Can't Reach You: Chapter One

Looking at the sun setting outside, the weekend coming to an end, a memory slips back into my head. The day when I, Hanako Toyama, had asked my brother where was mom...

 Mamoru-nii-san said that our mom turned into a white-eye bird to watch us from the plum blossom trees. This confused me a little for I have seen mom, laid down in a case with her eyes closed, in the ceremony where everyone dress in dark colored suits and dresses. He was able to tell me days later that mom died from lung cancer.

"Mamoru-nii-san, how can you tell which one is mom?" I asked.

"Well, mom is always the white-eye bird that listens to you when you want to talk to someone. Unfortunately for her, she can only visit us during the spring but nevertheless, she is still watching us from above no matter what the climate," He replies and reaches out for my hand. My hand grasps onto his fingers and we walk back to our home which is on the top floor-on top of a hill-of the building where my neighbors live too. A certain someone waiting for me on the blossom tree near the stairs.

“Goodnight, mom,” I whisper, waving at mom, the white-eye bird, before yawning.

"You should get to bed soon or you get bags if you sleep so late. Plus tomorrow you have to go to school so once we get home, go straight to bed," Mamoru-nii-san says though I'm too tired to hear him. He takes my basket into his left hand and lifts me up with his right arm. I hear the low creak of our front door before my eyelids give up on me, falling fast asleep before I even reach to my room.

I crawl into my bed for tomorrow will be Monday and it would be irresponsible of me to be late to school.

I wake up by the sound of chirping from my window. It’s been ten years since mother turned into a white-eye bird and I’m glad I get to see her soon for it is almost the end of winter. I quickly change into my winter school clothes; a beige jacket and a plaid blue skirt with a white shirt. I walk to the kitchen, eating cereal to start the day. I wonder how Mamoru-nii-san is doing, I thought. It has been three weeks since I last saw my hard-working brother but I’m happy he had reached his goal of getting his dream job. Besides, Mamoru-nii-san never forgets to visit once in awhile and he always pays for what I need.

After getting my hair into a messy bun, I hop onto my bike and race down the hill from where our apartment was placed on. Though my brother is not pushing me in a hurry, I have plans for my own goals to become a doctor, more specifically a surgeon.

 Even though I want to become a surgeon, I couldn’t bare the thought of leaving this place that is the home of where I treasured such memories and where my mom plans to stay.

I park my bike near the rails of the school’s staircase and quickly run up the stairs. Determined to get to class on time, I run around the crowds of people hanging out in the hallways. Almost there, I thought happily. I usually don’t make it to class early since I live so far away.

“Ooff!” I cry out, wincing as I crash against somebody’s back.

“Sorry, I was trying to get to class on ti...” I look up at the not-so-happy senpai that I just collided not too long ago. He looks back at me and I face his intense black-grey eyes.

“Hey,” He says, turning around.

Author's Note

*senpai respects people higher than you, whether educational wise or social wise
*niisan means older brother

Reviews

[TurtleNamedPeanut]

What about older sister? Cause I'm still mulling over that one.....

[TurtleNamedPeanut]

Nevermind I found out....^o^
Elder - oneesan or aneki
Younger - imouto

[Taeko Shimizu]

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh
theres a reason why you are named turtle lol hahahaha
I'm tired and I have all this bio work to do by tomorrow morning

[TurtleNamedPeanut]

oh shut up -_- I bet you hadn't even looked for it after the day when we were wondering what was the word for it

[TurtleNamedPeanut]

crap I had forgotten about the bio work... but I'm still confused as to what we do since I was absent Monday.....