Broken Mirror

Cold Was The Snow

『Note: The cover is still in progress XD I was kinda lazy to draw it, so I just made a sketch. I dunno if my grammar is 100% correct, so please leave comments if you find any errors. (I'm not from an english country XS)

Warning: this part, is particularly sad. Hope you enjoy this boring prologue!』

Prologue-----------

It was winter.

I remember staring at the dark tree trunks of the once full of color cherry blossoms out the window, with the dreamy eyes and the big smile only kids have the gift to make. My sister was beside me, fighting for the only window of our room. It wasn't big, but comfy and playful, with a sweet scent of honey and cinnamon that warmed me inside even in the coldest nights.

When my twin was almost going to punch me in the face, I heard my mother calling me: "Drake, Trace, my darlings! It's time for breakfast!"

"Just in time", I thought. My belly was hurting of how hungry I was. With my bunny slippers, I rushed downstairs as if my life depended on it, fast as the wind, only motivated by the hot aroma of pancakes and tea. In the blink of an eye, I was sitting on a wooden chair, anxiously waiting for the dish to be served. I calculated every second that passed with one kick of my short legs, just like a cronometer. After exactly twelve kicks, my sister Ren sat next to me, equally anxious. I could even see some saliva dripping from her face, as the pancakes layed down in front of us, with a cup of tea.

I swear it was the best dish in my life. Since then, breakfasts, lunch, dinners and even desserts weren't as good as from that time. The reason was that my parents weren't there anymore. They would never be with us ever again.

After ferociously extinguishing my breakfast, I felt like I could sleep for a thousand years of how full I was. Even Ren, that eats like if it's breathing, felt sleepy. Mom stroked our hair gently, smiling at how we ate until the last bite.

"Kids, I'm going to leave now. Mom and dad need to work at the lab." After hearing those words, I got upset. It was Saturday. Why did they need to work? Or more specifically, leave?

The familiar loud sound of heavy steps came from the stairs, meaning dad was approaching. I couldn't help turning around to see him. There he was: the tall man that I admired so much, Ken Raikou. He came smiling through the kitchen, to hug both of us with passion. If he hugged me for just one more second, I would have asphyxiated of how tight he was holding us. After letting go, he laughed of our reaction: "How are my two little miracles?"

I got angry. I don't like being called little. "I'm not little, I'm big, dad!" He grinned, passing his large fingers through my silky dark-brown hair. "Yes, you will be even bigger than me, Drake!" With his response, I smiled confidently. "And you, Trace, you will be the one protecting your dear Onii-chan (note: older brother) Rin. I'm really proud of both of you, so radiant and confident. You're going to grow strong for sure!"

Mom made a gesture to make dad remember of what they were supposed to do. "Well, me and mommy need to go to work. It's an emergency." Ren made her famous crying puppy face, staring at our parents, that were already at the huge oak door.

"Awwwn... We will miss you! Can't you stay a little bit longer?" They denied, both of our pairs of eyes starting to get wet until they said:

"Uncle Rick is with you. If you need anything just call him, and if there's an emergency, call us. We will come back soon! It's a promise!"

Those were the last words we heard from their mouthes.

~ • • • ~

I was dying of waiting for the arrival of my parents. But they seemed to really like making me wait. Ren wasn't different, standing still, without expression in front of the window just like a cat waiting patiently for prey. Like a starving cat.

"Dingdong" I heard the door bell ring and simultaneously rushed for the second time in a day down the stairs. Uncle Ken didn't even woke up yet, as usual. Ren followed, stopping me half the way: "Wait, Nii-chan! It's not mom nor dad! It's just one person out there. And they would have the keys. Beware!"

I sighed. She just wants to scare me, right? There's no way they didn't arrive yet! T-they... Could have forgotten the keys, because they left in a hurry! I continued my marathon to the door. When we finally got there, the doorbell rang again. I got the keys from the bookshelf that was on the right and opened the door with a "click".

I wanted to see mom and dad as soon as possible, but Ren was right.

The one standing there wasn't mom nor dad.

The man was smaller than my dad, probaby at the mid-fiftys and wore a black coat that covered almost every inch of his body. I immediately felt like crying; they weren't here. On the coat, we could read "Argus" and the game-developing company came to my mind. My mother told me they were working on a project called "Sword Art Online" and that it was going to be the best game of all history of games until now. I really wanted to try it. The man glanced at us, examining from bottom to top and then raised an eyebrow.

"Are you from the Raikou family?" Confused, we nodded. I was getting a bad feeling. "Isn't there anybody else in here?" We denied, as our uncle was sleeping and we didn't want to molest him (the last time we woke him up, we almost got a broken bone). The man sighed. "I'm really sorry for your loss. Your parents were really important to our company." Me neither Ren understood, or at least didn't want to understand. "Huh?"

"Such little kids losing their parents at this age... How sad. They died on an accident at the research laboratory. Argus is sorry for your loss." As he bowed, tears started dripping down my face, freezing it in a painful expression. Ren, instead, had a blank expression. Her voice was monotone, but I could see the sadness she was trying to hide.

"We're not little. We're big, sir. Thank you for telling us." I couldn't believe in how cold she acted. The always happy and anxious Trace wasn't there anymore...? Ren then bowed and the man left, entering his black car.

Hearing those words pronounced by Ren made me fall into pieces to the cold ground outside the house, my freezing tears of pain falling like a waterfall and terrible cries coming from my dry mouth. On my knees, hands touching the hard cement, I started to scream in fear.

Ren was just standing at the door, staring at the sky without producing even the lowest sound. I admired her and hated her at the same time when she was acting like that. She was mature enough to not cry, but this made me feel like she didn't care about our parents.

Then she moved towards me. With light steps, she came near, and to my surprise, hugged me tight just as dad did that last time, a stream of tears coming down her cheeks and making the ground wet. Still, her tone was monotone, just like before. Before I heard her words, snow started to fall from the sky. At this time, the darkest of my life, I felt like I was about to freeze. Not even cinnamon and honey could warm me up. Not even my sister. I would never be warm again.

"Cold was the snow, just as our reality"

『Ok, I think I made this part a little bit to dramatic/cruel/sad. Sorry, guys (¯―¯٥)』