Half-asleep, Noah felt something sharp and pointy tracing his cheek. He tried to ignore it, but the sensation was too ticklish to bear. Eventually, he couldn't endure it any longer.
Without bothering to open his eyes, he grumbled in annoyance, "Audrey, what are you doing?"
"Can't you tell?" Audrey taunted with a cheeky giggle.
Noticing she was about to continue whatever she was doing, Noah swiftly grabbed her hand, effectively stopping her.
As he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of a cheerful, bright-eyed girl smiling at him, sweetly, yet mischievously. In her caught left hand, she held a pen.
"Good morning, brother," she greeted meerily.
"What time is it?"
Too lazy to scold her, Noah simply asked, letting go of her thin, soft wrist as he began searching for something.
"It's seven o'clock," Audrey replied casually, reaching for his phone, which had at some time been buried under a pillow, and handing it to him. Her movement was so smooth and natural as if she had done it a thousand times.
"Thanks... what? Why did you have to wake me up this early, on a f*cking weekend?" he groaned, switching on his phone. He squinted at the screen, realizing the texts were too blurry to read.
With a sigh, he reached for his glasses on the nightstand beside him.
"Mom's too tired to cook breakfast, and I'm starving," Audrey said pitifully, rubbing her stomach for emphasis.
"What does your hunger have to do with me? Anyway, don't we still have a week's worth of instant noodles? Just cook some," Noah replied unconcernedly, eyes glued to his phone without sparing her a glance.
"Why should I eat such miserable food? I'm at the prime age for growth! I need nutritious meals!" she retorted defiantly.
"Yeah, yeah. Then go buy some vegetables or meat from the store and cook them yourself," Noah continued indifferently.
"Hmph! Hmph! Why do you sound so apathetic to your little sister's life? Don't you know crime rates in Connecticut have risen sharply lately? Shouldn't you at least feel a little responsible for accompanying me when I go outside?" Audrey pouted, clearly unhappy.
"And what exactly am I supposed to do if a criminal really comes after you? Chase them off? Seriously? A guy in a wheelchair?" Noah scoffed in self-mockery. "All they have to do is climb one staircase, and I'd be completely useless."
Finally tearing his eyes away from his phone, he glanced down at her. She was still sitting on his lap.
"Aren't you going to get off?" he asked.
"I won't unless you agree to come with me!" Audrey declared stubbornly. Abruptly, she tilted her head curiously, stroking and pinching his thigh, and asked, "Brother, are your legs really numb? Can you even feel my weight?"
Noah's expression darkened instantly. "You're actually pretty heavy. Have some mercy on your disabled brother and get off my legs."
"Liar!"
The two bickered back and forth until Noah's mouth was too dry to continue.
"Fine, fine, I'll go with you," he finally relented, exhaling in defeat. He had no idea where she got all that energy, it felt like she could argue with him forever.
Since that was the case, there was no point in dragging things out when he was obviously going to lose anyway. Might as well surrender early and save himself the effort.
A great commander isn't the one who wins every war, but the one who knows when to advance and when to retreat.
"Yay!" she cheered, hopping off his lap with excitement.
Before closing the door behind her, she peeked back in with a teasing grin. "I'm waiting outside, yo~"
"Then I'm afraid you'll have to wait forever. I'm about to set a new world record for the longest bathroom break and probably the longest dump too!"
"You're so disgusting!"
Noah chuckled, finally getting the reaction he wanted from her.
He then pressed his hands against the bed to push himself up, using the nearby desk for support.
As mischievous as his little sister was, she at least had the conscience to place his wheelchair where he could easily reach it and even remembered to lock it in place beforehand.
Once he settled into the chair, he unfastened the lock and rolled himself toward his personal bathroom.
Inside, he was immediately met with his own reflection. White hair, pale skin, a body as thin as paper, and a gaunt face that looked malnourished. He perfectly fit the image of someone who had been sick for years and hadn't seen the sun in just as long.
He had long forgotten the details, but as far as he could remember, he had always been sickly since childhood. For some reason too, he couldn't move his legs, which often led people to assume he had been in an accident that left him paralyzed.
The truth was, he hadn't. His family had taken him to numerous hospitals, yet no doctor could provide a clear diagnosis.
Even after undergoing surgery, the cause of his condition remained a mystery. In the end, knowing his family's financial situation wasn't stable enough to support indefinite medical treatments, he chose to stop searching for answers and accepted his life as someone with a disability.
"So, that pen had no ink, huh?" Noah muttered as he rubbed his face. To his surprise, there were no doodles or marks from his mischievous little sister. He had been sure she was drawing on him, but it seemed she had grown a little more sensible by removing the ink so that it wouldn't dirty his face.
"She's finally grown up," Noah shook his head and started to undress.
Bathing and dressing himself was always a hassle, especially in his condition. But as an adult, how could he possibly ask his mother or little sister for help? It wasn't about pride, he just didn't believe either of them was suited for the task.
His mother already worked hard, often putting in overtime just to make ends meet. As such, how could he add to her burdens with something so trivial?
Ever since they moved to their current apartment, she had been coming home even later. Their new place was clearly more expensive, and she was working harder to afford it. Their old apartment only had one bathroom, something he hadn't minded, but his mother had insisted on getting a place with two, making sure he had one connected to his room for convenience.
As for his sister… he'd be extremely grateful if she could go just one day without causing trouble for him. Helping him? That was definitely out of the question.
...
"Phew! How I love you, brother~!" Audrey suddenly exclaimed with exaggerated affection.
"Really? Is it not because you get to use the disability elevator?" Noah shot back, pretending to spit in mock disgust at her bold confession.
They were now inside the special elevator designated for people with disabilities, making their way down to the ground floor.
This was one of the perks of their current apartment, the very reason their mother had sealed the deal so quickly when buying the unit. As long as a family member carried the special access card, they could use the special elevator and skip the long waits for the regular ones. It was a small convenience, but one that saved them a lot of time.
"Brother, how could you think so little of your sweet and caring sister?" Audrey pouted, putting on her best pitiful expression.
Noah, unimpressed, scoffed. "Sweet and caring? More like demonic and insufferable."
"You're the worst!" she huffed, smacking his arm lightly.
When they finally reached the ground floor, the elevator doors slid open, letting in a crisp breeze from outside.
It was early February, and the lingering chill of winter hadn't completely faded.
As such, Noah being more sensitive to the cold than his peers, had dressed accordingly. His outfit covered nearly every inch of his body, making him look almost bloated as a result. His white hair was covered with a black hat.
Audrey, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She dressed as if the cold barely affected her, wearing a casual shirt that exposed her long, slender arms and a pair of knee-length denim shorts. Her black hair was tied up in a stylish ponytail, revealing her delicate neck. Her bright eyes and radiant complexion made her look effortlessly beautiful. She definitely fits the description of a glowing, healthy, and youthful beauty.
That is, if he ignored her constant sneezing.
"Achoo! Achoo!"
"I should've brought a signboard." Noah suddenly sighed.
Audrey, rubbing her now-reddened nose, gave him a confused look. "What for?"
Noah said flatly. "I'll write on the signboard: 'This is what happens when someone sacrifices their health just to look good.'"
"Will it kill you to go a single day without bullying me?!"
"I could say the same to you."
"Shut up, uncle! Goodbye, uncle!"
The convenience store they were heading to wasn't far from their apartment, only about a five to ten-minute walk.
Their neighborhood was relatively safe, which was one of the main reasons their mother had decided to buy the apartment in the first place. If the area had been notorious for crime, she wouldn't have even considered it.
Which made Audrey's excuse about rising crime rates in Connecticut completely pointless. Her real reason for dragging him along was much simpler, she hated shopping alone.
She had told him once that shopping alone made her feel miserable. She probably thought he had forgotten, but he hadn't.
Inside the store, Audrey happily hummed as she pushed Noah's wheelchair, her shopping basket resting on his lap. This was their usual setup, she handled the pushing and picked out the items, while he held onto the basket.
A few minutes in, Noah couldn't help but stare in disbelief at how quickly the basket filled up. Then, something caught his eye among the groceries.
"Hey, hey, what's this lipstick and facial mask doing here? Weren't you supposed to buy food only?"
"Mom told me to buy them also. She said she's running out of them," Audrey replied plainly.
"Really? But I remember Mom uses that brand over there. And this one… this is your favorite brand."
Audrey stiffened. "Damn it! Do you have to remember even the brands we use? How annoying!" she grumbled. Still, she reluctantly reached for the lipstick, ready to put it back.
Before she could, a hand stopped her.
She looked at Noah, puzzled.
He smiled. "It's fine. You can use my money for those."
"You still have leftover pocket money from Mom?" she asked, surprised.
"Nope. It's money I earned myself. Remember how I've been staying up late recently? I've been actually working instead of studying."
"Working? What kind of job?"
"Boosting account,"
"Boosting accounts? What's that?"
"Basically, I'm so good at a game that people pay me to play on their accounts and rank them up."
Audrey's eyes sparkled. "Really? I don't totally get it, but that sounds amazing! How much do you make?"
"It's not much, but it's steady, so it's a good gig. Just leave your stuff in the basket. You can grab one or two more things. Think of it as a gift."
"Brother, I love you so much!" Audrey squealed before planting a quick kiss on his cheek and dashing toward the beauty section.
Noah watched her go, tempted to throw his usual jab, but seeing her that happy, he decided to let it slide this time.
As they exited the store, Audrey's face practically radiated happiness, as if she were ready to shower the world with her joy.
However, just then, she slapped her forehead. "Aiya!"
"What's wrong?" Noah quickly asked her.
"I forgot to grab salt!"
"Then just go back and get it. You can leave me here," he quickly told her.
"Hmm… okay! Wait for me, alright? Don't wander around!" After a brief moment of hesitation, Audrey agreed and quickly hopped back inside the store, leaving Noah parked just outside.
"Wander around? What does she take me for? A naughty child?" Noah shook his head.
He was about to close his eyes to escape the sun's glare when he caught sight of a tall lady with exceptionally pair long of legs, lovely pink hair, and a stunning side profile emerging from somewhere, heading into the alley between two buildings.
As a college student, he naturally had come across plenty of beautiful girls. As a millennial, it was unavoidable that he also spent a lot of time watching movies, TV, and browsing the Internet. And yet, he was convinced that those campus belle or goddess and even the most famous actress, with all their makeup, filters, and Photoshop, couldn't compare to the tall woman he'd just seen across the street.
She was so gorgeous, it felt like time paused, he couldn't tear his eyes away. Even after she disappeared down the alley, his gaze stayed fixed on the spot, as if hoping she might reappear.
He only snapped out of his trance when Audrey returned and patted his shoulder. "Alright, let's go!"
"Hmm," Noah hummed absentmindedly, still lost in thought about the mysterious woman.
As they passed the entrance of the alley, he subconsciously craned his neck, searching for any sign of where she had gone.
But what he saw made his blood run cold.
The buildings had no back doors; just solid walls. And the alley itself? A dead end, blocked by a towering five-meter-high wall.
Noah froze.
'I swear I never took my eyes off the alley. How the hell did she just… disappear?' A shiver ran down his spine, thinking he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
But then, something else caught his eye.
"Wait!" he suddenly shouted.