Chapter 3

3

At the crack of dawn, my grandmother beats me until I wake up.

"You lazy brat! Why are you still sleeping? Get up and cook!"

I crawl out of bed, feeling weak, and follow my grandmother to prepare breakfast.

Having woken me up, she immediately returns to her room to sleep some more.

"Dad, Mom, Tyler, Grandma, breakfast is ready!"

I shout to wake them up.

"Brat, are you calling for ghosts at this hour?"

My mother scolds me before turning to nudge my father.

"Henry, get up!"

After several tries, my father doesn't respond. My mother leans in to check on him.

One look turns her face deathly pale.

"Henry! Henry!"

Hearing her screams, my grandmother rushes out of her room.

"What is it? What happened to my son?"

"Mom, Henry is unconscious!"

My mother cries, and my grandmother's face drains of color.

Her lips tremble as she stammers.

"What are you waiting for? Get him to the hospital!"

"Right… right!"

My mother stumbles out to find help to carry him, while my grandmother sinks to the floor, staring blankly.

Suddenly, she seems to remember something and rushes toward my brother's room.

A sharp, piercing shriek erupts from within.

"Tyler! My precious baby, what is wrong?"

I want to step inside to see what is happening.

But as I reach the door, my grandmother storms out, clutching my brother.

Seeing me in her way, she kicks me aside without a second thought.

"Out of my way, you brat!"

With that, she rushes off with my brother.

I brush off my scraped hands and sit at the table with a blank expression.

Soon after, my mother returns with neighbors to carry my father to the hospital.

Throughout the chaos, not a single person cares about my safety.

I pick up a bun I made earlier, eating slowly.

When I am finished, I grab my school bag and head to class as usual.

To me, these people are no longer worth a single emotion.

Only learning―only education―can give me a way out of this hell.