was highly unlikely that it was the case for her.

Across the table, her younger twin siblings—Noah and Nora—sat comfortably, barely paying attention to the conversation. They had never needed to. 

No scolding, no punishments, only indulgence. They were the perfect heirs, the true Vale children- cruel and unseeing the suffering of the others.

They had learned to be like that, but it had not always been the case.

Unlike her, those two were exceptionally talented and had shown promise ever since the apocalypse started. They both even awoke as S-class, unlike her unpresented self. 

And that made their parents adore and spoil them even more.

It was the sad truth for her, but Selene had lost her younger siblings a long time ago. Now, they just felt like strangers to her.

Selene reached for the silver platter and carefully placed slices of roast beef onto their plates, as she always did. Even now, after their parents' harsh words, she still served them.

Their relationship had changed a lot, but one thing that had not changed was the way she cared for them.

It was a learned habit and one that Selene did not mind keeping. But clearly, her family did not appreciate the same care she presented them with.

As the oldest, she considered it her duty to care for her younger siblings, but they sure had different ideas about her position in the family.

Nora sneered, being the first to react to her.

"You're so obedient. Like a servant."

Noah chuckled.

"No, even servants have more use than her. They don't make us clean up after their mess at least. We cannot say the same for our older sister."

A sharp sting ran through Selene's chest, but she forced a polite smile. 

"Eat before it gets cold."

She didn't expect gratitude. She never had. 

But she did hope she could be angry at her siblings one day and not feel so guilty about it. One day it would happen, but now was not that time.

Her mother sighed dramatically. 

"If you weren't my daughter, I would have thrown you away long ago. You should be thankful for your bloody ties to us."

Selene kept her face blank. That would have been a kindness, she thought. 

But that was just her feelings speaking up. Objectively, she knew that this was the best decision for her in order to be able to survive. The world was too much of a mess right now and being alone was akin to dying.

Her father wiped his mouth with a napkin, then leaned forward, his expression unreadable. 

"Fortunately for you, I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself."

Selene's hands stilled. She knew what was going to happen, and she was not ready for it. Her heart skipped a beat as soon as she saw her father open his mouth.

"There's a mission for you. Don't look worried. You won't handle it alone, Noah and Nora will go with you to keep an eye on you. Succeed, and perhaps you won't be such a disgrace to this family."

He stood, signaling the end of dinner.

Selene lowered her head. She wanted to deny this, but she did not have a choice in this matter. 

"Understood, Father."

Noah smirked, his tone mocking. 

"Try not to embarrass us again, dear sister."

Selene didn't respond.

The twins were 18 years old now, and both were S-class. They often spoke about their dissatisfaction about being her siblings, but people did not get to choose the families they were born in.

For now, Selene could only sit back and hope that she would be fine. 

As the family left the dining hall, she remained seated, staring at the untouched food on her plate.

She already knew.

This mission wouldn't be a test of loyalty.

It would be a death sentence.

And cutting her off won't be a problem for her family if it meant that the twins would get to thrive.

That was what it meant to be a spare, and Selene did not fault her family for thinking like this. 

After all, the world was a harsh and cruel place. And with the apocalypse that happened, surviving had become even harder.