Sawsan stared at her phone in disbelief as she reread that line over again.
'They're perfectly fine with their sister outshining them on their birthday, right?'
'Yes sir! Sister is so cute that I'm completely fine with it!'
What's so interesting is that this isn't the first time that she had read something absolutely ridiculous in a novel with a child MC and is in fact not the most ridiculous thing that she had heard to date.
In fact just last week she had read a novel about a young girl who gave up her aspirations for her younger sister due to the fact that her younger sister had always been ill and now 'had an opportunity' to have a better life. The week before that she read a reincarnation novel, with growing disgust, about a grown woman who had been perfectly fine with the other young children being continuously neglected in favour of her. And prior to that she had read a story about an brother who was continuously bullied by his entire family, older and younger siblings included.
So yeah. Reading a novel where a child had their birthday snubbed wasn't the most horrible thing she's read so far.
However, maybe it was because she had come back from a long shift and the child that she had been working with that day had looked a little too small. Had looked a little too vulnerable. Had looked a little too defeated as they admitted in a small voice that they would like a birthday about them and not their brother.
The way they had told her about their wish, it would have seemed as if they where in a confetional booth and the child had confessed a crime similar to murder.
Sawsan had been forced to keep her face calm smiling gently at the child as she gently explained that of course they could have a birthday about them. Of course they could have the flavour they wanted, the decorations they liked and the friends that they needed. They deserved all of that and more, which she had repeated over and over gain, slowly coaxing the child into believing what she has even saying.
And when the young one looked up at her with a heartbreakingly hopeful smile and began relaying to her their dream birthday party, she continued to write the notes about the child's behaviour to be used against their parents in court. It really does pay to be a child therapist.
Or maybe the reason why she was so upset was because it brought up her own memories regarding her birthday. Maybe it brought up how she was constantly told to not make a big fuss, and forced to do all he chores and jobs around the house whilst everyone lazed around. Maybe it was how all her brothers and cousins got their birthday's extravagantly celebrated whilst she was still expected to clean around.
Or maybe because it was her birthday today and the only thing she had received today had been an awkward good morning from her co workers because it turns out being locked away in your house until the age of 18 does not lead to a solid foundation to be a social adult.
Whatever the cause for her incessed mood, it had caused her to scream into her pillow whilst throwing her phone away in a random direction.
"How many more disappointing novels do I need to read before I find something that doesn't make me immediately hate both the potraonist and the parents for being shitty family members!" She huffed as she rolled onto her back. "Why is it so hard for these parents to show equal love to their children? And why are all the protagonists always okay with the other children being emotionally neglected and abused by their parents?"
She sighed as she inevitably got no answer from her empty apartment and went to relocate her phone from where she had thrown it. She quickly found it and switched it back on and was met with the infuriating title 'I bought all my family together!'
The synopsis of the novel had been about a woman who had reincarnated into a child who was trying to ring a family that consisted of a duke and several sons together onto make them one big happy family after the passing of their mother yeas after the she had been born.
Of course it had nearly immediately devolved into the father only ever caring about the daughter, the classic 'we've never seen the duke so happy before' as if that man didn't have a whole wife and 3 other sons, the eldest being 12. But of course he's never smiled until now. Sure. Why not.
And then the sons had been immediately taken by their younger sister and seemed perfectly fine with their father refusing to spend any time with them unless it is with their sister. And of course they aren't angry about the emotional neglect that they've faced because of the man who they call their father or the humiliation of knowing that they where never worth smiling at in public.
Of course that all made complete sense.
The grip on her phone tightened as she remembered the comments insulting the brothers in the first chapter that they had been introcuced in because they hadn't immedaitly stared playin cute with her.
The grip on her phone loosened as she took in a deep breath.
There was no use in getting mad about this.
First, she could not afford to break her phone as of right now. She still had to save with rent and utilities kicking her ass and tryin to get it together because as it turns out being severely depressed and anxious is not financially helpful
Second of all, these stories where fictional. There is nothing she can do about them, not matter how many times she wants to beat the life oiut of the families for neglecting their other children, she physically can't
She can awlways get mad at the families she needs to deal with in real life. And whilst she can't beat them either she can always insult them through backhanded compliments.
She took in another deep breath and made her way back to he bed in her small bedroom.
'Well there goes the idea to read something cute and calming to her me sleep. Next best idea. Anime compilations'
So as Sawsan started drifting asleep to the familiar sounds of her favourite anime's, she didn't realise the new memories being implanted inside of her. Or the merging of new worlds. Or the fact that she would not be watching another anime compilation for a long time