The colour of the sky is in a nice orange color. The sun itself is about to rise and the roosters are still sleeping yet to be awaken to announce the day's arrival to everyone. It's still dark but the sun's rays have begun to warm the cold air.

A lone figure can be seen walking towards the bakery. This person has been tasked to buy their family's staple breakfast: the pandesal.

The pandesal is a delicious bread, snaller than your palm that can be partnered with almost every food there is. It can be stuffed with a savory longganisa, a sweet coco jam or spicy noodles (pancit canton, yum).

The pandesal can also be eaten on it's own, chewy and fresh for your pleasure. A nice crisp on the outside and soft as a marshmallow on the inside.

The description listed above is the reason why the bakery is already bustling despite being only 5:00 am.

The brunette is named Mary, an ordinary 13 year old gal, although she would like it very much if she wasn't something so ordinary. She has a big heart but often times forgets her place in life. That is until someone reminds her, and she remembers.

Mary waits till it's her turn to order in the bakery. She ordered the pandesal and went home to ready herself before going to school. Her little trip took 10 minutes.

____________

Clanggg

"What?" The thirteen year old Mary dropped the basin she was holding. It's because she can't believe what she heard.

"Oh, come on! Don't drop the basin, the water will destroy the wood in the floor" Grandma exclaimed and immediately grabbed a washcloth to soak the water from the floor.

"Oh, Darling... Look, it's for your brother-" Her mother tried to calm her down and hug her but Mary slapped the hand away.

"Right! About my brother's future again, ain't it? What about MY FUTURE?!" Something inside Mary just snapped that caused her to raise her voice, which she almost never did. Mary ran away despite her Mother and Grandma calling her to come back.

It's not fair, Mary thinks.

Since she was a child, she was just a shadow to her brother.

Her brother, the prodigy and perfect child.

No, no, no. She shouldn't be angry at her brother. It's not her brother's fault.

But, it's hard to, especially if he just allows it and pretends she wouldn't react (or be hurt).

You're probably not understanding Mary's dilemma, aren't you?

Maybe we should start from the beginning.

His brother, Lucas is the golden child of their family. He always bring home the gold whatever competitions he joins. He has every people he meet wrapped in his pinky. And of course, he always has the best grades and is the batch's Valedictorian.

Such perfection became a big deal to their family, since a prodigious child is certain to have a bright future.

He was their family's pride and joy.

And there's Mary.

Since Mary was born, Lucas is already impressing people left and right. Thus, when Mary was born, everyone expected Mary to be as bright.

And Mary continuously tried to achieve their family's expectation. To follow his brother's example.

But alas, whatever Mary do, she can't and had never impressed her parents.

Everything she had done, his brother had already achieved and better tenfold.

Mary was awarded as the best student in their Mathematics Class.

Pfff.

Lucas was representing their district in a city-wide Math Competition. And he brought home gold.

Obviously when you see what Lucas do, you wouldn't bat an eye at Mary's achievement.

And that's okay.

Mary understands. Honestly, she is proud of her brother. She knew that she will never achieve the academic brilliance her brother has.

But Mary has one dream.

To perform and put the audience in awe from the story she was about to tell. She wants to be an actress.

She wants to be a character in a theater.

Dramatis Personae

You see, Mary has it allll planned out.

She would enroll in a prestigious school, Saint Dawn's Academy for Artistic Students. It's a fantastic school who produces the best students in all branches of art, Music, Painting, Literature and Drama.

She managed to snag a scholarship, so the tuition is no problemo. Additionally, their home is near the school that she can easily bike or commute to attend the school.

Then suddenly, Mary was told that they need to move out, in a place so far away from her dream school?

You see, her brother got accepted and snagged a scholarship to a prestigious university 3 cities away. It was a really good school where thousands of students were rejected because only the best of the best was accepted.

Mary congratulated her brother on such a wonderful feat. At that time, Mary only thought that his brother will use the school dormitories or he will rent an apartment on his own. She also wondered about his brother's rent and she just shrugged thinking that maybe his brother would get a part-time job.

Mary is wrong. So wrong.

Her parents announced that they will be moving away to be closer to his brother's University.

"College life is hard, your brother needs all the support he can get"

Mary wants to rip her hair out.

She can't attend the school (can't get her own apartment, she is a minor) and is forced to leave the best path she could take.

Maybe Mary was angry earlier, but now she's just hurt and incredibly sad and disappointed.

Because now all her efforts were completely in vain. Now that Mary can't even achieve the first step of her dream, how could she take the rest?

She remembers babbling and telling with joy her dreams with her mother. She remembers studying so late at night to get an entrance to her dream school, her parents being the witness. Afterall, they were the first people she saw in the morning. She lives with them, they should be of all people who knows how hard she works for this and how important this thing is for her. But her family still forced her to quit this one thing so that they can baby her brother?!

She didn't even get an apology for f*ck's sake.

No matter how hard she tries, no matter hard she works, if her family itself is the one who's gonna cripple her plans, then maybe it's an unreachable dream afterall.