Prologue
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Somewhere in a random realm…
“No.. No.. Please! Be with me…” he jolted awake from a nightmare, beads of sweat running down his face. He sighed and stood up, preparing for his day. As he wondered the halls that builds itself, he strides out of his space as he heard the ticking and tocking of the grandfather clock...
Tic...
Toc...
Tic...
Toc...
“The clock is quite loud...” he heard someone say as he was going down the stairs of a room he had less control of, he spoke “The grandfather clock will always tick in your presence, no matter how much it annoys you”. He saw the familiar figure, his beloved’s. He saw her stood up, trying to look behind her. No matter how hard she tries to move her head to look at him, it was impossible. The man was doing his best to refrain her from seeing him by waving his hand as if he had a spell stopping her... ‘not now’ he thought.
She groaned with annoyance “Who’s there? Why can’t I move and see you?”, the man just grinned as he sensed her irritancy, “You’re still not ready and besides, I’m not ready either”. He saw her crossed her arms as she grunted sounding so pissed “Well this is my dream and!-” her body was slowly falling “I deserve to-” he saw her body collapsed, ‘She’s awake...’ he thought as the echoes of the clock’s ticking comes to a stop. Her body was just a mirage that appears in this space when she’s asleep and so when the clock came to a halt so is her existence in that realm.
On the other hand...
“Doofus up! Up!!” her little brother banging her side table as he screams at his sister, not minding if she’s having a nightmare or a dream. “Get out of my room!” she shrieked, clearly annoyed. "Well Ms. Grumpy as you know, we have to go to school together. Dad’s already been out, left a note on the fridge”. She sighed, at least she has a brother who knows how to talk his mind well “Alright, can you please give me thirty minutes of privacy? Ill be in the kitchen by then”. He walked up until the door frame “Sis, I haven’t gotten my allowance yet…”. She sighed and said “Drawer near the television, get 50 pesos for now, okay?”. It’s so early and I have to think of all the financial problems... a nod and a muttered thank you was all her brother could say. She prepared for the day and well...
A quick introduction.
Zina is a 16-year-old and has a little brother, Zach who’s 2 years younger than her. They both live with their father while her mother had passed after giving birth to Zach. Their father went through dark times ever since his wife’s death but was able to hold on for his kids. ‘Therapy really worked wonders when I think about it’ Zina thought. She headed to the kitchen and already saw her brother munching away on his pandesal with a cup of milo. “Coffee is already there” her brother pointed, he had already prepared it for her, ‘how sweet’ she thought and took a sip on her mug, her eyes wandered on the refrigerator door, a note with scribbled writing as if it was rushed. “Looks like dad has another work, a small commercial buiilding, might take a few months” her brother commented as he saw her looking at the note.
“It will be nice to continue a stable salary...” she muttered to herself, knowing that she also had to work to at least help the family as she worked sidelines and still go to study. “I can work if you want” she shook her head “Working is for the adults” her brother frowned “We’re both minors” she raised her brow “Well then, adults of this house”, trying to challenge Zach. “Why can’t you just let me help?” I rubbed my forehead this is starting to stress me “It’s better to think about studying full time, believe me”.
As an older sister, finding ways to earn money is my focus but as well as finishing my studies...
For my family, for my little brother... so they can have a better future.
“But what about your future...?” she heard and a tic of the clock echoed after, then she shuddered “I feel haunted”.
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A/N: I hope your seat is warm enough for a few more chapters! Enjoy