I continued down the bleak hallway. Everything should have been normal—should have felt normal—but cold pricks crawled along my skin. I glanced down at the floor. Dad's shadow stretched across it, unmoving, as if it were watching me. I didn't stop. I kept going to Lily's room, pretending I hadn't noticed.
My hand gripped the doorknob. A shiver ran through me, freezing me in place. But Dad's shadow hovered in the corner of my eye, pushing me forward. I quickly opened the door.
As I did, a blinding light pierced my eyes, causing me to squint.
My vision slowly adjusted to the room. When it did, the first thing I saw was my sister sitting on the floor, arms and legs crossed. Her index finger tapped repeatedly against her arm while she glared at me.
"Hey-"
Her complaint cut off midway as she stared at me. I remained standing there impassively, but my legs felt heavier. After sating a little longer, she let out a deep sigh and slowly shook her head.
"It took you long enough! Hurry up and get in, and close the damn door while you're at it!"
I pushed out a scoff.
"You ever heard of patience is a virtue?"
"Ever heard of it's rude to make a girl wait?"
I let a pause stretch between us before responding. Lily caught it and softened, just a little.
"...You're a girl?"
That softness disappeared instantly. "What was that? You wanna say that again—but a little closer this time?"
I couldn't help but let out a little chuckle.
This stupid sister of mine…
I walked over to where she was sitting and threw the bag at her. A surprised yelp escaped her lips before it was muffled by the bag in her face. She tore it off and furiously threw it back at me. I easily caught it with one hand.
She clicked her tongue. "Ughhh, I don't wanna play this stupid game anymore!" she complained as she turned away from me.
"You're only saying that because you're losing," I replied bluntly.
"Okay, and? Point is, I'm done. Let's just eat."
I sighed.
"Whatever you say."
I grabbed the contents out of the bag and placed them on the floor. The sushi inside the containers was… unrecognizable. The rolls became undone, pieces of salmon splattered the interior, and sauce stained the boxes.
My sister and I turned to each other simultaneously, both of us wearing the same face of cluelessness.
"How the hell did that happen?" she asked, genuinely baffled.
"I dunno. What if this is just the process of gaining a new rank?"
Lily snickered.
"Don't be stupid. The process of cultivation isn't THAT easy."
She rested her hand on her chin, wearing a look of serious contemplation.
"Hmm… wait, hear me out, what if—and I know this is gonna sound crazy—we are the problem?"
I scoffed at that preposterous idea. I waved my hand, shooing her idea away.
"What? That's impossible. I'm perfect. And you… well, you'd never ruin food at the very least. There's no way this is our fault. It probably just came like this."
"Tsk, those damn lazy workers. I'm gonna file a complaint the next time I see them!"
"..."
"..."
A stale silence stretched between us before Lily spoke.
"I'm bored."
"Me too."
Lily let out a small breath and smacked my leg. "Well, that was fun while it lasted. Let's just eat."
I opened each of the food containers. Once I did, their aroma leaked out and mingled in the air—soy sauce, spicy mayo, seaweed, and salmon. Despite how mangled everything looked, it was still appetizing. At least, it was until the sound of a stomach growling ruined the serene mood
I turned to Lily; her face was bright red.
"W-what? A girl can't get hungry??"
I gave her a blank look. "Talk about embarrassing."
"Oh shut up! I haven't eaten all day! I didn't know it was a sin to starve."
I sighed, gesturing to the sushi. "Well, there's no point in holding back; help yourself."
That's what I said, but my sister didn't move. She simply sat there, head tilted, staring at me as if expecting something.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
"What?"
Missing something?
I looked around. Five different packs of sushi. Three drinks. Two bags of chips. That was everything that we bought from the store. What could we be forgetting?
Lily let out an obnoxious groan.
"Ugh. Looks like someone doesn't know what table manners are."
"Table manners?" I blinked. "We are about to eat on the floor. What manners do we even have?"
Her eyebrows furrowed together. Before I could do anything, Lily dramatically shot to her feet and stabbed her index finger at my face.
"Well, listen here, you! How do you expect me to eat this, huh?!"
I scratched my head.
"Uhh, ever heard of hands?"
She staggered back, clutching her chest.
"Wha– a lady doesn't eat with her hands! Where are my goddamn chopsticks?!"
"You eat chicken with your hands."
"That's that, this is this!"
She chewed my ear off for two whole minutes about how she absolutely refused to eat with her hands. When she finally ran out of breath, hands braced on her knees, I immediately took my chance.
"Then, why don't you just go get the chopsticks downstairs?"
"..."
It was supposed to be just a joke, but seeing my sister's smile tighten, I regretted it instantly.
The worm of guilt that I had ignored from earlier resurfaced, infesting my heart. Dad's voice from minutes ago echoed in my head.
"You really do love your sister, after all! You should show that to her more; she thinks you hate her."
I clenched my fists tightly, feeling the blood draining from them. I opened my mouth to say something—anything, but the words didn't come.
I hung my head low. Even after all this, I couldn't bring myself to even apologize.
Dad's voice surfaced once more. This time, from fourteen years ago—the time Julie babysat us.
"A failure."
I didn't move, and I didn't think. I simply remained still as those two words sat in my head. That is—until a soft yet firm voice broke the silence, filling the room with warmth once again.
"Yeah… I think I will."
The voice spoke with a dignity that I had never heard before. My head shot up. What I saw made me forget everything for a moment.
The person who had said that wasn't my little sister.
It was Lily.
Lily barred her gaze straight into mine. There was conviction in her eyes, and the smile on her face wasn't one of a child's anymore.
I opened my mouth to say something, but Lily spoke first.
"No, it's okay. You've done enough for me today, really."
She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued.
"Thank you, but… I want to do at least this much. Just on my own."
Lily turned towards the door and took steady steps towards it. It's only been a day and yet… she's changed so much.
The guilt still infested my heart, but now, it wasn't just that. There was something else—something more. And that feeling tugged on the corners of my lips.
"Yeah… you go do that," I said quietly. "I'll be waiting here for you until you come back."
Lily gave me a firm nod without looking back. She gripped the doorknob, opened the door, and left the room. I watched as her retreating figure grew smaller as she crossed the hallway, then disappeared down the stairs without hesitation.
I let out a long breath once she was gone.
She's… finally growing up.
No—that was wrong to say. She had been growing up all this time. I've just never noticed until now.
I tightly clenched my teeth.
It should have been something to celebrate. In fact, it had only been a couple of minutes ago when I said that she had to grow up eventually. And yet, for some reason, it just couldn't settle with me.
No—that was a lie. I knew the reason.
And that made it all the worse.
In the silence of the room, a small, hollow chuckle rang out.