I was never a morning person. I’d woken up a few minutes ago, but my face was still buried in my pillow. My room was completely dark, and from the corner of my eye, I could see my alarm clock blinking **5:01 AM**. I was supposed to get up earlier, but I couldn't find the strength—or the will—to move. This was, by far, my least favorite part of the morning. It felt like limbo, caught between the soft embrace of my bed and the inevitable misery of school. But, as always, someone forced me to make a choice. **SMACK!** A tiny hand slapped the back of my neck with all the strength it could muster. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. I ignored the first hit. Then came another. And another. My little sister, Emma, launched a full assault—slapping my back, then my arms, then focusing entirely on my butt like some kind of gremlin. I groaned and rolled to the other side of the bed, wrapping myself in my blanket like a human burrito before sliding under my bed. "Ezra! Wake up, you're gonna be late for school!" I said nothing. Maybe if I stayed still, she’d go away. My little sister was… a unique creature as one would say. Her usually soft hands felt rough every smack she put in my body. "I know you're awake! Mom said if you're not ready, she's taking your car!" Either she was lying or was just annoying me but her green eyes squinted after at least three more hits from her hands. I peeked out from under the bed with a deadpan stare. "Seriously, Emma?" She grinned. "So serious. Now come on out!" "Okay, okay, just stop yelling..." Dragging myself from under the bed, I shuffled past her toward the bathroom. She had long brown hair, green eyes, and the most annoying smug look on her face. As I passed, I returned the favor and slapped the back of her neck. "Hey!" She lunged at me, but I slipped into the bathroom and locked the door. "Jerk!" she yelled. "Get used to it." Flipping on the lights, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I tugged self-consciously at my oversized band T-shirt—the one that drowned my frame, hiding curves I’d rather forget. My brown hair was a mess, and my eyes had the kind of bags you only get from chronic sleep deprivation. The worst part? I never really looked my gender. People always told me I had my mom’s face—long brown hair, olive skin, big brown eyes, thick lashes. Nothing inherently bad about it, but damn, a little testosterone wouldn't hurt. "Ezra! You better be getting ready up there!" my mom’s voice rang out from downstairs. Panicked, I stripped off my pajamas and turned on the shower. --- "Last day of school! Last day of school! Last day of school!" Emma bounced in her seat, clapping like an overexcited seal as I drove her to middle school. She wore a frilly black dress adorned with a golden rose on the chest, which—annoyingly—I had to admit looked good on her. Mom, sitting in the passenger seat, laughed and joined in on the chant. I let them have their fun and turned my attention to the road. The sky was a dull, stormy gray, and a strange unease settled in my stomach. At first, it was subtle—a slight twist in my gut. But as we drove, it grew stronger, like a whisper at the back of my mind, warning me that something was off. "Hey, Ezra, you good?" Emma's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She looked at me, genuine concern in her eyes, before her usual teasing grin returned. "Don't tell me you're scared of a little thunderstorm!" I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine. Just not a fan of gloomy weather." Mom chuckled. "You’re always so dramatic." Emma leaned forward. "You sure you’re not sensing the presence of an ancient ghostly entity?" she said in a spooky voice, wiggling her fingers. "Yeah, Emma. That’s exactly it. I’m getting bad vibes from a vengeful spirit that feeds on annoying little sisters." She gasped, putting a hand over her heart. "You wound me, brother." I smirked and turned my attention back to the road. But the feeling wouldn’t go away. It sat in my chest, heavy and unavoidable. Maybe I was just tired. Maybe it was nothing. But it didn’t feel like nothing. When we pulled up to Emma’s middle school, she wasted no time throwing open the door. "Don't forget, Mom’s picking you up early!" Mom called after her. "I won’t!" Emma waved and ran toward the entrance—only to stop when a tall boy approached her. Immediately, she smiled and grabbed his hand, leaning into his chest like they were in some middle school drama. "Hey, Mom," I said, pointing. "I think she's the one doing the crushing." Mom laughed. "Aww, reminds me of when I met your father in kindergarten..." And just like that, I regretted everything. "Sometimes it felt like me and your dad were meant to be," she continued, voice turning nostalgic. "Born in the same hospital, went to the same schools, even lived in the same dorms in college. Let me tell you, we got busy in those dorms—" "MOM!" I yelled, covering my ears. "I do not want to hear about your freaky exploits!" Mom cackled. "You're just like your father. He was so shy that I had to propose to him." She sighed dramatically. "Of course, he had no complaints in the bedroom—" "OH MY GOD, STOP." Mom howled with laughter. To be fair, she was right about one thing: I was just like my dad. The guy was the coolest person I ever knew. He spent years in Japan as a mangaka and later became an editor for some huge series before settling back in the States. When I was eight, he taught me how to draw, and ever since then, I’d been obsessed with manga and Japanese culture. Meanwhile, my mom and sister were more sporty and tomboyish. Hell, my mom had a pixie cut, wore a black leather jacket, and had three different black jackets for every occasion. You’d think, since I looked like her, I’d inherit some of that energy. Nope. By the time we reached my high school, my mood had plummeted. The grey brick walls, the flickering fluorescent lights—everything about this place drained the life out of me. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and stepped out. "Have a good last day of school, Ezzy!" Mom called. "Yeah, sure. Love you, mom" I muttered, shutting the door behind me. As I trudged through the parking lot, my unease from earlier spiked. I glanced around, trying to shake the feeling. Students gathered in their usual groups—laughing, talking, flirting—completely oblivious to the heavy weight pressing down on my chest. Something about today felt wrong. I exhaled, trying to push the thought away. Maybe I'm just anxious about graduating high school. I looked around for a certain someone, someone who seemed like a total jock, and after some searching, I found him. He stood a few feet away and was talking to a bunch of kids that looked like the most stereotypical group of nerds ever. As I walked up to him, he noticed me and waved enthusiastically. "Ezra! Over here!" Tsagi was tall, way too tall for his age. Coming in at 6'6 and way too muscular, jet black hair, sharp slender eyes, and pale skin; Tsagi looked straight out of a Shonen manga. He wore a simple black T-shirt, navy jeans, and white shoes. "Dude, can you not shout like that? It's like six in the morning..." "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to disturb the princess," he playfully mocked. Nonetheless, we did our handshake that we've been doing since middle school. His friends behind must've thought that was the funniest shit they've ever heard as they snickered. "I'd rather be a princess than an ugly ass goblin," I snarked back, a slight grin appearing across my face. Tsagi giggled. "Nah I'd actually be a goblin, they muscular as hell. Or maybe a Hobgoblin..." As much of a jock as Tsagi looked, he was your typical MMORPG enthusiast. I played sometimes with him, but I personally try not to get addicted to games all that much. "Don't worry, you already look the part," Tsagi flexed a little bit and wriggled his eyebrows up and down. "You see this? Women _swoon_ over men like me! Not sure about skinny pretty-boys like you, though," I rolled my eyes. "At least I'm pretty. You can train the body but not the face," "Fair point, however-" he tapped on his chin. "-I don't need to train anything," We went back and forth for a little while, hurling insults and comebacks over and over and ignoring the rest of Tsagi's little friends. We could've gone on for longer, but then a loud ringing sound reverberated throughout the entire parking lot, The last day of school was in session.