Summer in Earth. The time of the year where the temperature is at its highest. The season where students finally gets their long and deserved break.

   Somewhere around the pacific, in a crowded street, were two people. One was a man in his early twenties while the other was a teenage girl. They were walking side-by-side, looking at various shops in passing. They were talking to each other, with the girl telling the man of today's events and the man nodding as he listened.

   The two of them were siblings. Though their appearance and personality are a stark contrast to each other, they do share the same hobbies and have a common sense of humor.

   Nearing their house, as the packed street gradually became easier to breathe in, their conversation quickly went into an abrupt halt.

   They stood still without a sound, waiting for the right time.

   On the left stood the man. His eyes grew sharp and his face became serious. Looking closer, his brown eyes seemed to be burning with passion. A gust of wind blew and his shoulder-length black hair swayed with the wind. His person that's clad in a black hoodie and leather jeans steadied as the sound of a bell grew closer.

   At the same time, the teenage girl on his right stood still. Her long and blonde hair hung loose, reaching her waist. At the sound of the bell's chime, her blue eyes shone, anticipation clearly shown within. Her body shook with excitement as she bolted forward, leaving the man in the dust.

   "Hey, you fucking cheater!" yells the man, annoyed and surprised.

   "That's what you get for eating my yoghurt yesterday!" the girl retorted.

   The man then followed after the girl, turning in the corner and let out a sigh of relief. In front of him was an ice cream truck. An ice cream truck which sells ice cream that he's willing to die for. Not just him, even those outside his city would flock through his street just to get this delicious, cold, and mouth-watering ice cream. Even though it only had a single flavor, that was enough to capture the hearts of others in the blistering heat of summer.

   "I saved you a spot," the girl smiled, standing in line in front of the ice cream truck.

   "I guess our luck's good this time, huh? Thanks, Lia," the man smiled back and stood behind his sister, patting her head.

   The girl, Lia, frowned upon receiving a headpat. She turned around and punched her brother on the chest, but merely received a chuckle in response.

   "You're stupid, Art," she harrumphed.

   The line was long, but their turn finally arrived.

   "Three for me please," Lia ordered, smiling.

   At Lia's expectant expression, the man behind the truck had a troubled expression. He coughed, then explains that a customer may only order two at once. Lia's face was disappointed for a second, but was full of smiles again as she pays for two of her favorite ice cream. The man apologizes, then Lia left the line, waiting for Art on the sidewalk.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

   "Only one for me, thank you," ordered Art.

   "Two special vanilla, coming up," replied the man behind the truck with a face full of smile like all vendors have.

   "Thank you," Art expresses his gratitude then pays for his ice cream.

   On the way home, Art and Lia was talking on the now deserted street. Lia's face was smudged full of ice cream, but Arthur gave her a handkerchief. Lia expresses her gratitude, but her eyes almost popped out of its sockets when Art placed one of his ice creams at her plastic bag.

   "Take that as an apology for you yoghurt," Art states.

   "Hehe, thank you, Arthur," smiled Lia in appreciation, even calling him by his full name.

   "Well, that's rare. Anyway, we should hurry. It's getting dark," Arthur said, then hastens his walking speed, but not too much where the eating Lia won't be able to catch up.

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   "Dinner's ready!"

   At their humble home of two, the siblings were doing their own thing. Arthur cooked, while Lia leisurely prepared the table. Then, slowly, the two of them ate dinner. It was a heartwarming moment, but also one to be sad. This time of year, their parents who they looked up to, mysteriously disappeared. 

   Nobody knew what happened nor did anyone know why. Both of their parents were kind people. Their father, in fact, was the kindest man they knew. Their mother was strict, but she too was kind to those she cared for. And she cared for a lot of people. She was an empathetic and sentimental woman.

   Even though those memories surfaced on both of their minds, they were used to it. It's been five years since then and Arthur grew up to be an independent man. Now, he's already 22. A man with a stable job and income, but a man leading a boring and mundane life.

   Lia on the other hand had an exciting life. She had a great social life, many caring friends, and an excellent academic record. She was an excellent student and her school's ace. With a beautiful look and her excellent academic background, even though she's living a modest life, many men had professed their love for her only to be turned down.

   Sitting on the living room and watching the television, the two of them were lazing around the sofa, poking each other's faces with their feet.

   "So, how's school?"

   "Good. Not to brag, but I aced the tests this morning," she declared with a smug face, though when she looked at Arthur's gently smile, her smugness was quickly replaced by that of embarrassment.

   "Keep up the good work. Anyhow, about my job... I got a promotion," Arthur said with a slight smile.

   "Woah! REALLY? Then-- Then why don't we celebrate? It's only 7 o'clock, it's not too late to go out to Ella's place."

   "Sure. Then let's get dressed for this occ--"

   But before Arthur could finish his sentence, Lia was already on her way upstairs.

   "Beat ya' to it!"

   Arthur sighed at his sister's explosiveness and followed suit.

   Up on the stairs, Lia poked her head out of the corner and smiled.

   "Hey, Arthur. Can I drink alcohol now?" she asked with a meek smile.

   "Sure. It's my treat anyway, so go get yourself drunk or something."

   "YAY! You're the best-- Huh? What's up with you?"

   In the middle of her praises, Lia's joy was wiped out of her face as she's looking at Arthur's body gradually turning translucent.

   Arthur, baffled by her words, immediately retorted with a, "No, what's up with YOU?"

   Lia was confused at first, but then understood his meaning and immediately waved her hands frantically in defense.

   "No, really! You're fading away!" Lia screamed, her eyes hiding panic within.

   "Wha-- OH MY GOD! WAIT, YOU'RE FADING AWAY TOO!"

   Arthur's eyes bulged as he saw himself slowly fading away, but it bulged even more when he saw Lia becoming the same as him. Confused, afraid, and curious, he immediately ran to Lia's side and rubbed his chin.

   "I'm calm now," he stated.

   "WHY ARE YOU CALM?"

   "There's no use in panicking," he said indifferently.

   "O-oh... that's right. BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO US?!"

   "I think I've seen something like this before..."

   "You have? WAIT, WAIT, YOU HAVE?!"

   "Yeah, I was reading this book and they--"

   And so the both of them finally disappeared, turning into mist that got blown away by the wind.