Alek woke up at five in the morning. She couldn't sleep well last night as she was excited and now, she woke up too early. She was like a child waking up on Christmas. No wonder everyone told her that she is a five-year-old.
The room was still dark, meaning that the sun is not yet up and Bia is not awake. She sat up straight and stretched. Alek felt like she got the best sleep ever despite sleeping past midnight and waking up before dawn. Her eyes were wide open.
Alek didn't care that she woke up early. She needed to prepare for everything. She slowly got out of the bed without making a noise and went out of the room to wash her face.
The door screeched a little and it stopped Alek from opening the door. She didn't want to wake up Bia, and certainly not Kai. Kai had a sensitive hearing. He would wake up with the slightest hint of sound. The door screeches at the wrong time and wrong place.
'Why do you need to do that now?' Alek told the door in her mind.
She then slowly opened the door, minimizing the screeching and got out of the room. It took her five minutes just to open the door and close it. Alek sighed silently and tiptoed her way to the bathroom.
She then again opened the door slowly, afraid of the screech but, this time it didn't screech. She washed her face quickly and brushed her teeth. Alek knew that the door wouldn't screech, so she closed the door quietly. But the door betrayed her. The door screeched when closing. Alek's heart almost stopped when she heard that.
'Please don't wake up! Please don't wake up!' Alek prayed, crossing her fingers tightly. Thankfully, the goddess of luck was on her side and no one woke up.
'Thank you!' She said to her in her head and went back to her room. Alek repeated what she did when she went out of the room and sat on her bed softly. The bed didn't screech.
Alek remembered that she had not chosen the outfit for today and went to the closet.
'Do I need to carry a swimsuit? Am I even going to swim?' She questions herself. 'Nah, I'm just going to carry it.'
Alek packed a bunch of things in her bag. A towel, backup pair of clothes, backup of backup pair of clothes, sandals, two scarves, jacket, sunglasses, hat, toothbrush for some reason, a hairbrush, sunscreen, keys for her friend's closet, and a pencil.
By the time she finished packing, that was when Bia finally woke up with an alarm and found her sister holding a big bag in her hands that looked like it was about to explode.
Bia was still sleepy and her visions were hazy. At first, Bia thought someone was in the room trying to rob them but, as her vision became clear, it was her sister smiling like a clown. It was creepy to see someone smiling in a dark room with a big bag in their hands smiling.
'What the eff has happened in here?' She looked at her alarm on the bedside table and checked the time. It was six am.
'Am I dreaming?' Bia asked herself and pinched her cheek. It was painful, meaning it is not a dream.
Alek noticed that her sister was awake, staring at her.
"Oh, morning sleeping beaty." Alek told her sister with a sweaty smile.
"Hi." Bia smiled weirdly. "What is going on? It's six in the morning."
"Uhhh," Alek thought of what to say but she couldn't come up with anything so she concluded herself. "uhhh."
"What?" Bia didn't understand.
"What?" Alek asked back.
"Huh?"
"Whaaaattt?" Alek looked at her sister with a confused gaze.
"Bitch." Bia cursed at her sister.
"I know." Alek replied with a smile that made Bia annoyed than she already was.
"God, you are annoying." Bia grumbled and got out of her bed.
"Are you going to go for a run?" Alek asked her sister after placing the big bag on her bed.
"Yep." Bia walked to her closet, grabbed her running clothes and walked out of the room. After five minutes, Bia went back to the room to get her sock. She was tidy up and ready to go.
At first, her parents were worried about a girl going for a run early in the morning but when they saw that she had made running friends, they allowed her.
Alek saw her sister.
"Dang. You look good." Alek complimented.
"I know, you don't need to mention it." Bia quickly wore her socks and went for a run.
'I wish I had that kind of energy." Alek thought to herself. 'Anyway, I got to get ready.' Alek was still packing useless stuff in her bag when Bia was done with her run.
"Where are you taking that?" Bia was amazed by her sister.
"To the beach." Alek replied, trying to push a superglue in the bag.
"Are you serious? We don't need superglue in the beach!" Bia whisper-shouted towards her sister and snatched the superglue from her hand.
"What if the tire gets cut and the air starts to leak? We can stick the cut together with the superglue and continue driving." Alek retorted.
"Why do you think there is something called spare tires in the back of the car?" Bia asked a rhetorical question. "That's right. In case anything happens to the tire, we can exchange it!"
"It's not for design?" Alek thought that was a design to make the car look fashionable or something.
"No." Bia replied with disbelief.
'She has been driving for almost two years and she didn't know about the spare tire? Is she okay?' Bia thought.
"Oh, it all make sense now." Alek nodded to herself after hearing Bia.
"Now, I'm gonna help you pack what you need at the beach after I shower. So until then, don't touch anything." Bia warned her sister. At this rate, Alek would bring everything in their room to the beach.
"Okay." Alek agreed. "Can I read my book?"
"Yes." Bia sighed. Alek innocently went to her bookshelf, picked a book and started reading.
Bia quickly gathered her clothes and went to the bathroom in haste. She quickly took a shower and came back to find Alek reading in the same spot that she left her.
'Okay. Let's do this.' Bia told herself and walked to the bag on Alek's bed. She held the edge of the bag and put it upside down. The junks fell on the floor.
"Why would you do that?!" Alek gaped.
"Shush. You are going to carry the minimum things to the beach. Put back the things I give them to you." Bia bent down and started spotting the junks off. Alek tried to retort but Bia's gave her the look and she unwillingly went beside Bia with pouting lips.
"Please, grow up." Bia sighed and handed the scissors.
Alek ignored the comment and snatched the scissors from her hand. Bia just rolled her eyes and picked a rapper of candy.
After thirty minutes, the floor was clear of junk and Alek had few things to carry to the beach. Bia was amazed at how Alek collected all of that. When Bia finally sat on her bed, Panacea knocked on the door for help with the breakfast. She opened the door and found her second-born wide awake.
"Alek," Panacea was speechless. "You are awake. Are you sick?"
"No, mom. I'm just excited." Alek smiled at her.
"Okay." Panacea threw a confused gaze at Bia who shrugged and finally looked back at her smiling daughter. "Well, will you help me prepare breakfast. Normally it's Bia and Kai but, since you are awake, I want you to help me too."
"Okay." Alek nodded and went out of the room.
"What was that?" Panacea whispered towards her daughter.
"Mom, are you sure you didn't give Alek something weird when she was small because she was going carry gloves to the beach. The ones that you wear when it's snowing."
"She used to eat four-leaved clovers off the ground when she found it when she was small." Panacea mumbled.
"I think that's why." Bia concluded and went out of the room to follow Alek.
Panacea nodded to herself before following her daughters to the kitchen, hitting her nose on the way to the door.
The making of breakfast was funny as Kai and Alek were bickering at each other because of the way they do things. Bia ignored them and Panacea was the one who got in between them stopped the quarrel.
The breakfast went smoothly and after that, Panacea and Alek prepared their lunch to carry to the beach. Robin was checking the car before they go and Kai and Bia went to prepare.
"Mom, is this okay?" Alek asked, looking at how she packed the fruits inside the container.
"Yes, that looks great, sweety." Panacea smiled.
"Mom, I sometimes feel like I don't know something that all of you guys know." Alek talked with hesitation and guilt. She didn't want to doubt her family but, sometimes she saw the gazes they throw at each other when they think she is not seeing. Or when they look at one another when she says particular words. It was weird.
Panacea widened her eyes hearing that, but fortunately, she was facing her back towards Alek and Alek didn't see that.
"We are just..." Panacea looked for words. " Worried about you."
"About what? That I'm turning nineteen?" Alek was a little confused.
"Yes, and other things. Now, ask your father if he is done checking the car." Panacea didn't want to continue this conversation.
"...Okay." Alek was not satisfied but, she obeyed her mother nonetheless and went outside.
Panacea sighed deeply, seeing her daughter outside, talking with her husband.
"When will she know?" Bia appeared out of nowhere and startled Panacea. "She is the next head, mom."
"I know. I just want her to have good memories before it's time." Panacea didn't want to take away that opportunity from her daughter, who's enjoying college.
"You are making it more difficult for her. This world is cruel. She needs to be ready." Without looking back, Bia went back to her room, leaving Panacea with a serious expression.
Bia knew that her mother knew and, she couldn't help but say it out loud. Alek was the one and only sister. She didn't want to lose her.