Sixteen-year old Harper Brooke, who has never experienced love, has a crush on Steve Andrews, the tall and handsome boy who just moved into the house opposite hers. A twist for her or a tragedy for Steve struck.
Due to a national lockdown, his divo...
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The citizens of Athador have been waiting for the last day of the lockdown. It will either be freedom or further confinement. While the vast majority craved to work and buy necessities for their family, the better-off population with ample space in their house and lawn practically missed the high-maintenance lifestyle or freedom.
These two weeks have changed lives for the better or worst. For Harper, it's the former.
Standing opposite the washbasin's round mirror, she untangled her dark brown voluminous hair, running the comb several times. The daily get-together has become a good habit. Harper smiled as her brother was no longer a nuisance. After applying some light pink gloss, she turned off the lights and returned downstairs.
Her parents already sat on the couch, annoyed at the hundreds of advertisements they'll show before starting the evening news.
"Whose priority is a BMW or real estate in this pandemic? For real, though," Jenna shouted at the TV.
The corner of her lips turned upwards. She pulled out the remaining juice from the fridge and filled her tall glass about three-quarters. Sitting beside her mother, she waited for the result of their anticipated fate.
The news theme played at six past two minutes, and the two news anchors appeared.
"Where's Harry?" Harper asked.
"In his bedroom, he has some notes to copy. He might or might not even join us for dinner."
"Okay, ladies, keep it down. It's important news."
"Shut up, Paul. I'm not gossiping."
Bad news surged. There has been an increasing number of covid cases and deaths among the elderly. A thirty-year-old man is the youngest victim of this pandemic. They showed each town's name and the number of infected and death records. Wessam City still has the highest number of cases. Overpopulation, holiday destination, and cheap places of attraction acted as a catalyst.
The main highlight of the news, however, is that the lockdown will renew for the next fifteen days as a measure of national security.
"Here we go again," Paul snorted, sunk further into his seat, and complained about his tedious boss.
Fingers crossed beneath her chin, Jenna inhaled hard and mumbled, "Okay, we can survive another two weeks."
Harry joined the family, slumping onto the adjacent couch with a packet of chips.
"Lockdown again," he inquired, munching aloud.
"Yeah, it keeps increasing."
"Won't our country's economy nosedive if they keep doing this?" He asked.
