I woke up in the dead of the night, cold sweat dripping down my face. I couldn't believe what just happened. I mean, that dream felt so unreal to me. I've never felt anything so realistic before. Back then, I used to dream of a future where I'd have a better life with my family, and we wouldn't be struggling to make ends meet, and we would both love each other equally with no favoritism, but now this dream felt too real. The wrist where that man grabbed me hurts like hell and feels a little bit sore when I touch it. It's best I wore long-sleeved clothes to avoid worry from my new family.
I slowly got up out of bed, ensuring not to wake anyone up because the bed was old in age and made squeaky sounds whenever anyone got up or sat down too hard or got up vigorously. I was already trouble enough by staying at the hospital too long and almost got killed....
i have no idea what i would do by then or rather, my family—they'd be so heartbroken more than they already are so I can't disappoint and worry them anymore
"AH-Mnnnnnn."
"What a good stretch. Those always hit some kind of way in the mornings. I should probably go wash up my face; it still held a hint of cold sweat and tears, not to mention this bruise on my wrist. Hopefully this family has a first aid kit at home, and I think they would've, given the stories I hear about the current owner of this body always getting injured, always starting street fights and pickpocketing, and sometimes even getting caught, but she didn't waver; she ran as fast as she could. I'm guessing this is why the family warned her to stop because she'd one day steal from the wrong person and end up pissing them off, which wasn't a good omen in the slightest."
And yet I couldn't help but let out a little chuckle. Not even I was that mischievous at that age... I get she's trying to help provide for her family since she was indeed too young to work a full part-time job, but surely there must've been another way to do it better, right? I thought with my heart but didn't dare to judge anyone for their actions, and why? Because even though I think there could be other ways to do things better... it might not be so simple as it seems.
"Well, I shouldn't think too much about things like this; it would only wear me down from the main agenda here, which was going to the bathroom before anyone wakes up and catches me too early. I mean... I didn't know what time it was since the family doesn't have many devices to work with, so I made a wild assumption based on how cool and dark it is, so by that I can tell it's as early as twelve am in the morning."
"Hmmm, where did big sissy say the bathroom was again? i think on the left side down the hall, and if so, it should be right here."
"Here we goooo."
"Squeak!!"
time for a little shower—no wait—
"I wanted to wash my face off and then quickly scurry back to my room. gotta keep up and remember my plan."
"AHHHHH!!!!!"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE? GET THE FUCK OUT, MAYA!!!!"
I quickly turned my head away flsutered out of embarassment this man must be my older brother kenji i had no idea he was in hear and naked for that matter but its not exactly my fault i didnt kknock becuase i knew sis and mom were already exhausted from working and cleaning after so they were out cold i just forgot to account for the brother but why the hell is he up so late taking a cold shower at twelve in the morning i know i said i dont judge a person by the situation but sereously with how poor we are we cant afford such a nice heater so its mostly cold water at night and slightly warm in the the day due to the overbearing sun in the mornings afternoon and eveenings itd warm the pipes under ground which would give us the right amount were it wont be as cold.
"I am so terribly sorry, Kenji. I had no idea you would be in here."
I said in a panicked state, not wanting this to seem any weirder than it is. It was a total accident; I ran into him like that... it was bad enough I was out here when I shouldn't be; I could get into some serious trouble if he's the snitching sibling type and tattles on me to Mom behind my back, and then I'd get punished, beaten, or locked away in my room, but that was how I'd get punished for the slightest things that weren't even my fault. I can't think about how these people do punishments here; the thought of that really freaked me out. After all, everything here was always one step ahead of how I did things in my previous life, so I had to apologize profusely in hopes Kenji could understand and go easy on me.
"Ermm—"
"My dearest kind, sweet big brother..."
"I'm really sorry it's not what it looks like. I just needed some water, but with how I almost got killed, I didn't have the strength to go to the kitchen for some water, so I ended up here in the bathroom instead, so I didn't think to knock either, given the fact I didn't know you'd be up so late."
"My apologies."
"My little sis..."
I held my head down, deathly afraid of what he was going to say. I didn't get that, though, and to my surprise, he was actually laughing?
He even ruffled my head a bit, messing up my already sleepy bed hair, but I couldn't understand why he wasn't angry with me. After the mistake I committed, he even patted me and ruffled my hair, giving me the biggest smile I've ever seen in my life that was full of positive feedback. This was almost too good to be true, I guess, because I got so used to one thing that I wholeheartedly keep comparing my old family to my new ones. They seem much more caring and compassionate with each other while trying to work together to survive this crazy world. A life like this wasn't bad at all, I thought.
"You should head back to bed, sis. I'm not mad, and I won't tell Mom you snuck out. It's only natural since you do this a lot, but I don't mind covering for your sorry ass again. We're family, after all, and we support each other no matter what. Anyways, I'm going to head to bed. You take care and don't stay up too late. Cya."
"Wow."
"He really is something else, something I've never seen before."