The lovely sun started rising. Nikolaevna, the oldest sister of the Smith household got up from her bed.
"Another day, Dash! Get up and make some breakfast!" She yelled as she started arranging her bed where she slept, folding the sheets, and placing her pillows in the right place.
She hears thuds coming from the other room which indicated that her brother, Dash has started doing his daily routine. She looked at the mirror and looked at herself. Her messy short black hair has gone curled due to the fact that she keeps changing position every time she sleeps. Nikolaevna groaned and started brushing her hair, getting irritated every time her hair gets stuck at the comb.
She got startled at the loud thud that came from the other room. "Ugh." She sighed as she went out of her room to check what might be the cause of the sound.
She walked towards her brother's room and kicked the door open wide. Her eyes widened at the sight of his brother trying to kill the fire with his blanket. She looked at the socket and saw his brother's phone charger burning.
"Dash!" She called. "Every time! This happens almost every week!"
"Uhh, help me out?" Dash awkwardly said, smiling at her sister who just rolled her eyes and went to grab a bucket of water.
He sighed as Nikolaevna came back with a bucket of water. He splashed into the charger which made the electric spark.
~~~
Nikolaevna and Dash sat on their dining table, looking at their pancakes that were made by Dash. An awkward silence filled the room as his sister tried to lighten up the mood.
"So, how's your coffee addiction going?" She asked, taking a bite off her plate.
"Hmm, it's doing pretty fine. My body's full of caffeine, I guess." He chuckled. "Are you gonna be working from now on?"
"Yeah. Summer just started and we need to make some money. The one's mom and dad send us aren't enough to get us through the month."
"Oh." Was the only thing Dash could reply.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay... I'll ask Luna to come to pick you up." She smiled. "Stay at home with Luna and play some videogames. Jax will be home by tomorrow so I'll be buying snacks for you three to enjoy the summer and have some fun."
"All I want..." Dash looked down.
He hesitated to say a word. He looked at his sister who was determined to make him happy. Although she was only a year older, she acted like a mother figure for him and he was thankful for that. She could've had fun and enjoyed her teenage years dating someone and going out to parties and such, but instead, she chose to support her brother and took care of him. He felt like he was dragging her down, so he did his best to help her with house chores.
"Buy me some cookies on the way home." Dash forced a smile.
"Sure! Eat your breakfast, I'm gonna be late." She giggled
They both began to eat their breakfast. Both of them have been like this every day. This had become their daily routine. Dash is assigned to make breakfast while his sister is the one who cleans the table and washes the plates. After that is time to take a morning shower for Tasha since she works part-time at a coffee shop while Dash just stays at home unless his friends come and pick him up.
Nikolaevna grabbed her sling bag and walked to their door. "Dash! I'm going out! There's some steak at the refrigerator!" She yelled.
"Okay!" Dash replied as he sat on the couch and turned on the T.V "Bye! Make sure you don't forget your phone and eat lunch!" Nikolaevna hummed in response as she walked outside their house.
For most people, the summer of 2124 passed like any other summer. But for these two, it marked their lives as their most memorable year.
~~~
--Dash's Point Of View.
I turned on the T.V and just skimmed through channels, finding something good to watch. I sighed. There aren't many good shows at this hour of the day. It's still 9 am Sunday so I guess it's gonna be shows for the old audience.
With a sigh, I gave up and just watched the television program in front. It's an old drama about families who live on the same block. I was interested because the main girl was begging three boys, to dance for her. I guess it's safe to assume that they were her friends, so I just watched.
"I just feel like someday... You'll disappear. After you've had your fun."
"Damn!" I groaned as I fell on the couch. I heard a girl laugh at the sight of me so it's probably her. "Can you please not push me?"
I did not realize that I had fallen asleep due to the cosy warmth that I felt.
"Sorry, it's just you were sleeping so nice you were snoring loud!" She laughed.
Her long silver black hair and insane smile. That's her for sure, the one and only reckless scary girl, Luna. She and my sister are good friends mainly because of Luna's brother, but we became close since she was always in our house. To me, Luna is a reliable person. I wouldn't hesitate to tell her something I've been hiding from everyone because deep down I know I can trust her.
"How long was I out?" I asked, then looked at the clock.
5:00pm.
"Damn, am I a bear?" I slowly stood up and groaned from my back pain. She held out her hand to help and I gladly took it.
"You sure are a heavy sleeper." Luna giggled. "Wanna go on a date? My treat."
"We're not dating." I sighed and rolled my eyes. I walked to the refrigerator and grabbed the milk. Then I went over to the cupboard and grabbed a cereal.
"Yeah, I know." She gave me a bowl. "It's just a friendly date you asshole."
I chuckled as I made my cereal. Luna opened the refrigerator and grabbed the steak my sister left me. She looked at me with a hungry face. I nodded in response and she giggled and began eating the steak on a plate.
"What time is she coming home?" She asked chewing on the steak.
"Maybe around 7? Hey, give me some." I tore the stake barehanded and threw it in my mouth. "She left this for me, so don't get cocky."
We ate in silence and after that, I began washing the bowl and plate as Luna sat down on the couch and watched a few music videos using my T.V
"Should we head out a bit?" I asked. "I'm bored."
She turned off the T.V and stood up. She removed her leather jacket and tied it to her waist. I cleansed my hands and grabbed a jacket that was lying on the couch.
~~~
"So what are your plans this summer?" Luna asked, hopping every step. "Let me guess, none as always?"
I hummed in response as I just looked around while walking. "Aren't you cold?" A dumb thing to ask since it was summer.
She shook her head as we just started walking in the streets of Solemn. For a summer, It's quite peaceful as there were no children playing outside. The streets were filled with beautiful dazzling lights and few vehicles passing by. Then suddenly, I found myself gazing at Luna who was smiling.
I sighed and stopped walking. We looked at each other and smiled. She seemed to have read my mind since she pointed at the beach where almost all the people gathered.
"First to the beach wins." I firmly said, my eyes full of determination as she grinned.
"If I win, get me some crepes." She crossed her arms. "No wait, I want some ice cream."
"Now's a perfect time... Let's go!"
I jogged my legs and began to run. Luna did the same. I picked up the pace as I glanced at her catching up to me. When we set foot on the sand, the booming sound of the speaker startled me, there seemed to be an event or a show on the beach tonight. I stopped in my tracks and looked for the source of the sound.
When I saw the large crowd in front of me, I looked around for Luna. If I go in, I'd lose the sight of that little shit. I now began searching for her, but then a minute later, she patted me and told me that she won. I felt a slight relief as I grabbed her hand and dove through the crowd.
When the stage was within our vision, I and Luna saw the announcer. It was a small show, mainly just to entertain the audiences of the beach. I asked Luna if she wanted to watch but she insisted on getting some ice cream first. I mentally rolled my eyes and we walk away from the crowd to grab some ice cream.
There were many kids playing by the shore, all of them with a wide smile on their face. I smiled at the surroundings. I guess a smile is really contagious. I felt a nostalgic feeling as I looked at the footprints that I was making. When we got to the ice cream stand, Luna ordered for herself as I looked for a bench so sit on. As I waited for her, I just watched the kids playing. It was a peaceful time that I just can't help but admire. I remember the feeling of playing with my friends back then, a bittersweet aura flooded my mind.
Luna sat beside me holding her ice cream.
"I want to be a president."
"Yeah, you'd suck at it." I sighed.
"Why does the letter A looks like a flower?" She asked, taking a lick on her ice cream.
"I don't know." I sighed.
"Because a 'B' comes after it!"
"Luna," I mentally facepalmed. "I don't get it."
"Come on! Didn't you 'C' what I did there?"
"Fuck off." I chuckled.
"Alright! Next, I want coffee!"
"Really? You're gonna have a bad time digesting all the shit you've been eating."
"No worries, sometimes I squat down, hold my knees to my chest, then lean forward."
I shook my head and looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because... That's how I roll!"
"Just stop, for the love of God." I stood up. "Come on, let's go get your diarrhea."
The two of us made our way and searched for a coffee stand. The place was rather packed, this must be why the streets back there was so quiet; all of them were here on the beach. I scanned all the boards and there were almost no signs of a coffee shop. Luna tugged my shirt, I turned around and saw her pointing at the small shop that indicated they were selling coffees.
I wasn't kidding when I saw her eyes shaped like a coffee. A sigh escaped my lips as I let her drag me to the small store.
"Didn't you say you were gonna treat me?" I nonchalantly asked. I felt her grasp slowly tightening. "Alright, sorry."
We stood in line, we were in the last place of the queue. Looking front, there were about three more customers before us so we decided to talk in order to pass time...
I and Luna knew each other for almost three years now. And in those three years, we experienced so many memories together. You could say we're like childhood friends but Jax is my oldest friend. We're also in the same school for three years now. But we aren't always in the same class... The reason? Well... Luna is a troublemaker girl who's done nothing but impresses and disappoints the council in our school. But for today's school year, I actually transferred to a new college since we didn't have that much money in order for me to start another semester. And right now, I'm on vacation week. This means next week, I'll be meeting new people that'll eventually ruin my life once more.
"What would you like to order?" I snapped back as I realized we were on the first in line now.
"I'll get the iced lemon coffee. What about you?" I nudged her.
"AN ICED LEMON COFFEE? IS THAT EVEN A THING?" Luna yelled at the barista after seeing the new bestseller in the coffee shop.
"Y-yes. It's the best for a hot summer day." The barista nervously replied, obviously scared.
"But it's almost sunset...." Luna processed her thoughts. "OI DASH, ARE YOU MESSING WITH ME HUH?" She raised an eyebrow at me as I kept a straight face. I shook my head as I began to order it.
"I don't know that girl," I whispered to the bartender and gave him our payment. "So, what's your order?"
"I can't believe you said that." Luna faked a frown. "Aren't you my friendy?" She poked my left arm.
"Stop it, it's annoying." I chuckled spanking her hands which didn't stop her from poking. "Just order the damn coffee please?"
"I'll get a large red eye coffee." The barista nodded at her as he began to process our order.
~~~
As the sunset, the beach became more packed. The nightlife in Solemn has the highest rate than any other country after all. We decided not to enjoy it too much since we should save all the fun and games tomorrow when Jax comes home.
We headed back to my house and Tasha seemed to be still out. The two of us just spent the time in my room, waiting for my sister to come home. I was laying on her lap, looking at the ceiling.
Luna just sat silently and started waving her feet. She hummed a song while I just sighed. It's already 7 pm and Tasha isn't home. If she was, she'd go to my room and always make sure I'm watching my favourite show which airs around 6:45 pm. 'An overtime on her first day?' I began overthinking... But Luna decided to keep my worries away.
"Do you remember my pink hair back then?" She began.
"You had pink hair back then?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I dyed my hair many times 2 years ago. I don't like my silver hair." She frowned.
"It's a classic stereotype."
"Huh?"
"Sorry, that was a weird thing to say." I chuckled. "But seriously, I don't remember you having pink hair."
"Hm, maybe it was before my finals... But I did have pink hair back then."
"I'd love to see that. I bet you look like a unicorn."
A sigh escaped her lips as she remembered all the things we did back then. We haven't seen Jax in so long, so I guess a warm reunion would happen tomorrow.
I turned on my television at my room and watched some online videos with Luna. We shared a laugh as time flew and we didn't notice it was already 8 pm when we heard a commotion downstairs.
"What was that?" The two of us exchanged looks. I felt a sudden urge to check it out because it might be something serious.
Slowly turning off the tv and making my way outside my room, I did not bother closing the door behind since it might alarm whoever was downstairs. I sensed Luna behind as I continuously made my way to the hallway where we heard a sudden bang. We couldn't see properly since there was only little light throughout the house. And the unnerving sound made it even worse.
Panicking, we slowly crept along the hallways and sneaked downstairs. There could be a thief or an alien for an instance, so we did our best to stay hidden. The lights were off so it was hard to see what was going on, but I held onto Luna's hand for support.
"Should we go and speak?" I asked.
"Maybe the person doesn't know we're here."
"Oh, that's great! We should definitely announce that his victims are here and end up getting gutted like a damned fish!" Luna exclaimed in her whispering tone.
I pointed my finger at her, "That's a good one."
"Just focus!" I took one step down and then suddenly as if the world was slowly spinning, I looked down and saw Luna grabbing for me.
I might've missed a step because I was sent falling to the ground as Luna slipped and slammed the switch for the lights. We were greeted by Luna's brother, Vladimir, whom we call Vlad for short, with my sister who was passed out in his arms. Luna landed on my chest and we're now in this weird position. But disregarding that, I was more worried about my sister who was with a guy.
"Uh, why are you with her?" I asked.