Don't Save Me

Chapter 1

"Ryu, wake up! We're running late.

With precise and quick movements, the young girl opened the cupboards and took out the essentials. Slim pickings - only a handful of cereals and a few drops of milk remained. She would have to go without breakfast today.

"El', I'm tired. »

Her little brother emerged from his room, hair tousled, and his dinosaur pajamas askew. His adorable childlike face was irresistible. The young girl crouched down and performed her daily morning ritual.

"Come here, my little T-Rex. »

Ryu threw himself into the open arms of his older sister. She buried her nose in his hair and took a deep breath. What wouldn't she do for this little angel?

"Your breakfast is ready. Sit down, I'll bring it to you. »

With a smile, Ryu nodded. He grabbed two cushions from the couch and threw them in front of the coffee table. Once he deemed them stacked properly, he took a seat and looked at his sister. She brought him a bowl of cereal with milk just as his little stomach growled.

"Someone's hungry," she chuckled.

While her little brother ate, the young girl finished getting dressed and prepared clothes for her brother. She checked her bag, his, and slipped the only bento she could prepare into Ryu's. Once all that was done, the morning could finally begin.

•••

"Can someone translate this sentence for me?" the teacher asked.

She was dying of boredom. The English level in middle school was so low. Leaning her head on her hand, she had been staring out the window since the beginning of the class. Watching the movement of the trees was almost more interesting.

She only raised her head when she heard her classmates getting up from their seats. The class was over. A girl with pigtails and a contagious smile rushed towards her.

"It must be so easy for you, El'! I'm jealous. I don't understand anything in English."

El' had a considerable advantage over her classmates. Her mother was from Australia and spoke English all the time. So, since birth, she was proficient in both Japanese and English.

"I offered to give you lessons, but you refused," she replied, shrugging.

"I already work hard enough," complained her friend, Haruna.

Her friend hated studying. El' watched her attentively take her bento out of her bag. She would never admit it, but she was starting to get hungry. If only she hadn't...

"Aren't you eating? El', this shouldn't become a habit! It's not the first time you've forgotten your bento. »

That was the excuse she often gave to Haruna to explain the absence of lunch. Haruna thought she was on some kind of diet, which El' had never denied. She didn't want to tell her the truth.

"Let's share. »

And just like every time Haruna noticed she had nothing to eat, she wanted to share her bento. For El', that was out of the question. Her friend's family didn't have much money, there was only enough food for one person.

"No need, I'll go buy something to eat. Don't wait for me."

"That's what you always say," grumbled Haruna.

Once outside the school, El' looked for a place to sit and rest. She had to move as little as possible if she wanted her little energy to last the day. When she found the perfect spot - a secluded bench near a grove - she lay down and closed her eyes. One leg bent, the other stretched, she breathed in the sweet air of late summer. This moment of tranquility was one of the few pleasures she allowed herself. Soon, she would have to go back to class and her reality.