An acute pain arose in my stomach, making my eyes snap open. My whole body convulsed at the object that fell on me, and suddenly I was completely awake, with no trace of drowsiness in my mind.

—Good morning, brother! —a cheerful and annoying voice sounded right above me—. Good morning, good morning, GOOD MORNING!

I looked at my older sister with anger, but she returned my gaze with a mischievous smile, still lying on my stomach. I watched her as she hummed to herself with evident satisfaction, playfully kicking in the air while pretending to study the giant world map I had nailed to the wall next to my bed. I could see her watching me carefully out of the corner of her eye, waiting for my reaction.

"This is what I get for not locking the door and placing a basic alarm perimeter around my bed," I thought with resignation.

—Get off —I told her in the calmest voice I could maintain.

—Mom said to wake you up —she responded naturally, without moving from her spot.

—Not like this, she didn't —I growled, swallowing my irritation and waiting patiently until she lowered her guard. As expected, Anastasia became visibly nervous after a few moments of my feigned disinterest. Just before she could burst out, I quickly grabbed her by the legs and chest, flipping her over the edge of the bed. She fell to the floor with a thud and a cry of indignation, and I jumped to my feet to better respond to any violence she might decide to counterattack with.

I looked at her and snorted with disdain. —I'll make sure to remember this the next time I'm asked to wake you up.

—That's very unlikely to happen —she replied defiantly—. You always sleep more than I do.

I sighed in defeat. «Damn imp», I thought, «but she's right about that.»

—So... —she began excitedly, jumping to her feet—, are you excited?

I watched her for a moment as she bounced around my room like a caffeine-induced monkey.

«Sometimes I wish I had some of that unlimited energy of hers but... just a little.»

—About what? —I asked innocently, feigning ignorance. I knew perfectly well what she was referring to, but constantly asking obvious questions was the quickest way to frustrate her and make her abandon a conversation I preferred not to have.

—About training with me! Mom told me this morning! —she complained, clearly aware of my strategy. —she paused as she smiled playfully—. If you ask me nicely, maybe I can teach you a spell or two.

I let out a suffering sigh. Anastasia had always treated me like some sort of playmate, even though I did everything possible not to encourage her, but she usually stayed within certain unspoken limits. Fortunately, her summer vacation would end tomorrow and I would have some peace.

—Yes, yes. Anastasia. Mom said we would start training after lunch. Why don't you go get your things ready?

She looked at me with a frown and discontent for a second and then perked up, as if remembering something, and quickly ran out of the room. My eyes widened when I realized what she was doing a second too late.

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—No! —I shouted as I ran after her, but the bathroom door slammed shut in my face. I banged on the door in frustration—. Damn it, Anastasia! You had all the time in the world to go to the bathroom before you woke me up!

—Too bad to be you —was her only response.

After throwing a few curses at the door, I strode to my room to get dressed. I was sure she would stay there for a long time, if only to annoy me.

I quickly took off my pajamas and took a moment to look around my room. I was pleased to notice that Anastasia hadn't rummaged through my things before waking me up. "She has a very vague notion of privacy," I thought with some irritation.

Once I had done my personal grooming, I went downstairs to eat something and see what my mother wanted from me. Although my family thought I simply liked to sleep in late, I actually had a reason for getting up late: it meant I could eat in peace, since everyone else had already had breakfast. Few things bothered me more than someone trying to make conversation while I ate, and that was precisely the time when the rest of my family was most talkative.

Unfortunately, my mother wasn't willing to wait for me that day, and she pounced on me immediately when she saw me come down. I hadn't even finished descending the stairs and she had already discovered something about me that she didn't like.

—You're not really planning to go out to play looking like that, are you? —she asked.

—What's wrong with this? —I asked. I was wearing a simple brown suit, a bit different from what other boys wore when they went into town. It seemed perfect to me.

—You can't go out on the street looking like that —my mother said with a sigh of resignation—. What do you think people will say when they see you looking like that?

—Nothing? —I tried to say.

—Arceus, don't be so difficult. You're not at that age yet... —she snapped at me—. Our family is one of the pillars of this city. We're under scrutiny every time we leave the house. I know you don't care about these things, but appearances are important to many people. You have to realize that you're not an island and that you can't decide things as if you were alone in the world. You're a member of this family and your actions inevitably reflect on our reputation. I will not allow you to go out looking like a common factory worker. Go back to your room and put on some proper clothes.

I held back from rolling my eyes long enough to turn my back on her. Still, it wasn't worth arguing, so I put on a more expensive outfit. It was totally excessive, considering I would spend all day on the grass watching the sky, but my mother nodded with approval when she saw me come down the stairs.

She made me turn and pose like a show animal for a while before declaring me "quite decent." I went to the kitchen and, to my displeasure, my mother followed me. Apparently, I wouldn't be eating in peace today.

I entered the kitchen and frowned when I saw that a bowl of oatmeal was already waiting for me on the table. I normally prepared my own breakfast and liked it that way, but I knew my mother never accepted it.

—I thought I'd prepare something for you today, and I know you've always liked porridge —she said. I refrained from mentioning that I hadn't liked it since I was two years old—. However, you slept longer than I thought you would. It got cold while I was waiting for you.

I rolled my eyes when she slightly warmed the porridge with a flame on her fingers, which instantly brought it back to a pleasant temperature.

I ate breakfast in silence while my mother talked at length about a crop-related dispute involving one of her suppliers, circling around any topic she wanted to address.

Fortunately, my mother didn't give importance to my silence, because I was always as quiet as possible with my family.

—Mother —I interrupted her—, I just woke up because Anastasia jumped on me, I haven't had time to go to the bathroom, and now you're bothering me while I eat.

—Did she do it again? —my mother asked, with evident amusement in her voice.

I rubbed my eyes without saying anything before surreptitiously saving an apple from the bowl that was on the table while my mother wasn't looking. There were many annoying things that Anastasia did over and over again, but complaining about it to my mother was a waste of time.

—Don't be like that —my mother said, noticing my unhappy reaction—. She's bored and trying to play with you. You take things too seriously, just like your father.

I ignored her comment and returned to my breakfast with renewed vigor.