At 6 a.m., the faint light of dawn seeped into the small house. Dave stirred awake, the sound of his mother bustling about already filling the air. Lila was preparing for the day as usual, her quiet resilience setting the rhythm of the household. In the corner of the living room, Roger was surprisingly up, doing slow stretches, a rare sight that caught Dave off guard.
Daniel, still wrapped in his blanket, snored softly in the next bed.
Seeing his father in a rare good mood, Dave decided to take a chance. Swallowing the nervous lump in his throat, he approached cautiously.
"Yo, son, what's the matter?" Roger asked, sensing his son's hesitation.
"N-nothing, Dad," Dave stammered, his words fumbling. "I just… wanted to ask if there's anything you need help with."
Roger gave him a long, scrutinizing look before replying. "If you could wake up earlier and help your mom open a shop, that'd be helpful."
Dave blinked, unsure how to respond. He nodded awkwardly. "O-okay. I'll wake up earlier."
Roger chuckled lightly but didn't press. "Alright, then. I'll wake you at 5 starting tomorrow. Don't slack."
The conversation hung heavy between them, even as Roger returned to his stretches. Dave knew his father could tell he wasn't being honest. As he walked away, he muttered to himself, "I'll forgive him this time. He didn't do anything yesterday… As long as he doesn't…"
"Oi, Daniel! Wake up, or we'll be late!" Dave shouted, yanking the blanket off his little brother.
Daniel groaned, burying his face in the pillow. "Mmm… five more minutes…"
"Nope. Up. Now." Dave shook him firmly. "Wash your face, get ready, and come for breakfast. Quick, quick—Dad's already asking for you."
At the mention of Roger, Daniel shot up instantly, his sleepy eyes wide with alarm. In this house, Roger's name was enough to spark urgency.
"Both of you get dressed, I will drop you to your school" Lila said after breakfast. The school was 10 minutes walk from his house.
New Academic year, 2012.
As they walked, Daniel piped up, his voice carrying the curiosity only a six-year-old could muster. "Mom, is the world really going to end this year? Aunt called yesterday, crying about it. She said 2012 is the year of the apocalypse."
Lila laughed softly, brushing his hair back. "Nothing will happen, sweetie. We have heroes now—if anything goes wrong, they'll save us. Don't you worry."
Daniel seemed satisfied with the answer, but Dave snickered behind them.
Lila turned, narrowing her eyes. "What are you laughing at, you little donkey?"
"Nothing, Mama. Nothing," Dave replied quickly, though his grin gave him away.
"Good. Don't make fun of your brother," she warned before giving them both a final pat on the head. "Take care now. I'll come pick you up at five."
Both entered the school. Many new faces were seen. "New year, new start.. Yaaaa" Dave shouted. "Hahahaha.." Daniel and other kids laughed seeing him..
"Hahaha… Davi davi babi .. Don't embarrass others around you." Karl laughed at him. Karl and Ethan also entered the school gates at this exact moment.
"Bah.. you.. I won't curse you now.. Just wait today at recess .. I will break your bones."
"Yeah, yeah we will see" Karl sneered. "Let's go Daniel, we better go otherwise we will be late. These two will go on for a while."
Daniel and Ethan quickly went to their classes and came to the ground for morning assembly. Dave and Karl quickly followed.
The students gathered on the school grounds for the morning assembly. As the national anthem played, Dave spotted Panito, a boy from his grade who never missed a chance to mock him.
"Oi.. Dave. didn't you say you were going to change schools this year, why did you come back?" Panito shouted mockingly when he saw Dave.
Dave froze for a moment but forced a smile. "Nothing happened. Don't worry about it, my friend," he said, keeping his tone light.
Panito scoffed and walked away, but the interaction left Dave rattled. He'd lied to his classmates about changing schools, hoping to garner attention. Now, the lie felt like a weight he couldn't shrug off.
Dave hadn't talked about anything regarding changing school at home. He just wanted a little attention at school. Matter of fact he lacked the courage to talk about this at home.. Very contradictory indeed. Not knowing what to do, nothing knowing what to speak.. That was Dave.
"Big brother, have you talked to your mother yet?" Daniel asked.
"Not yet.. I will talk to her. You just keep it a secret at home. Got it?. Otherwise you know what will happen right" Dave said staring at Daniel.
"Oi.. you, loser. Can't you do anything other than threat Daniel. You were like a scaredy cat in front of Panito just now." Karl shouted again and this time near to Dave's ear.
"Don't shout mothe…r" Daniel shouted back pushing Karl.