As the sun rose in the sky, the sound of people sweeping the road and greeting those passing by could be heard, as could the sound of cars passing by. The birds were singing a sweet morning lullaby while perched on the roof of a house on the side of a concrete road. A two-story white house with a red roof and a balcony full of flowers hanging on a cream-colored wall. Where the Brangwen family lived.
In a peaceful, dark chamber as morning approached, an alarm clock suddenly blared. It took a few seconds until the piercing sound of the clock subsided. An indistinct grunt could be heard as a hand drew near the obnoxious clock and pressed it to stop.
A soft but annoyed voice in the room murmured, "Damn it... why did I set my alarm clock when I knew it would be Saturday today?"
However, he turned to answer the door when he heard a loud knock. "Gideon, wake up. You're going to be late for school."
"Mom, it's Saturday," he said to the person on the other side of the door in a sluggish tone.
"It's Monday today, and you insisted on me waking you up yesterday," the voice from outside said.
Gideon raised his head. "I did?" he asked, his brow furrowed as he stared at the door. "Monday?"
As she left his room door, his mother remarked, "Your dad and I will be waiting for you downstairs for breakfast."
Gideon got up, went to the window, opened the white curtains to let the morning sun in, and remarked, "I'm quite sure it's Saturday today."
His white skin was quickly touched by the rising sun. He stared out the window, his palm covering his eyes. He mumbled as his eyes roved outside, "Hmm, it's finally stopped pouring, perhaps the typhoon has passed."
His jet-black, gem-like eyes resembled a starless night sky. Beautiful, but lifeless. His light pink lips twisted into a phony smile, fooling no one but himself. Before stepping away from the window, he brushed his wavy black hair up, almost concealing his eyes.
He extended his arms. He was tall for his age of 18, standing at 183 centimeters with a lean physique.
When he took off his blue pajamas, he instantly moaned in pain. He spotted a long bruise on his chest when he looked down. He checked his bed and scratched his head when he couldn't find anything that could have caused the bruise. "What the fuck? Where did I get this?" he exclaimed. He gazed over his entire chaotic room, which was entirely different from his beautifully organized room, and said, "Hmm, strange."
The walls of his room were all blue, big enough to hold his bed, a huge wooden cabinet of clothes, and two other smaller wooden cabinets next to his bed and beneath the window with white curtains, but yet giving him plenty of freedom to walk. The concrete floor was covered in books and manga. And recalling that he had hidden them some time ago, he was greatly astonished to discover them lying on the floor once more.
He got ready for school and went down the stairs to the dining room. He was carrying his black square shoulder bag and wearing his white school uniform with black jeans.
He entered the dining room and saw his mother and father seated at the wooden table, eating breakfast. He sat and observed his meal. His father, who was carrying a newspaper, gently set it down as he watched Gideon move his spoon while looking at him with severe eyes. The person he most resembled was his father, although they had a similar appearance, his father constantly wore a serious expression on his face. His mother, who had quite distinct face features than his father, is responsible for his gentle appearance.
The father of Gideon breathed out, "I hope you learned your lesson, Gideon. I still find it hard to believe you ended up doing something so out of character for you."
While looking at his father in confusion, Gideon slowly tilted his head. "Ah...?"
"You two already discussed it last night, and I think Gideon is already atoning about it, so let's just forget about it," his mother said, gently caressing her husband's shoulder.
"I did not raise any of my sons to be violent gangsters. How did both of them end up on the same path?" his father asked, shaking his head. "All I want is not to lose another son-"
"What happened to Big Brother Gian will not happen to me, Dad," Gideon said, shrugging. "Gangster? Why would I be a gangster? I learned my lesson when we lost him."
The three ate in silence for a while, keeping the place quiet. Up until Gideon's mother gave him a kind handshake and a smile.
"Anyway, Gideon, best of luck with your exam today."
Upon hearing the word. He raised his head and looked at his mother, puzzled. "Our exam is next week."
His mother simply shook her head and furrowed her brows. "Today, Gideon, you told me yesterday, and you told me to remind you."
"Did I?" he wondered, his voice shaking. "What is the date today?"
He checked the date on his phone by removing it from his loose pocket. The light from his smartphone flashed, and the metal spoon he was holding struck the white porcelain plate with a high-pitched sound.
"Haven't I told you so many times before, don't use your phone while eating?" his father insisted.
Gideon, on the other hand, was absorbed in his phone and missed his father's criticism. His eyes expanded and his jaw dropped.
With bewilderment written all over his face, he got to his feet and hurried upstairs to his room. His wild eyes darted across the untidy room in front of him as he leaned against the closed door and slammed it shut.
"Gideon, are you okay?" his mother asked from outside.
"Of course, I'm fine, I just forgot something," he lied.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Mom. I'll be leaving for school soon. I just need to do something," he replied, panicking inside his room.
"All right, if you say so."
As his mother walked away, Gideon exhaled slowly to calm himself and pulled his phone from his pocket. When he opened his phone again and realized what he was seeing was real, he groaned.
"I slept for nine days? But mom and dad said I was awake... and did horrible things." He looked around his cluttered room, his belongings strewn about. His shoulders shook. "What happened during those nine days?"
