In a quiet condominium, a small house stood occupied by only two people: Rose and her tall stepbrother, Kai. Their family had died in a terrible accident, leaving the siblings to live together. Rose was still in high school. Kai had dropped out of school to work and pay for her fees and their daily needs.
The problem was that Kai was extremely lazy. He was lazy to eat, lazy to wake up, and worst of all, he had a strong sister complex. He was overly attached to Rose in a way that annoyed her sometimes.
As usual, that morning Rose had to prepare his breakfast and wake him up.
His favorite meal was rice topped with an omelette. But first, she needed to shower and brush her teeth.
Rose walked to the bathroom, picked up her toothbrush, and brushed her teeth. Then she took off her clothes and stepped into the shower.
Thirty minutes later, she finished, dried herself, and went to her room. She put on a simple t-shirt and shorts.
In the kitchen, she tied an apron around her waist and took the frying pan from the wall hook. She placed it on the gas stove.
She gathered the ingredients:
1 cup cooked rice
2 egg
Salt and pepper
A handful of chopped vegetables (bell peppers, onions, or tomatoes)
1 tablespoon oil or butter
Soy sauce or ketchup
Rose beat the eggs in a bowl and seasoned them with salt and pepper. She heated the oil in the pan over medium heat.
She added the chopped vegetables and sautéed them until they softened. Then she mixed in the cooked rice and stirred everything for two or three minutes until the rice was hot.
Next, she poured the beaten eggs over the rice mixture. She tilted the pan so the egg spread evenly. After cooking for about two minutes, she lifted the edges with a spatula to let the uncooked egg flow underneath.
When the eggs were mostly set, she folded the omelette in half or rolled it up, whichever she felt like.
Finally, she slid the omelette onto a plate and drizzled soy sauce or ketchup over it.
She carried the plate to the dining table, removed her apron, and headed to Kai's room.
She opened the door slowly, but it let out a loud creak. "Kreeeeeekkkk."
Kai was still fast asleep. Even in sleep, he looked handsome.
Rose glanced at herself and felt the big difference between them.
She walked to his bed and, like any sibling would, smacked him hard on the stomach.
"Urghh!"
Kai woke up instantly. He clutched his stomach and rolled left and right, groaning loudly.
Rose felt worried seeing him in pain. She stepped closer to comfort him.
But it was all an act. Kai suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her into a playful headlock. Rose struggled hard, but she couldn't break free.
She tapped his arm quickly to surrender. Kai let go with a grin.
Rose caught her breath.
"Arhhh… that hurts! I could have died, you know!"
Kai ignored her complaint. He flexed his arms and squeezed his muscles to show off.
"Never underestimate a man. We always go full power."
Rose rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned to leave the room.
Suddenly her feet left the ground. She was floating in the air!
Kai had scooped her up from behind in his strong arms. She kicked her legs uselessly and finally gave up.
He started making train sounds. "Chuuu… chuuu…"
Rose felt a bit embarrassed, but this was just how they were. She played along. "Pon… pon…"
Their "human train" moved toward the dining table. When they arrived, Kai lifted her with one hand, pulled out a chair with the other, and gently placed her down.
He walked to the opposite side, sat, and began eating the omelette rice.
Bite after bite disappeared. Rose watched eagerly, her eyes bright and her legs swinging under the table.
Kai set his spoon down. He pressed his hands together, elbows on the table, and closed his eyes for a moment.
Then, with a straight face, he said:
"It tasted like shit."
Rose pouted immediately.
"Oh, not tasty? Then give it back to me."
She stretched her arm across the table to grab the plate, but it was too far. Her hand just waved in the air.
Kai laughed at her effort. He took one last huge bite, finished everything, and slid the empty plate toward her.
"Here you go. Wash it. I want to sleep again."
He stood up and walked back to his room, casually adjusting his pants where they had ridden up.
Rose shook her head as she watched him go.
"Why did Mom marry Kai's dad? Now I'm stuck living with this kind of stepbrother…
She remembered their first meeting.
"I thought only his father was tall. But Kai is even taller. Why did Mom like such giant men?"
Back then, Kai had been quiet and kept to himself. After their parents died, everything changed. He dropped out of school to support her.
"Someday, when I'm grown up, I hope he stops worrying about me. I hope he finds someone he loves and lives happily."
Rose stayed lost in thought for a while. Then she came back to reality. She cleared the table, wiped it clean, and carried the dishes to the sink.
She turned on the tap, added dish soap, and scrubbed everything until it sparkled.
"Ding dong."
The doorbell rang.
She shut off the water.
"Wait, coming!"
Rose went to the front door. A delivery man stood outside.
"Is Kai here? I have a package for him."
"He's in his room. Can I sign for it?"
The man nodded and handed her a pen. While she signed, he kept staring at her face. His heart raced because she was so pretty.
"Uh… can you write your phone number too?"
Rose didn't think much of it. She looked for a spot to write her number.
Before she could, Kai appeared behind her. His huge frame filled the doorway, his head nearly touching the top. He lifted Rose up easily with one arm.
"What do you mean asking for her number, bro?"
The delivery man looked up at Kai like he was staring at a giant. "Uh, nothing!" He snatched his pen and ran off.
Kai shut the door, still holding Rose. He carried her to the living room sofa and set the package on the coffee table.
They both stared at the mysterious box for a long time.
Finally Rose spoke. "Bro, aren't you going to open it?"
Kai gave her head a light knock.
"Ouch, ouch!" She rubbed the spot.
"I didn't order anything this week. It's weird. Who sent this?"
They stared at the box again.
"You open it, Rose. This time you get the honor."
They passed the box back and forth. Rose put on her black glasses and started tearing the tape.
"You sure, Kai? You really don't want to do it?"
She glanced sideways. He was gone. He had moved far away to stand against the wall.
"This motherfucker doesn't care about me! What if it's a bomb and I blow up?" She was furious.
Rose ripped open the brown box sealed with yellow tape. "Kreek kreek."
"Shuuuush…" A powerful gust of wind rushed out from inside.
At first it was gentle. Then objects in the house slowly slid toward the box.
"What's happening?" Rose gripped the table tightly.
The wind grew stronger. More things got pulled in.
Kai finally noticed. He jumped onto the sofa and yanked Rose away from the box. He tried to run to the front door, but the force was too powerful.
He grabbed the wall near the bedroom door and pulled himself forward, but he barely moved.
Rose clung to his back. Her legs lifted off the ground and floated toward the whirlwind.
"We can't fight this, Kai. Shit… if I knew we were going to die like this, I should have spent more time with you."
Kai's strength faded. His fingers slipped little by little. At last he turned around, wrapped his arms around Rose in a tight hug, and they were both sucked into the swirling wind inside the box.
When it was over, the box snapped shut by itself and changed shape. It became a book. On the cover, in clear letters, it read:
New World