Prologue: The Sister's Invitation
The scorching summer sunlight near evening had softened its harsh edge, filtering through the thick canopy of green leaves like warm palms gently stroking the tops of the children's heads.
School had just let out. The elementary school entrance buzzed with noise. The young female teacher maintained order, carefully handing each child over to their parents and collecting a few sweet "Goodbye, teacher" responses in return.
"Sorry I'm late, Jules." The teenage girl hurried through the crowd toward the small boy, slightly out of breath, beads of sweat making strands of hair cling to her forehead.
"Isabella, you came to pick me up!" The boy's round eyes lit up with pure joy. He stepped out of line and reached for her hand with familiar affection.
The teacher studied the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl. Her delicate, attractive features held an elegant, refined quality that seemed almost too sophisticated for the setting, yet it blended in with a soft perfection that made it impossible to criticize.
She recalled the phone call from the boy's father earlier that afternoon. "You must be Julian's neighbor, Isabella. I'll leave him in your hands then."
"Yes, Ms. Sullivan. We'll head out now." Isabella met the teacher's eyes, gently ruffled the boy's hair, then added in her soft voice, "Jules, say goodbye to your teacher."
"Goodbye, Ms. Sullivan."
"Goodbye, Julian. Remember to finish your homework properly."
Julian's face fell into an instant pout. He turned away from his cheerful homeroom teacher and followed Isabella as they walked away from the school.
The air hung heavy and warm. Cicadas that had screamed along the roadside all day still hadn't fallen silent. The sidewalk was packed with parents collecting their kids after work, while street vendors sent out waves of rich, greasy aromas from their golden fried snacks.
The sweat on his forehead dried fast. Isabella kept a firm but gentle grip on the boy's small hand, watching as his gaze kept drifting longingly toward the oily treats at the stalls, slowing his steps.
Isabella smiled warmly. "Jules, do you want something? Should I buy you a snack?"
The boy swallowed, clearly tempted, but after a moment he shook his head. "No, no. Dad said I can't let you spend money on me or eat stuff from the street, or he'll get upset with me."
He turned forward and picked up the pace. "Let's hurry home. Dad can make us something nice tonight."
Isabella smiled and matched his stride, her palm wrapped around his soft, delicate hand. His innocent little face was so pure it tugged at the heart.
The walk was neither too short nor too long. After crossing the light, they turned into the older neighborhood. Gray walls with peeling paint and missing chunks stood alongside buildings, while mature trees inside the complex spread wide branches thick with leaves, offering big patches of cool shade.
Isabella led the boy into the building. The stairwell had poor lighting, dim and cool with a faint dusty odor.
They climbed the bare concrete steps and stopped in front of an iron door plastered with several flyers.
Isabella fished out her keys and unlocked it. "Why don't you hang out at my place for a little while? You can go back once your dad gets home. Okay?"
"Okay! I'll do whatever you say, Isabella."
Julian tilted his cute face upward and agreed obediently. He followed Isabella inside, and the iron door clicked shut behind them with a soft sound.
This was a home he visited often. The interior was spotless as always, furnished simply so everything was in plain view.
"Jules, start on your homework first. I'll make dinner. Want to eat here with me tonight?"
"Yes! Your food is always the best, Isabella. I love it so much." The boy's praise came straight from the heart, his eyes sparkling with real excitement.
His clear, childish voice was so sweet it could melt anyone with happiness.
Isabella's lips curved into a lovely smile. Every expression on her face was graceful and charming, like peach blossoms ready to bloom in a garden after the spring thaw.
But the moment she turned away to tie back her hair, the strands partially veiling her face, a murky greed filled her eyes.
She licked her dry lips. Beneath her calm surface, an ugly, ravenous hunger nearly broke through as her obsessive urges began to surface.
The flow of cool water over her pale hands helped steady her. This was the turning point. On such a critical moment, she had to stay perfectly composed. She would keep playing the part of the kind, gentle older sister, waiting for the right time to draw her prey fully into the trap and make him hers alone.
She knew how deeply greedy she was. She yearned to claim that light entirely for herself—to have it shine only for her, to feel its warmth only for her.
She wanted to build an unshakably profound love between them, one stronger than any other feeling in the world. It would be carved into the heart, the bones, the soul—impossible to erase even if burned to ash.
Today's dinner was unusually lavish, with many dishes prepared. For this final meal in a place filled with warm memories, Isabella had gone out of her way to suit the boy's tastes.
At the table, Julian really did eat with delight, devouring everything, refilling his bowl several times until his mouth was smeared with oil and two grains of rice clung to the corner of his lips.
Seeing that he had finished the rice in his bowl and wasn't taking more, Isabella pulled out a paper napkin and gently wiped his mouth.
"Jules, are you full?"
The boy set down his bowl and chopsticks, his face breaking into an innocent smile. "Mm, I'm full. Thank you, Isabella. Your cooking is the best."
"Then does Jules like Sister? Do you want to keep eating Sister's meals forever?" Isabella tilted her head, studying the boy—his completely unguarded, fragile, childlike form. Beneath her long lashes, the predatory intensity in her gaze was growing harder and harder to conceal.
"Of course I like you! I like Isabella the most. I want to stay with you forever."
"Then how about we leave here, just the two of us? We won't tell anyone else. From now on it'll be only us. We can be together forever, never apart."
"I can't do that. If I leave, Dad will be heartbroken. I don't want to leave Dad, or the grandpa and grandma downstairs who are so kind to me, or my friends at school."
"Them?… So Jules doesn't want to go with Sister?"
Isabella's voice dropped, cold. The gentle, affectionate mask on her face shattered in an instant, leaving no trace of its former warmth—like a desolate winter where everything had withered and died.
"But didn't Jules say he likes Sister the most?"
"I… Sister, is something wrong? You look… not quite…"
A sudden drowsiness cut his words short. His mind grew heavy and foggy, and the next second his eyes slid shut.
"How can you lie to Sister? Jules isn't being good at all."
A blood-red tint flooded Isabella's eyes, her greed laid completely bare. She stepped behind the boy, wrapped her arms around his slender neck, and pulled him into an embrace. The clean, sun-warmed scent of him filled her senses.
She couldn't let this chance slip. Just this once. If she missed it, he might fade completely from her life, and she would never find him again.
Everything was prepared. If she claimed this hard-won treasure now, he would belong to her alone from then on.
But then she hesitated again. The light she took by force would surely dim. They might never be able to go back to the way things were… But… what did that matter? What could possibly hurt more than losing him?
…
Midsummer slipped away. Time flowed forward. Julian advanced through school, grew up, met many people, and learned many truths—for example, that some precious things slip away quietly when you least expect it, catching you completely off guard, with no chance to say goodbye…
Just like that evening when, for some unknown reason, he had fallen asleep. The sunset had been perfect. He was gently shaken awake by his father returning home. The neighbor sister who had been gentle to him for so many years had already left, and she could never be found again…