It was a crisp morning; the sun slowly arose above the city, the sound of the birds chirping could barely be heard over the bustling city scape. Honking cars and footsteps along with endless amounts of inconphrehensible words from thousands of people talking at once, though even with all this noise and clutter, in a building on a main street several stories up, a young girl slept soundly in a bed. A small smile was plastered on her face as she rolled onto her side, her arms gripped a small teddy bear that had multiple patches and suture marks.
It clearly looked worn and used as if it had been an heirloom for generations, yet this girl clutched onto it, her face buried in it, as if she had been holding it since birth. As the sun gradually rose more and more, it eventually peeked over the building across the street, allowing rays of sunlight to break through the window and into the room. The rays gradually shined onto the girl's face and finally, she groaned, burying her face into the head of her teddy bear.
She shifted once more in her blankets as she tried to block out the sun, letting out a small yawn as she did so, slowly but surely waking up. However, not fully, until a light but audible knock was heard, causing the girl's eyes to open slowly. Another small yawn escaped her lips, as her pale green pupils adjusted to the light, and she began to sit up while rubbing her eyes. Her bear was still clutched in the space between her right arm and her ribcage. Using her left hand, she nudged her blonde hair out of her face. As she did this, a familiar voice came from behind the door, breaking the silence after the knock.
"Viola... C'mon, wake up, sleepy head. We gotta start getting ready." There was a moment of silence before the girl finally responded, by stretching and looking to the door and speaking in a voice that could only be described as cute and sweet.
"Mhmm... I'm awake, brother..." With this, one final yawn came out and she gently pulled the blankets off herself. The door creaked open and a boy walked in - he was obviously older than her. The girl whose name was supposedly Viola, acknowledged him. She spoke in a soft tone. "Hmmm... Brother, why do we have to wake up so early?" The young girl swayed back and forth sleepily as she looked upon him, her eyes barely open, before the boy chuckled and walked further into the room.
As he stepped into the sunlight, she could make out his features more clearly; his brown hair looked rather messy and shaggy, and his green eyes matched Viola's. As he walked in, he spoke, while making his way to the curtains and peeking out. "C'mon I already told ya, I got a new job offer today and we had to wake up early in order to catch the train." He smiled to her, the curtain still in his hands, before he peeked back out.
She sighed, slowly beginning to inch her way out of the bed, still holding her bear. "Hmm...?" She looked up at him, her expression twisting into a pout. "But Kemen... Last time you said that, we were sleeping on that train for a whole day. We're already leaving again...?" The girl had an upset look on her face, and Kemen grunted, letting go of the curtain.
He turned back to her, a sympathetic smile crossing his features. He walked over to her and kneeled to her level. Her feet now dangled off the bed side and she sat on the edge, her bear now in her lap. He smiled as he got to eye level with her gently, then patted her head. "I know, Vi... Trust me, I know. I get tired of going from place to place, too, but... It can't be helped, until Mom and Dad get back from their vacation. We have to take care of each other, y'know..."
Viola grunted and narrowed her eyes at this statement slowly nodding, upset by it. But at the same time, she understood. It was then, with a low, voice she piped up. "Brother..." Kemen sighed lightly and looked at her with curious eyes, as he was about to stand up. "Why did Mom and Dad go on vacation without us? And why didnt they tell us either...?"
Kemen sighed again, this time filled with more worry. At this statement, he gave her the most reassuring smile he could muster. "They... had something come up. With Dad's work and all... He had to leave quickly. Mom joined him and, well... You know the rest."
Viola slowly nodded but then looked up once more. "Then, why did we leave the house...?"
Kemen spoke sincerely, still at eye level with her. He stared warmly into her eyes, mustering up enough strength to continue. "Mom and Dad told me that... when they get back, we were all moving into a new home somewhere else... And they would come and get us whenever they could."
It was with this that Viola looked down at the old floor boards. Despite being young, she didn't really believe her brother's words. Yet for his sake and effort, she slowly nodded, though still coming out with a weak, heartwrenching tone. "Okay, brother..."
He stared at her a moment longer and sighed slowly, beginning to stand. Before he could turn around, he felt a tiny hand tug on his hoodie sleeve. He sighed quietly, looking back down to Viola, who was staring him in the eyes.
"H...have you heard anything from them... From Mom and Dad...?"
Kemen's smile grew soft and he spoke in a sincere tone once more. "Yeah, I have... They said they were doin' great, and that they miss you... They told me they can't wait to come back and see you. I've been telling them, all about how you've been gettin' more and more mature and everything. They can't wait to come back and see you..."
With that, Viola's smile grew slightly, but she appeared as though she was about to cry. She couldn't bear the pain in her heart, and she lost control of her emotions. Tears began to stream down her face.
Kemen reached a hand forward, softly wiping his sister's tears from under her eyes. "Hey now... No need for waterworks..."
Viola sniffled and lowered her head, embracing her bear with both arms, before whispering. "I miss them..."
Kemen nodded in agreement, in a solemn manner. "Me too, Vi... Me too. But..." With that, she looked up at him, still burying the lower part of her face into her bear. Kemen began to dig into his back pocket; Viola looked up him and watched him fiddle for a moment. He seemed to find what he was looking for, since he spoke up. "They sent me something for ya."
With a bright grin, he pulled out a mega-sized chocolate bar from his pocket. In an instant, Viola's face lit up and her eyes sparkled in excitement. "Mom and Dad wanted you to have it... They also told me to pass on this message... 'We love you and miss you.' Dad is particularly proud of you... After all the help you've been giving me..." He slowly extended his arm to her, offering the bar.
With a smile, she sniffled once to regain composure, and grabbed it eagerly with her small hands. She pulled it close to her, but then, she paused for a moment, looking up with hopeful eyes. "Brother...?" Kemen looked at her curiously, the gentle smile still on his face, as he listened. He could see the hopeful sparkle in his sister's eyes.
"Tell Mom and Dad I miss them too! And... And..." She looked up to Kemen, connecting their eyes with a serious expression being reflected in hers. "Tell them that I promise I'll get even stronger, so that when they come back, they won't even recognize me! I'll be so brave, the dark won't even scare me anymore!"
Kemen smiled at this, chuckling and giving a nod as he stood. He began to make his way over to the door. "You got it... I'll be sure to tell them. Now, c'mon. I managed to buy us some food while I was at work last night." He gently stood and any hint of saddness from Viola was now replaced with determination.
Holding the candy bar in her hands, she nodded, grinning up at him. "Okay, brother!~ Lemme get dressed!"
Kemen nodded at her words. "Alright. Don't take too long, remember. We still gotta go soon."
She waved her hand dismissively, having confidence in her time-keeping abilities. "I know brother, I know! I'll be down in a flash!"
Kemen chuckled and gave one last nod to her. As he left the room, Viola could hear his footsteps gradually fading as he descended the stairs. She looked down at the bar in her hand, her bear clutched in the other. "I promise daddy... I... I won't let you down!" She gripped the bar tightly and looked up, before gently setting the things she held onto the bed.
She began to get dressed, throwing on a jacket which she had received from her mother, and an old pair of her jeans that she had received right before leaving the house. That was weeks ago now. They were slightly old and tattered with how often they were worn, but luckily, they were freshly cleaned the night prior - thanks to Kemen. He had managed to take their clothes to a launderette. As she slid them onto her body, she smiled fondly. "Nice and clean, right, teddy?" She grinned to her bear on the bed, before turning back to face the mirror.
She grunted in light annoyance, as she could see her reflection's messy hair. She pouted at this, and turning, she went to the side of her bed. She kneeled and began to dig into a pink backpack that she had taken with her when they left. It was stuffed with coloring tools, small picture books, and of course hygiene supplies. Rummaging around, she soon found a small brush with flower stickers on it. She pulled it out, giving a light smile, and she headed over to the mirror again.
She began to comb and straighten out her hair; as she did so, she listened to the cars outside passing by. As she listened, something stood out to her... It sounded... Like wind. Howling wind... As if wind was blowing through empty streets and abandoned buildings. She sighed lightly and perked up, scanning her eyes around the room and locating and open window just behind her.
"Ah, I left the window open last night... No wonder it was so cold..." She mumbled this to herself, chuckling slightly. She turned, tossing the brush back into the pack rather recklessly while passing it on the way to the window. The window was old and hard to shut; in fact, everything in this house was old. She pulled it to a close with a bit of a struggle, and as she did, she still felt a slight chill coming from its direction. Though odd, she assumed it was just left over cool air from outside.
With that, she turned once more, beginning to fiddle with her hair some more. This time, she wandered over to the dresser and grabbed hold of the hair bands she owned. She began to gentle tie her hair into loose pigtails, which draped down in front of her shoulders. With that, she smiled proudly. "All done!" She spun on her heels and rubbed at her eyes, to push out the remaining bits of sleep in her eyes. She then slipped on her sneakers and grabbed her bag, chocolate bar and bear.
She turned and made her way to the door, opening it and walking down the small hallway. She hopped down the old hardwood steps and walked into the makeshift living room. She glanced around curiously, and in moments, her name was called out in a more quiet tone. "Vi, is that you?"
Viola nodded, a light giggle passing her lips as she recognised the voice. "Mm! Who else would it be?" The girl playfully answered, heading in the direction of the voice. Once she was in the room, she found Kemen in the kitchen.
He was holding a kitchen knife that was covered in what looked like food residue. He turned his head to look over his shoulder, after hearing small footsteps approaching. "Hey there, you. Your food is on the table."
Viola's eyes lit up in delight, and she grinned brightly, before speaking in appreciation. "Sweet! Thank you, brother - I love you!"
Kemen chuckled before letting a gentle sigh pass his lips. He set the knife down once Viola was seated and examined her food in awe. Adorning the plate was a simple but delicious meal of cooked hash browns and eggs, with a piece of toast to complete it. She smiled in a state of slight disbelief, shocked yet appreciative of such usually rare food. "Woooah, this is great, brother! How did you get this much?"
Kemen was relieved to hear Viola still hadn't lost her appreciative nature. "My work last night paid off real well. I got so much, which is how I could afford all this." He said this as modestly as possible, with a smile. He began to pick up the slices of food he had just cut. "I got us some canned goods mainly - but I figured we could use a good meal of eggs and hash browns."
Viola smiled at him warmly, nodding along as she listened. "It's great brother, really! It even smells delicious, too! I haven't had anything like this since we were back at home."
Kemen hummed a light 'mhm', giving a nod. "I made it using Mom's special recipe, and figured it might remind you... So, I just went for it."
Viola grinned kindly and more softly as she listened. But once he was done, her eyes and tone grew curious. "Thank you, brother... But, aren't you gonna eat, too?"
Kemen didn't look to her; he continued to pack some belongings away. "Nah, I ate before you woke up. I've been cutting up food all morning, so I had to grab something early." He smiled to her, and as he did, Viola's eyes were drawn to her brother's face almost instinctively.
She noticed something while she was idly chewing. She looked at his face, truly taking in his appearance since she neglected that check earlier. He appeared to be exhausted; extremely so. His eyes looked dreary, yet he was acting as though he was wide awake. It was then she noticed his clothing, after trailing her eyes down to check over him some more. There was a sort of dark shade visible on his shirt; it was soaked through, and it reminded her of water.
Her face twisted into a slightly concerned expression. "Brother...? Did you get water on yourself? Your shirt looks soaked..."
He raised a brow, being caught off guard by her sudden question. Confused, he looked at her with a surprised expression mixed in. "Eh?" He stared at her for a brief moment, and she gave him a puzzled look in return, tilting her head.
"Ah... brother... It's just water, right? Why do you look so surprised?... Oh! Some of it is on your cheek, too?" She narrowed her eyes, beginning to spot more details. "Did you splash yourself while washing the dishes?"
Kemen sighed quietly to himself, and suddenly began to react normally again. "H-Heh... Yeah, I guess kinda splashed myself a lot last night while mopping up." He chuckled in a forceful confident manner, which was concerning, to say the least. Even so, he remained smiling at her warmly, before looking down to his hoodie. "I didn't get time to change it last night, so... I just had to wear it... I might actually have to wear it all day, now that Ithink about it..." He sighed once more, this time sounding more disheartened.
Viola blinked at him, observing his strange reactions, but not quite understanding. A frown pulled at her lips, and she could only think to apologise. "I'm sorry, Kemen..."
He shook his head in a dismissive manner, smiling to her. "Eh... Don't worry about it. This is nothing. C'mon Vi, eat up - we're gonna have to head out soon." He said the same thing to her again, and with that, he slowly turned around. He returned to what he was doing, allowing Viola to finish her meal in a hurried manner.