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6/14/2025, 9:28:29 PM
6/12/2025, 4:36:40 PM
I wrote this
>It was always the same response. Always the same desperate pleas.
>“Please, I won't say a word,” he’d beg in that desperate pleading way.
>But how would Lumi trust that? Can she even trust him? She’d been keeping it a secret for years.
> She pulled her car into her designated parking spot and looked up at the large, opulent Phase Tower at the second-floor last window on the left.
>The shades were sealed shut.
>They’d been that way for days.
>Lumi stepped out and walked into the entryway, passing Dizzy by the Receptionist Hall.
>She checked the Receptionist Hall at least five times a day so she could interact with someone other than her own chat and Sakana.
>“Why hello, Lumi,” Dizzy called when she spotted her, “How was your stream today?”
>“Great, it was great” Lumi replied without turning around. No need to tell her that, once again, she’d ended stream earlier than she would have liked.
>“That's good to hear. You tell that 'brother' of yours he needs to get out of your room once in a while and get more the sun more often.”
>Lumi turned around and looked at Dizzy before smiling at her as she stopped at the elevator. “Don't you worry about him; I will tell him that.”
>Lumi waved to her over my shoulder and stepped inside the box as soon as the doors opened.
>They closed in front of her, and she stared at the numbers as they lit up, anxiously tapping her feet back and forth against each other.
>The familiar ding sounded and then the doors opened to the long hallway.
>The smell of disinfected and other cleaning product greeted her when she opened her apartment door.
>She took a deep breath before walking down the hallway and into her bedroom.
>A small lump hid underneath the yellow comforter.
>Lumi stepped over the scattered piles of clothes as she walked to the window and pulled on the blinds’ string, flooding the room with light and making it brighter.
>She even opened the window, letting the fresh air sweep into the room, and took another deep breath to fortify herself for what she had to do next.
>She sat on a spot on the edge of the bed and peeled back the comforter, revealing Starbro’s small body tucked into the fetal position, drool coming out of his mouth.
>However, His wrist was bleeding.
>Not a good sign.
>The last time his wrist was bleeding, she’d almost taken him to the emergency room.
>She’d grown to hate the sight of his blood.
>Lumi stroked his blond hair away from his face. “Hi, darling. I’m home.”
>His eyes opened quickly, and his arms reached out for her like a small child reaching for her mother.
>Lumi lay down beside him and wrapped her arms around him.
>They’d been through this routine so many times.
>Starbro nestled his head on her chest and began to cry.
>“Shh.” Lumi stroked his hair. “It’s gonna be all right. You just have to listen to me.”
>“I won't run away.” His tears wet her shirt. “I'll listen, Lumi. I really will this time. Please.”
>“I know you'll listen, honey,” Lumi said, her long fingers splayed across her younger brother's cheeks as she tilted his head for a kiss
>“You trust me?”
>He looked up at her and she looked down at her younger brother's face—his features were the same as hers, even down baby blue eyes
>She shook her head.
>She can never trust her brother
>“C'mon, let’s get you showered, all right?”
>She didn’t wait for his answer.
>Lumi stood and pulled him up with her, his stick-thin arms and body leaning against her for support.
>His hair was matted against the side of her head.
>“Then maybe we can go out and get dinner. Shiina told me there’s this really great restaurant that opened up downtown a few weeks ago. Their romance menu is supposed to be amazing.”
>His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open unable to respond
>“Or we can just order a Chinese and watch a few anime episodes.”
>His face instantly relaxed but kept his head down.
>Lumi flicked on the fluorescent lights and ran the bathwater.
>Starbro walked in to join her, still keeping his head down, his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach.
>Lumi stopped filling the silence and let out a deep sigh.
>“What’d you do?” Lumi asked, hoping to break the silence.
>But Starbro shrugged and began undressing, his head still hanging low as if he were a puppy who’d been caught trying to run away or a cat escaping its confinement.
>He removed his pajama shirt.
>Dried blood was smeared all over his chest and abdomen like crusted trails of rust.
>There was a lot of it, which meant he’d been cutting himself all day.
>He undressed slowly, wary of his raw skin
>Lumi stared at the jagged edges of his wounds, new and old, as they spliced their way over his pale skin in a tangled web.
>Three deep gashes scarred the left side of his stomach.
>He’d ended up in the emergency room that time.
>To be with their parents
>To be free of her
>To be away from her
>But she won't let that happen
>It was always the same response. Always the same desperate pleas.
>“Please, I won't say a word,” he’d beg in that desperate pleading way.
>But how would Lumi trust that? Can she even trust him? She’d been keeping it a secret for years.
> She pulled her car into her designated parking spot and looked up at the large, opulent Phase Tower at the second-floor last window on the left.
>The shades were sealed shut.
>They’d been that way for days.
>Lumi stepped out and walked into the entryway, passing Dizzy by the Receptionist Hall.
>She checked the Receptionist Hall at least five times a day so she could interact with someone other than her own chat and Sakana.
>“Why hello, Lumi,” Dizzy called when she spotted her, “How was your stream today?”
>“Great, it was great” Lumi replied without turning around. No need to tell her that, once again, she’d ended stream earlier than she would have liked.
>“That's good to hear. You tell that 'brother' of yours he needs to get out of your room once in a while and get more the sun more often.”
>Lumi turned around and looked at Dizzy before smiling at her as she stopped at the elevator. “Don't you worry about him; I will tell him that.”
>Lumi waved to her over my shoulder and stepped inside the box as soon as the doors opened.
>They closed in front of her, and she stared at the numbers as they lit up, anxiously tapping her feet back and forth against each other.
>The familiar ding sounded and then the doors opened to the long hallway.
>The smell of disinfected and other cleaning product greeted her when she opened her apartment door.
>She took a deep breath before walking down the hallway and into her bedroom.
>A small lump hid underneath the yellow comforter.
>Lumi stepped over the scattered piles of clothes as she walked to the window and pulled on the blinds’ string, flooding the room with light and making it brighter.
>She even opened the window, letting the fresh air sweep into the room, and took another deep breath to fortify herself for what she had to do next.
>She sat on a spot on the edge of the bed and peeled back the comforter, revealing Starbro’s small body tucked into the fetal position, drool coming out of his mouth.
>However, His wrist was bleeding.
>Not a good sign.
>The last time his wrist was bleeding, she’d almost taken him to the emergency room.
>She’d grown to hate the sight of his blood.
>Lumi stroked his blond hair away from his face. “Hi, darling. I’m home.”
>His eyes opened quickly, and his arms reached out for her like a small child reaching for her mother.
>Lumi lay down beside him and wrapped her arms around him.
>They’d been through this routine so many times.
>Starbro nestled his head on her chest and began to cry.
>“Shh.” Lumi stroked his hair. “It’s gonna be all right. You just have to listen to me.”
>“I won't run away.” His tears wet her shirt. “I'll listen, Lumi. I really will this time. Please.”
>“I know you'll listen, honey,” Lumi said, her long fingers splayed across her younger brother's cheeks as she tilted his head for a kiss
>“You trust me?”
>He looked up at her and she looked down at her younger brother's face—his features were the same as hers, even down baby blue eyes
>She shook her head.
>She can never trust her brother
>“C'mon, let’s get you showered, all right?”
>She didn’t wait for his answer.
>Lumi stood and pulled him up with her, his stick-thin arms and body leaning against her for support.
>His hair was matted against the side of her head.
>“Then maybe we can go out and get dinner. Shiina told me there’s this really great restaurant that opened up downtown a few weeks ago. Their romance menu is supposed to be amazing.”
>His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open unable to respond
>“Or we can just order a Chinese and watch a few anime episodes.”
>His face instantly relaxed but kept his head down.
>Lumi flicked on the fluorescent lights and ran the bathwater.
>Starbro walked in to join her, still keeping his head down, his arms wrapped tightly around his stomach.
>Lumi stopped filling the silence and let out a deep sigh.
>“What’d you do?” Lumi asked, hoping to break the silence.
>But Starbro shrugged and began undressing, his head still hanging low as if he were a puppy who’d been caught trying to run away or a cat escaping its confinement.
>He removed his pajama shirt.
>Dried blood was smeared all over his chest and abdomen like crusted trails of rust.
>There was a lot of it, which meant he’d been cutting himself all day.
>He undressed slowly, wary of his raw skin
>Lumi stared at the jagged edges of his wounds, new and old, as they spliced their way over his pale skin in a tangled web.
>Three deep gashes scarred the left side of his stomach.
>He’d ended up in the emergency room that time.
>To be with their parents
>To be free of her
>To be away from her
>But she won't let that happen
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