For a full minute she was deep in her thoughts.
Wondering if she should agree to it.
Until she opened her mouth and said.
"Fine.
But your mother has to agree too, you know."
"Yes, that's true." I replied.
She grabbed my head and rubbed her knuckles against my scalp.
Grinding it is like trying to remove the stain off the dishes.
And I was caught in a chokehold whilst she was scraping my head.
"OW, WHY?" I cried.
"Oh you silly little thing, trying to avoid me aren't you?
Well sorry to say this but I'll always be there.
Watching you." Whilst she chuckles.
"NO, I'm not!
I'm just trying to help you."
She released me soon after and cackled.
"Oh, little bro, why are you so mean to your sister?"
Her eyes widened and her pupils dilated.
She looked like a sad puppy asking for a favor.
What the hell is she doing?
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHOS MESSING WITH ME!
Why wouldn't I."
Now she looked even sadder.
She frowned and looked down as if she did something wrong to be yelled at.
"Oh, please stop with that."
She bursted out laughing and a single tear fell from her eyes as she wiped it away.
"You're so funny." whilst laughing.
"Oh haha."
I rolled my eyes at my sister's humor.
Is this what it feels like to have a sister?
I never really had any siblings except the fact that my mother was going to get one back in my original world.
I mean…If this is what it means to have one.
Than it's just torture.
I just know she's going to annoy me for a long time and she is not going to stop.
"Come one, let's go home and talk to your mother."
I nodded.
She grabbed my hand and walked through the streets.
This was a pretty lively place.
And poop everywhere.
Horse poop.
Like I literally saw a carriage horse just take a dump on the cobblestone streets.
And the smell.
The scent is an earthy or hey-like aroma.
It wasn't bad per se but it's stuffing my nose.
A bunch of people wore many things.
But one thing that I realized is that every man and woman wore an overcoat.
It seems that they are wearing it to protect from outside environments.
Like dirt and horse poo.
Now I wondered if the women here have the same rights as they did back in my world in the 1900s?
Because it surely doesn't look like it over my years of living here.
And haven't they invented vehicles yet?"
Why were they still using carriages these days?
Why am I asking those questions?
It doesn't matter.
I'm just going to talk to my mother.
And see if she says yes.
***
"No."
She didn't
"But mom, you two work hard to get the money to feed us.
And I should be doing the same but I can't because of school.
If one of you two keeps picking me up.
You're going to get tired of it.
I'm in your debts and I'm minding to pay that.
Come on, I will be the top of my class and graduate.
I will get us out of here and live in a mansion.
With maids and butlers serving our needs.
Personal chefs cooking for us.
We don't need to do this anymore."
I'm fairly confident I could do this.
Thanks to me still having memories of my previous life.
I thought I could use the knowledge I already have and expand on it.
I could easily learn and get to the top with me having already learnt.
Besides, I don't think they're subjects were as hard in the 1900s.
Especially when it wasn't in Asia.
With them teaching us complex things.
Well it probably wasn't as hard as to say China?
But still.
"No…I just can't."
"Why?" I replied.
"Do you know that it's to be out there.
Things happen to people.
Bad things. I know. I lived through it."
What?
Was it really that bad?
"But mother, that was decades ago.
The streets are much safer now.
More police patrol the streets now, which is part of the new safety act of 1890.
I know you can't leave your past behind but listen to your son." My sister said.
"I know, I just…I can't risk it, Leia."
Gosh…this world is worse than I thought.
Maybe she was right.
But what's the safety act?
Was that supposed to mean that more police men are engaging with the citizens?
If so then I shouldn't be worried about being abducted.
I'm not going to wander off and go somewhere else except my school unless it's an important matter.
"Mom, it's okay.
I can handle it myself.
There's no need to worry about me.
The only thing you need to worry about is me not graduating."
She looked at me dead in the eye.
Oh no.
She does not like what I said.
Before her hands rubbed against her eyes.
She sighed.
"Please be careful out there.
You just don't know what horror lies beyond there."
Horror? You mean people abducting me doing bad things?
"What do you mean by that?"
She looked at me again with those eyes of hers.
"You don't want to know."
What do you mean?
I do want to know.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"Are you deaf? I said you don't want to know about that."
"I'm not going to stop talking about it before you say it." I replied.
"There are…monsters out there."
Monsters?
Really…
What a joke.
Is she talking about people or something?
Calling them monsters per se is like a metaphor.
Or maybe, just maybe there are "monsters" out there.
Monsters who want to eat children.
I scoffed.
What a terrible joke.
Monsters.
Like if they're actually real.
I rolled my eyes and nodded.
"Fine, I will be careful out there and avoid any "monsters" out there that want to eat me."
"Good…" She replied.
"I'm not joking, Lukas
You will soon learn that fact."
Sure buddy.