From a Gift to a Family

Introduction Chapter

"So... how exactly did this happen?"

The feminine voice asked in confusion from the other side of the call as the young man stood in front of a large crate. He glared at it, wishing it was never standing in the middle of a small, yet empty apartment. Sure, their apartment did have furnitures but it was enough for the both of them. They did not the need to purchase any unnecessary products. Until now apparently.

"Uhh..." He tried to come up with an excuse but couldn't.

"Adik..."

He noticed the darkening tone of her voice and couldn't help but feel a shiver running down his spine. There was no way he was telling her. At least, not until she returned from her job.

"Look, kakak. I think it's fine." He stammered out, speaking quickly. "You don't have to come home early, okay? Bye."

"Wait, wait adi-"

He tapped the 'End Call' button, sighing softly. Glancing at the crate once more, the young sixteen year old grabbed the manual from the table and started flipping through the pages.

"Since my sister's coming home late... I might as well try to activate you..."

Several Days Earlier~

Arissa Iman envied a normal life. At the same time though, she doesn't. For example, she absolutely hated that ringing phone that made her wake up early in the morning. However, she also adored said phone because of its uses, seeing as she always tried to maintan her close to non-existent social life.

Grumbling softly, she tossed around a little more before giving in to that damn phone.

"Senyaplah!" Arissa grabbed the phone and tossed it across the office space she called her bedroom. Luckily, it landed with a soft 'thunk' on a pile of papers. Manuscripts, no doubt. "Telefon bodoh..."

She smirked.

Arissa - 1

Stupid phone - 0

Sighing blissfully, slowly but surely, she fell into the depths of sleep for the second time...

Ring-ring

Ring-ring

Ri-

"Ah! Shut up you stupid phone!" Feeling sleep deprived, she covered her head with her precious pillow, her only solace. At the same time, her brother decided to open the door. In mid motion though, he paused, silently watching the lump on the bed.

"What... did I miss?" He finally said, hiding his smirk.

"Adam!" Arissa gasped, peeking out of the pillow. Her eyes practically screamed 'Help me!'. He, however, let his smirk show and proceeded to close the door. He barely heard the following profanities as he continued on his daily morning routine.

Inside the room, Arissa picked up the phone, a low growl emitting from the thoughts of revenge. She was surprised to see that it wasn't an alarm, but a repeating phone call. Grimacing slightly, she answered the call and cautiously placed the phone at her ear.

"... Hello?"

"Arissa!" A familiar voice replied. Almost instantly, a soft smile bloomed on her face.

"Abang!" She looked around her room, deciding to get ready for her job. She browsed through the closet with one hand, the other holding the phone in place. "Dah lama tak dengar. How are you?"

"Fine. The course is hard but with luck, I can finish it this semester."

Oh, wow. Arissa could not believe it. She started to giggle, a rare occurrence for her.