"I hate this"
My brother always gets praised by the family, he's good at study, good at sports, and on top of that, he's handsome.. He even helps out around the house. He has no flaws, to me.
And me? Even though I'm a girl. I'm clumsy at houseworks. Half of the time, I can't even remember what the utensil is used for and what it is called.
But I still wanna be praised by my family. I tried hard to be good like my brother— studying, helping out—but all the time I made things worse. I barely passed the board exam even though he also helped me. He's only 11 months older than me, so we are in the same grades..
I've always been left out, Sometimes I wonder if they even don't see me like I don't exist, it is too much.
No matter how hard I try, It's never enough for them. Why? I ask myself why they don't see me? Why don't they look at me?
Still, I keep hoping. One day… one day it is going to change, they are going to look at me. When? Don't ask me. But I need to believe that the day will come.
"Hey, why… are you still… suffering?" Suddenly a voice, I can hear. It is a woman's voice, it feels like… it wants something from me.
I looked around, but there was no one. It is strange, my heart pounded faster, sweats can be seen. The sweet is not from fear exactly, but from the exhaustion of walking for a few kilometres. I was returning home from school when I heard that strange voice.
My family is poor, and the school I go to is over 30 km away. I first travel around 20 km from public transport after that, by foot. Every day, it drains me crazy. But I can't complain– not to my parents, not to anyone.
When I couldn't hear the voice, I started walking again, almost 2 km left to travel. My legs feel so heavy if I say.
When I finally reached home, I dropped my bag in the usual place, changed out of my uniform. My house, if I describe it, is small for 4 people. When heavy rainfall comes, the roof leaks, dripping water inside. You can imagine how worse the condition is.
I found my brother, as always, studying on the bed, where the 4 of us sleep together. It's the only bed we have, a bed which is combined from the regular bed to make it bigger. We have only one room, where the kitchen, bedroom, all combine, no extra room.
Our parents work as farmers, who work under a cruel man, who made them work hard all the time and give only small wages. My parents know that but still they can't speak against him. They've taken loans for me and my brother's education, and now they're repaying them by working for him.
I guess they're still working now.
But then, suddenly a knock from the door can be heard.
My heart sank. I knew exactly who it was.
I opened the door slowly, hands shaking. There he stood, a man in his 30s, the son of the man who owns our debt. .
"Oii! Why too ya so long to open a damn door?!" He barked, his eyes flashing with irritation.
I stayed silent. It was always the same. He always comes by, doing things to me and my brother that made my skin crawl. I hate him. Hate him for everything he's done. But I couldn't tell anyone.
"Bi*ch! What, you deaf or something?!" He slammed his fist against the doorframe. "Are you ignoring me?!"
"S-sorry"
"You know what to do right?! Come to the usual place as always!!"
"...y-yeah"
"Good, then I'll be waiting, Don't keep me waiting too long. You know what'll happen if you do!! Then bye, hahaha!!" He left with an evil laugh at the end.
I sighed deeply, feeling the tension leave my shoulders but the weight still in my chest.
"Are you going, Lia?" My brother asked, his eyes full of worry. I know he didn't want me to go, I know he cared about me, but..
"We don't have a choice, do we?" I forced a small smile, but inside I felt hollow. "It's for the family."
He didn't respond, but his expression said everything. He hated it, but he couldn't stop me. We both knew that.
I stepped outside, the evening air cool against my face. The familiar path stretched ahead of me, but as I took my first step, suddenly…. My head starts hurting..
"What do you think... you're doing?"
The voice again! Why is this happening? My heart raced, panicked. I heard my brother shout my name, rushing toward me, but before he came, everything went black…
***
"Maxwell, we need to go soon," said the principal.
"Y-Yes"
How did this all happen? I wonder. I hadn't fully awakened my power yet, and I had to face that girl, what was the principal thinking? But at least Jeniff is coming— it gave me a bit of comfort.
Jeniff sat silently in the back with the principal, while I was stuck in the front with a strange person driving the car, I didn't see his face. A robot? Or something else? Jeniff seemed calm, though. Too calm. He was not moving. Did something happen to him?! The principal, meanwhile, had this deep, serious expression— like she was lost in thought.
As for me? I felt... off. Sitting next to this strange driver made my skin crawl, so I turned my attention to the window, trying to distract myself. It must be around 3:30 p.m. The sun still shone brightly, the wind outside seemed to whip through the streets faster than usual. People moved along, some walking, others selling things or talking in small groups. I had never really noticed these details before, but for some reason, today I was paying attention. Why?
***
The drive took about 37 minutes, and now it was close to 4 p.m. Before we arrived, the principal had explained that the girl's power was on the verge of awakening. Nobody knew exactly when, but it would be soon. The thing with latent powers is that you can sense the potential, but the exact moment it will emerge is unpredictable. In my case, though, it wasn't supposed to be like this. The principal told me I'd had the potential from birth, yet here I was—still unable to fully tap into it. According to her, they'd found me because my power was acting strange. I was different.
As we got closer to the location, I noticed something strange ahead—a swirling fire rising from the ground, spiralling toward the sky. The flames were bright red, and even from 200 metres away, I could feel the heat.
It had to be the girl.
"Maxwell, hurry up! Jeniff, you too! It must be her!" the principal shouted, her face tense with urgency.
"Oh—ok," Jeniff and I responded at the same time, though my voice cracked slightly.
We jumped out of the car and started running toward the flames. Jeniff's face was pale—almost funny, considering he's supposed to be the more experienced one. Was he really that scared? Or was this something worse?
"Oii!! Jeniff hurried up!!" I yelled, trying to keep my breath steady as we ran.
"O- yeah!!" he replied, his voice shaky.
It felt strange that he was so scared compared to me. I should be more terrified, but instead, I was excited. Why did I feel this way? It feels like I'm playing an extreme game.
Ahead, I could see people running away from the flames. They must be terrified. Around twenty houses were left, but only two or three seemed severely damaged so far.
"You two! Why are you going toward the fire?!" an elder shouted, his face pale with fear.
What should I say? It felt rude to dismiss him, but—
"Hey, Max. You should talk to elders respectfully," Jeniff, who was scared, scolded me.
"B-but we have no choice! If we don't—"
The heat strengthened, making it hard to see ahead.
"Look, Max! Someone is coming out of the fire!!" Jeniff pointed.
"Wh-who?!" I gasped.
"A boy! He looks like a teenager!"
He had a good face if i say, black hair. And he got no scars?
"We need to rescue him!!"
"Yeah!" I nodded.
Jeniff leaned down, trying to carry him in his back.
"Max, I'll take him to a safe place. You must–"
"Jeniff, are you trying to run away, huh?" I shot back.
"Er,hm,I- it's not like I'm running away, it's just–"
"Hel-help my little… sister, she's" the boy suddenly spoke, his voice trembling.
"What happened to your sister?" I asked.
"I don't know but… I saw… she was burning…"
"Wh-what" Jeniff and I were shocked by what he said.
"Th-then his sister is the one we're looking for.." Jeniff said.
"Wait a sec, let me think this through"
So the girl we are searching for was indeed his sister, that is for sure. I think the most important thing we need to do is to keep everyone safe. Should I leave the responsibility of safety to Jeniff? but I don't know what to do without him.. And on top of that, I hadn't awakened my power yet, what can I do?.. But I can't carry him like Jeniff can, lost in my thoughts.
"Hey, Max. Let's do–"
Before he could finish, The fire suddenly came in front of us. We were able to dodge from it somehow, but now a wall of flames blocked my path. I can't go back.
"Jeniff, I think we don't have any choice. You have to take care of others" I said.
"Yeah, I will do that, but be safe"
"Yeah"
"I will come soon…" his voice faded into the roar of fire. What happened? The fire grow wilder, it is too hot. I can barely sense his presence now. Is he safe?
"Now, Jeniff is gone. I need to head into the fire to look for that girl. But.. how should I enter?"
I sigh in frustation."Thinking won't solve anything, I just need to jump into the fire!!"
Steeping back slightly, I gathered my courage and with a dash… leaping into the inferno.
It's burning. The heat wraps around me like a suffocating blanket.
"Now I need to find that girl."
"Where could she be?"
I look around, left, right.. Flames surround everything, twisting and curling like a wild snakes. It's chaotic. A moment ago, the heat felt unmanageable, but now it seems almost normal, familiar.
"Oii, girl!! Where are you?!" Tsk, I should probably ask her name.
I push deeper into the ruins. Around me, houses lie in ruins. This isn't a rural area; open fields stretch farther than I can see.
"Hey, girl!! Where are you?!"
"Thud"
"What! A picture frame?!"
A family photo lies on the ground. I pick it up and, to my surprise, see the boy we just rescued in the picture. The girl on the left must be his little sister; they can't be too far apart in age. Are they twins?
"Maxwell, you… have come?"
Suddenly a voice, it was a women voice, I recognize it, a voice I've heard many times before—when I was lost in that strange ocean, and again just before I entered the library.
I looked around, and as always no one. I know that but still why I look around?
"Hey, the voice! Whatever you are, come out!" I realize I'm not afrad anymore.
But the voice doesn't respond.
As silence fills the air, I continue searching.
I sigh again, feeling like I've been sighning a lot lately.
As I move around, I suddenly feel like someone is staring me from somewhere.
"You!" A girl's voice?! From behind me.
When I turn to look, for a few spilt second. The girl, from the picture, was front of me… but all things went black.
....
-to be continued...