Lily POV
Black. Everything was completely black. In the depths of the black, the sound of a door closing rang out. Shortly after, another door closed, although slightly further away.
Then—silence.
I let out a deep breath, then opened my eyes. The last thing I saw was my Older Brother's face before the world descended into black. Now, I was looking at the yellow-orange light of my lamp as it painted the ceiling in its splendour.
I slowly sat up and glanced around my room. My door had been sealed shut, and it was safe to assume my Older Brother was in his room too.
What a relief…
I scooted backwards until I leaned against the frame of my bed. The wood was cold and hard—the furthest thing from comfortable. But that was what I needed most right now.
I pulled my knees in close and curled into a ball.
Thank goodness... that he didn't find out.
The tears that had been lingering in the corner of my eyes dried instantly, as if they had never been there to begin with. Still, I lifted a hand and rubbed the residual crusts away. The corners of my eyes stung as I did, but I didn't stop.
Once I was done, I took my phone from my pocket and turned the screen on. It was 12:03 a.m., and I had to be up and ready for school by 6:30 at the latest.
That's more than enough time.
The floor in both our rooms usually creaked whenever either of us stepped on it. It wasn't loud enough for the whole house to hear, but it was loud enough for the two of us to know when the other was up.
I carefully stepped off my bed and tiptoed to my desk. The chair was still pulled out, so all I had to do was lower myself into it. I grabbed onto the back of the chair and the surface of the table as support as I carefully lowered myself down.
The floor didn't creak once.
The instant I sat down, I picked up the pencil lying on my desk and started studying.
I didn't usually study past 11:00—my brain was always fried by then. Even now, it still was—but that excuse wouldn't cut it anymore.
If I'm going to surpass my Brother… then I have to do at least this much!
I gave myself a two-hour time limit. During those two hours, I studied as hard as I could.
***
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
My eyes dragged open at the sound of my alarm. The desk vibrated as my phone blared, like it was trying to haul me out of sleep as fast as it could.
Fine, fine. You win.
I pushed myself up from my chair, straightening my posture. My body ached all over—but my back had it the worst.
Ugh, this is awful…
I turned around. My bed had never looked more appealing. It almost seemed like it was calling out to me.
…Maybe five minutes won't hurt.
But I shook my head. Just one minute was all I needed to pass out. It was a trap I'd fallen for many times.
With a heavy heart, I turned away from it and pushed myself up from the desk, turning off my alarm in the process.
To ease the ache, I began doing some basic morning stretches. Honestly, I didn't really know what I was doing—I'd never stretched before. I just recalled what Dad did every day and copied him. Surprisingly, it worked—kind of.
Well, time to get ready.
I walked into the washroom, turned the faucet to a warm temperature, and began brushing my teeth. The pure mundanity of it all made my eyelids feel heavy. At one point, they even closed, and I slipped out of consciousness for a moment before I caught myself on the counter.
To keep myself awake, I stared at my reflection. I always had under-eye bags—which was why I wore concealer—but they were deeper and darker than ever today. If that wasn't bad enough, there were sleep creases all over my face from where I'd slept on my arms. If there was one saving grace, it was that my hair was fine.
Now that I think about it—when did I even fall asleep?
The last thing I remembered was finishing a math problem and resting my head on my arms to watch videos for a bit.
I guess I must have passed out without realizing.
I spat out the toothpaste, rinsed my face, wiped it with a towel, and returned to my room. The rest of my morning proceeded as it always did. I put on my uniform, finished my makeup, and did my hair. For today, I decided to change things up and curl it.
I checked myself in the mirror before giving it an approving nod. Perfect—just like it always was.
I hated getting up early, but doing my makeup and hair was fun at least—so it all balanced out in the end.
I packed all the books scattered across my desk into my bag and stepped out of my room. My Older Brother happened to step out at the same time.
I took a quick glance at him from the corner of my eye. It looked like today was one of those days when he decided to be a bad student and not wear his uniform. Instead, he wore a stylish black cardigan with some design on the back, a white shirt peeking out underneath, and baggy beige cargo pants.
I couldn't help but click my tongue.
If he were just smart, it'd be whatever. But he's smart AND not ugly? How is this fair?! His only flaw is his horrible personality!
My Brother crossed his arms and stared at me with a flat, annoyed expression.
"What are you looking at?"
I flicked my hair with a sassy "hmph!" and walked off.
"Nothing, I just thought you looked as ugly as ever today."
Even with my back to him, I could see his eyebrows furrow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he said, flat with contempt. "I hope you know, we look exactly the same. So you're basically calling yourself ugly."
"Nuh-uh~"
My Older Brother let out an annoyed sigh, but he didn't say anything else after that.
We both headed down the stairs and into the living room. There, Dad was already awake and eating breakfast. Mom, on the other hand, was in the kitchen packing our lunches.
Upon hearing us arrive, Dad turned around and flashed us a wide, childish smile.
"Good morning, my lovely Daughter!" Then, he shifted his gaze toward Brother. "And Son."
"Good morning, Dad!" I said as I joined him at the dinner table. He slid his plate over to me, offering me half of his breakfast.
"Yeah, good morning, Old Man," Brother said indifferently.
Usually, he'd sit on the couch and scroll on his phone for a bit—probably reading some romcom—before we left for school. Today, however, the moment he hit the living room, he headed straight to the front door.
"Huh?! Are you going to school this early?" Dad asked, confusion written all over his face.
"Yeah. I'm walking with Luna and Yu today, and they asked to meet early to study in the library before homeroom," my Brother responded without turning back.
Even so, Dad gave him an understanding nod. "I see. Then have fun! Oh—and make sure to bring an umbrella with you. It's supposed to be raining all week."
My Brother responded with a simple "K."
Just as he passed by the kitchen, Mom called out to him.
"Wait." Mom hurried from the kitchen to the front door with a small lunchbox in her hands. "Here. Don't forget your lunch."
"Thanks."
My Older Brother carefully took the lunch and put it in his bag. Only once it was packed away did Mom return to the kitchen.
He opened the closet next to the front door, took out an umbrella, and then left.
He and I usually left at different times anyway, but today, I was glad he left before me.
I placed my hands firmly against my lap, then took a deep breath.
Dad seemed to notice the change as he tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong, my Daughter?"
I set a resolute smile and looked Dad straight in the eyes. His posture straightened instantly, but he didn't look away.
"Dad, I have something important I want to tell you."
I then turned toward Mom in the kitchen.
"You too, Mom."
Mom stepped away from the stove, turning to me with a questioning look. I couldn't look at both of them at once, so I said it while looking at Dad.
It shouldn't have been anything serious, but my heart was racing, and sweat was forming on the palms of my hands.
Still, I dug my nails into my palms, steeling myself.
"I… want to be a doctor when I grow up."