"Lying down won't solve your problems. Keep doing it, and one day you'll be so deep within your problems that you'll never stand again."
Well, one thing's for sure, my older brother loves his wisdom talks. Such good advice, I thought, yet he barges into my room at eight in the morning. So what would someone like me do, I wonder? Naturally, I give him the most notorious side-eye known to man and yawn out a lazy, "Yeah, sure."
For context, I stayed up all night finishing a brutal coursework assignment, but going into detail would be way too boring.
My name is Rivian Kei. I live an ordinary life and often wish for something more exciting. What's not exciting is hearing footsteps, loud ones. Guess my brother put on a few kilos recently, I thought.
"Go eat some breakfast," he says.
What a shock that he mentions food. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love my brother Darian Kei. He's tall, has almond eyes, and a body like he's been working out twenty-four hours every week. But he's way too logical for his own good.
I gave an exhausted sigh and asked if there were pancakes, one of my favorite snacks. As soon as I heard his "Yes," I immediately rose up and dashed to the kitchen to wolf them down.
Although I was quite a mess, my hair frizzy and my clothes smelling a little, I thought, _Who cares?_ Surviving is easy once you get a job and make money.
When I finally reached the table, my mother watched me devour the pancakes before her very eyes.
Once I finished, she gave me a horrified look, and my brother just laughed behind me. I had to explain to her, thoroughly, that I was up last night studying and definitely not binge-watching a whole season of a series.
She was sceptical at first because I've done it before, but that was only because my brother caught me and snitched. He could've at least emotionally blackmailed me.
My mother rose from her seat, smiled, and told me to go to the nearest convenience store to buy myself some snacks for my hard work. In exchange, I had to get butter and eggs for her. A household classic and also a clever way to make me do the groceries.
I hastily agreed and rushed to put on some clothes. I needed a sugar boost, desperately.
I walked to the door and told my family I'd be back soon. My brother looked at me with an evil grin, the kind a villain has when they've already won.
"What?" I replied.
He threw me my phone, and I barely caught it. _Nearly dropped it,_ I thought. Then I realized he was just messing with me again. He won the first round, and knowing that, I opened the front door and left the house feeling more annoyed.
As soon as I heard the gentle click of the door shutting behind me, that would be the last time I ever saw them. That click became a reminder that my time with them was now a memory, a decision that would soon drag me back to remember every single, minuscule detail.
In the next two hours, I had no idea how my perspective on life would turn upside down, that reality itself would be taken hostage and released only to become something mutated, a world filled with danger, mystery, and survival.
I stepped outside, the first couple of steps an annoyance. Eventually, my irritation faded as I walked through my usual route, feeling at ease since I had walked this road countless times before. At the time, I didn't know this road would be the last I'd ever walk as a normal kid.
One thing I noticed was that it was unusually warm. Weird, I thought. It's the middle of November; it should be freezing cold right now. Especially in a country like Canada. Should I be concerned? I wondered. Thinking back on it now, yes, I should've been. This was probably the first red flag I should've picked up on, knowing something didn't feel right.
But still annoyed by my brother, I shrugged it off and assumed it was climate change working its magic.
I walked a bit longer, the quietness unnerving but also calming. An introvert's dream: undisturbed, no noise, no people, just silence.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated. My best friend had messaged me, asking to meet up. Perfect, I thought. He always comes through with a last-minute save. I often wonder why he isn't a goalkeeper already. He would probably have a great career, but that's only my imagination.
I messaged back, asking him to meet me at my current location. Immediately, as expected, he came. My friend **Toby Jones**, with his usual crumpled hoodie and jeans.
"You good, Kei?" he greeted.
"Feeling better now that you're here," I replied without hesitation and without a second to lie.
I'd known him since we were five. Now that we're twelve, we've never stood apart. How ironic, looking back. I was a massive introvert, always a one. But with Toby, I was always a two. Me and him. The number twelve, it was us combined. My story. My journey.
We talked for a while, chatting about a stream last night that I may have watched when I stayed up late for coursework. Before I even realized, we arrived at the store.
"We might as well grab a few snacks before basketball. We can do the main shopping later. You down?" Toby asked.
"Sure," I replied without hesitation. I was here for a good time, not a gruelling one.
We went in, greeted the shopkeeper, and searched for the snack shelves at the back of the store.
I was eyeing some of my favourite soft drinks when I glanced over and saw Toby fidgeting around the sweets section.
"Gummy worms, gummy worms," he repeated the phrase so many times I lost count after five.
I often forget that he has a craving for sugar. I don't want him to end up diabetic, but we're twelve. We're too young for our bodies to die.
It took us a while, but we finally figured out what to get. We arrived at the counter to pay but couldn't find the shopkeeper.
"Hello? We're ready to pay," I called out. My only response was the hum of the fridge.
Strange, I wondered. He was here when we walked in, so where was he? Toby turned around in a full circle and came up short.
"Can't see him. Where is he?" he muttered. He sounded more annoyed than confused.
Can't blame him, he was craving sweets. Looking back, though, this was also a red flag. No, let me correct myself. It was a crimson flag. What didn't help was the deafening silence, the kind where the only sound was Toby's breathing.
A shopkeeper does not leave his store unattended with customers inside.
So where was he?